Sony Pictures is teasing the re-release of Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind, ahead of the film's 40th anniversary this fall. Spielberg's iconic science fiction film released in November 1977, famously starring Richard Dreyfuss as Roy Neary, François Truffaut as Claude Lacombe, and Melinda Dillon as Jillian Guiler, among others, and is titled after J. Allen Hynek's classification of close encounters, with the "third kind" indicating first contact with alien life.

Spielberg had been developing Close Encounters for several years, even before he directed Jaws, and all of his efforts resulted in an astounding production that captured the imagination of audiences around the world. Just like virtually every other Spielberg project at the time, Close Encounters became an enormous success, both critically and commercially, having grossed hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide and garnering multiple nominations at the Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Score. Interestingly, John Williams lost for his Close Encounters soundtrack but won for scoring George Lucas' original Star Wars movie, which released earlier that same year.

It has been 40 years since Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind hit theaters, and it looks like Sony Pictures is teasing the film's re-release ahead of its anniversary later this year. Today, the studio posted a video online, titled "This Means Something," which fans of the film will immediately recognize as part of Roy Neary's quote from the movie: "I know this sounds crazy, but ever since yesterday on the road, I've been seeing this shape. Shaving cream, pillows...Dammit! I know this. I know what this is! This means something. This is important." You can watch the video in the section above.

Although the movie wasn't as successful as Spielberg's previous film, Jaws, Close Encounters took audiences by storm, grossing $303.78 million worldwide, against an estimated production budget of $20 million. Adjusted for ticket price inflation, its domestic haul ($132 million) still beats out modern blockbusters such as Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

There's no denying that Spielberg's films have impacted and revolutionized the filmmaking industry in more ways than one, and that includes Close Encounters. Virtually every movie and television series -- from The X-Files to Super 8, which was J.J. Abrams' literal homage to Spielberg's classic -- that involves encounters with extraterrestrial life has been influenced, at least in some small fashion, from Spielberg's seminal movie. That's partially why the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in 2007 for its cultural significance. Unfortunately, there are potentially tens of millions of people who have never seen Close Encounters before, and that's what makes this year's possible re-release perfect for introducing modern moviegoers to the iconic science fiction film.

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Source: Sony Pictures