While it may be hard to believe, it's already been nearly 40 years since Steven Spielberg introduced us to enigmatic visitors from above in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Sony Pictures is celebrating this September by bringing a special 4K restoration director's cut to theaters for one week only:

Press Release: CULVER CITY, Calif. -- Sony Pictures will celebrate the 40th anniversary of legendary director Steven Spielberg's epic science fiction adventure CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND with a series of special events. As a highlight of the celebration, the film has been restored and remastered in 4K and will be returning to the big screen in the United States and Canada. The Director's Cut will receive an exclusive 1 week engagement in theaters across the country starting September 1, as well as a World Premiere in the Venezia Classici section of the Venice International Film Festival. Park Circus will distribute the film in international territories to follow.

"The release of Close Encounters ushered in a new way of approaching science fiction that has influenced countless filmmakers in the decades since," said Adrian Smith, President, Domestic Distribution for Sony Pictures Releasing. "We couldn't be happier to celebrate its 40th anniversary by introducing it to a new generation of film fans through this special engagement."

Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws), Teri Garr (Tootsie), Melinda Dillon (A Christmas Story) and acclaimed French film director François Truffaut star in the story of a group of people who attempt to contact alien intelligence. Nominated for eight Academy Awards®, including Best Director (Spielberg) and Best Supporting Actress (Dillon), CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND won for Best Cinematography (Vilmos Zsigmond) with Frank E. Warner taking home a Special Achievement Award for sound effects editing.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND is presented with an all-new 4K restoration. The film was fully restored from the 35mm original camera negative, thereby utilizing in 4K the full resolution, detail and color depth inherent in the film.

Synopsis:
After an encounter with U.F.O.s, a line worker feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is about to happen.

Written and directed by Steven Spielberg, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND was produced by Julia Phillips and Michael Phillips.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND has a run time of approximately 135 min (1977 Theatrical Version), 132 minutes (1980 Special Edition), and 137 minutes (1997 Director's Cut). The film is rated PG for some intense sci-fi action, mild language and thematic elements.

Academy Award® is the registered trademark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

  • Derek Anderson
    About the Author - Derek Anderson

    Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.

    When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.