Apple TV’s Chart Just Delivered a Blast From the Past, and Spielberg Fans Will Be Happy to See It
Streaming charts have a funny way of turning into time capsules, and this week’s Apple TV lineup is proof. Sandwiched between newer releases and modern hits, a very old face has crept back into the conversation, reminding everyone just how sticky nostalgia can be on these platforms.
That old face belongs to Steven Spielberg’s beloved alien classic, and its sudden reappearance near the bottom of the Top 10 has caught plenty of fans off guard. It is not the kind of title people expect to see resurfacing next to glossy new comedies and recent blockbusters, yet there it sits, holding steady on the chart.
Leading the pack this week is ‘The Dink,’ Josh Greenbaum’s pickleball comedy starring Jake Johnson as Dustin “Dusty” Boyd, a former tennis prodigy whose career never lived up to its early promise. Produced by Ben Stiller and written by Sean Clements, the film markets itself as a laugh-out-loud underdog story, and the cast also includes Mary Steenburgen, Ed Harris, Chloe Fineman, Patton Oswalt, and Andy Roddick. Its dominance at the top of the chart has helped keep eyes on the platform’s movie rankings altogether, which may be part of why older catalog titles are getting rediscovered alongside it.
Critical reception for ‘The Dink’ has been mixed at best. Rotten Tomatoes reviews have described the film as plodding along lightly, pleasant enough but subdued, while one review called it boring and extremely unfunny, arguing the movie has ideas for jokes that never evolve into their final forms. Not every critic was so harsh, though, since at least one reviewer felt the film earns the laughs it puts out there and is better than expected.
Amid all that chatter about ‘The Dink,’ it is the presence of ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ rounding out the Top 10 that has genuinely surprised viewers scrolling through the list. The 1982 Spielberg film about a boy who befriends a stranded alien has long been considered a cornerstone of family cinema, but seeing it compete against 2026 theatrical releases and Apple originals on a weekly chart is a rare sight. The film is currently available to stream on Apple TV, among other platforms, which explains its eligibility for the ranking, but eligibility alone does not usually translate into real movement on these lists.
Whether this is simply the algorithm rewarding a slow week for new content, a wave of parents introducing the film to their kids, or just pure coincidence, the effect is the same. A more than four decade old story about a boy, his bike, and a homesick alien is quietly holding its own against films that premiered this year. It says something about the durability of Spielberg’s storytelling that ‘E.T.’ does not need a marketing push to remind people it exists.
For now, ‘The Dink’ continues to dominate the top of Apple’s chart while ‘E.T.’ lingers nearby as an unexpected reminder of what came before. Did you expect to see ‘E.T.’ sneak back into a Top 10 list this week, or does this feel like proof that Elliott and his alien friend simply refuse to go away?
