
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1977 · Movie · PG · 137 min · ★ 7.4 · 91% critics
After a startling UFO encounter, an everyday worker becomes consumed by a vivid, recurring image he can’t explain. As sightings spread and authorities move in, his obsession pulls him toward a remote wilderness site where a mysterious event promises answers—and a sense of awe that challenges what people think they know.
Also known as The Special Edition: Close Encounters of the Third Kind · The Close Encounter of the Third Kind · CE3K · Watch the Skies
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Streaming on Sony Pictures Core.
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Details
- Years
- 1977
- Release date
- 1977-12-14
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 137 min
- Critic score
- 91/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.4/10 (4,664 votes)
- Box office
- $306,889,114
- Budget
- $20,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a classic, wonder-first UFO story that builds toward a big, atmospheric payoff; Not for you if you need fast pacing or grounded realism like The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Pros: awe-filled mystery; hopeful alien contact; memorable light-and-music moments | Cons: slow middle stretch; odd character behavior; uneven pacing
Themes
- wyoming, usa
- indiana, usa
- flying saucer
- extraterrestrial technology
- obsession
- evacuation
- blackout
- secret base
- alien life-form
- alien
- ufo
- vision
- +25 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1978
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Saturn Award — Best Director
- Academy Award — Best Sound · 1978 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Cinematography · 1978 · nominated
Show all 11 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Film Editing · 1978 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Original Score · 1978 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1978 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Visual Effects · 1978 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Production Design · 1978 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Supporting Actress · 1978 · nominated
Cast & crew

Richard Dreyfuss
as Roy Neary

François Truffaut
as Claude Lacombe

Teri Garr
as Ronnie Neary

Melinda Dillon
as Jillian Guiler

Bob Balaban
as David Laughlin

J. Patrick McNamara
as Project Leader

Warren J. Kemmerling
as Wild Bill

Roberts Blossom
as Farmer
- PD
Phil Dodds
as ARP Musician

Cary Guffey
as Barry Guiler
Directed by Steven Spielberg