6. E.T: The Extra Terrestrial (1982) - $792.9 million
E.T is probably Steven Spielberg's most personal movie, as The Beard created an imaginary alien friend as a child to help cope with his parents' divorce, something that stuck with him throughout his life. Despite being a story close to the director's heart, the movie was an absolute
monster when it was released. Becoming the highest-grossing film of all time until Spielberg emulated his own success with
Jurassic Park, it remains a bona-fide classic and one of the greatest tales of friendship ever committed to celluloid. The tale of Elliott and his ever so slightly turd-looking alien friend, the story incorporated elements of adventure, science-fiction, fantasy and family drama to create a timeless movie that everybody seems to have seen at least once. And with good reason. Despite the signature moments being parodied mercilessly over the last 30 years, E.T retains the childlike sense of wonder with every repeat viewing. Although rumour has it that copies of the notoriously awful tie-in video game were mostly confined to a landfill in New Mexico, the movie was re-released theatrically in 1985 and 2002 and still did solid box-office business. E.T. was also nominated for nine Academy Awards (winning four), and to this day still remains essential viewing for anybody with even a passing interest in movies.