Fundamentalists Urge ‘E.T.’ Video Boycott; Pre-Orders Set Record

Some Christian fundamentalists who protested Universal’s release of the movie “The Last Temptation of Christ” have adopted another tactic--urging constituents to resist the temptation to buy or rent “E.T.--The Extra-Terrestrial” home video.

MCA Inc., which owns Universal, is also the parent company of MCA Home Video, which is releasing “E.T.” on Oct. 27 at the suggested price of $24.95.

(On Thursday, MCA announced that pre-orders for “E.T.” in the United States and Canada have exceeded 10 million units, a record. Disney’s “Cinderella” has posted a 4.3 million total.)

“People are going to see (“The Last Temptation of Christ),” said Larry Braidfoot, counsel for the Southern Baptist Convention’s Christian Life Commission in Nashville. “So we have to try something else,” referring to the protest against MCA.

Larry Poland, president of Mastermedia, a ministry in Highland, Calif., added that “we have nothing against ‘E.T.’ We just want to express our hurt and anger. We know (MCA) is counting heavily on revenues from ‘E.T.’ That’s the place to hurt them.”

Braidfoot was close-mouthed about related boycott plans, hinting something may happen closer to the date of the home video release.

Will the boycott have any effect?

A spot check of stores in the Bible Belt region--where such a boycott might have the most effect--indicated “E.T.” was doing strong pre-order business.

Since deadline for retailers to place orders is Sept. 29, MCA expects a higher total than the 10 million now reported.