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The iconic “E.T. phone home” scene is the UK’s favourite big screen movie moment ever, according to new research from Showcase Cinemas.
The study, carried out to celebrate the reopening of the big screen experience, sees the 1982 Steven Spielberg classic narrowly take the number one spot ahead of another Spielberg favourite, Jaws.
While the blockbuster 70s thriller could have seen several moments listed for consideration, audiences picked “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” as second only to E.T.’s heartwarming request to his new found friend Elliott.
Others in the top 10 include “I’ll never let go Jack” from Titanic, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’s “No, I am your Father” and the shower scene in Psycho.
E.T. taking the limelight was perhaps a sign of the prevailing demographic as younger audiences (those aged 18-24) picked Avengers Endgame’s “I…am…Iron Man” as their favourite big screen movie moment.
The best movie moment from a British film was awarded to The Italian Job, with 30% choosing the iconic scene where Michael Caine famously said “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off” as their favourite big screen moment.
The study also looked at other memorable moments in film. Titanic’s tragic romance saw Jack and Rose’s first kiss named the most romantic big screen movie smooch of all time, while around 25% of those studied picked Mufasa’s death in The Lion King as the most iconic scene from an animated movie.
Elsewhere, Maria and Captain von Trapp’s big day in the 1965 classic The Sound of Music had 18% of viewers choosing it to be named as the most memorable on-screen wedding.
Favourite movie song went to Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” from The Bodyguard with Dirty Dancing’s “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life” (14%) and “Unchained Melody” (13%) from Ghost taking second and third spots.
Gene Kelly’s dancing in the rain narrowly missed out on the UK’s favourite musical song and dance sequence. That nod went to “You’re The One That I Want” from Grease.
From sad moments (the heart-breaking death of Bambi’s mother in 1942’s Bambi was UK audience members’ “biggest film tear-jerker”) to moments of pure joy (“Don’t call me Shirley” from Airplane was named the funniest movie scene of all time) to thrilling action (the mini-heist in The Italian Job topped the list for “best big screen car chase” while the visceral brilliance of the Omaha Beach landing in World War II epic Saving Private Ryan took home the accolade of the nation’s favourite battle scene).
The Italian Job was one of the big winners during the survey as it also acquired almost a third of the vote for its endings; a literal “cliff-hangar”.
“The big screen has provided us with so many legendary moments over the years – the list is endless,” said Mark Barlow, UK General Manager for Showcase Cinemas.
“But the British public has collectively earmarked that incredibly iconic ‘phone home’ scene from E.T. as its most magical moment in cinema history. It’s fantastic to see so many wonderful moments from films right across the decades make the top ten.
“From tragedy to comedy and everything in between, there are so many incredible big screen movie moments, and we can’t wait to welcome film fans back to enjoy even more unforgettable magic on our big screens as we reopen our doors on May 17.”
As part of the study, Showcase Cinemas also wanted to determine what audiences had missed about the cinema closures. Those studied said they were keen to see films on the “big screen” again, citing the physical size of the image in theatres, and also said they missed the “cinema experience” and the “excitement of the new movie”.
UK’S FAVOURITE BIG SCREEN MOVIE MOMENTS
- E.T – “Phone Home” – 12%
- Jaws – “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” – 11.7%
- Titanic – “I’ll never let go Jack” – 11.5%
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V) – “No…I am your father” – 10%
- Psycho – The shower scene – 9.2%
- The Great Escape – The bike jump – 9.1%
- Forrest Gump – “Run Forrest Run” – 8.9%
- Pretty Woman – “You work on commission, big mistake, HUGE” – 8.9%
- The Shining – “Here’s Johnny” – 8.6%
- The Sound of Music – “The Hills are Alive” – 7%
Showcase Cinemas is scheduled to reopen across the UK on May 17 and the cinema chain is looking forward to welcoming back guests to the big screen experience.
All Showcase cinemas will be operating the Be Showcase Safe programme that was implemented successfully last year, meaning guests can enjoy the cinema experience as safely as possible.
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