Five highlights from Julien's Auctions' Hollywood offerings

Julien’s Auctions has partnered up with Turner Classic Movies to bring memorabilia from the silver screen to your collection. David Ho checks out what’s on the block

Auction house Julien’s Auctions has tapped TV network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) for an exciting lineup of the most famous pop culture artefacts to ever be auctioned. Running from December 14 to 15, the Robots, Wizards, Heroes, & Aliens: Contemporary Hollywood auction features over 1,000 items.

Held in Los Angeles and online globally, the auctions features everything from your favourite superhero movies to some truly timeless films. Here are five highlights for us:

Michael Keaton’s Batsuit

A newly restored Batman costume worn by Michael Keaton in Batman Returns is up for sale. Keaton’s take on Batman in the Tim Burton-directed films are widely lauded. His version has seen a resurgence after his reprise of the role in The Flash earlier this year. This is estimated to fetch US$50,000 to US$70,000. This would be the ultimate collectible for a die-hard fan of the Dark Knight, or perhaps for a billionaire with crime fighting tendencies.

E.T. head

This mechanical animatronic head for this iconic alien is seen throughout Steven Spielberg’s, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Created by the legendary Carlo Rambaldi, it is expected to fetch anywhere from US$800,000 to US$1M. In 2022, TCM and Julien’s sold a full E.T. animatronic model for over US$2.5 million dollars.

Bruce Lee’s items

There are a couple of items from Hong Kong’s own #legend Bruce Lee here that caught our eye. An autographed vintage 1972 edition of Hong Kong magazine is inscribed with “To George, The Master Maker. Peace, Love and Brotherhood – Bruce.” The magazine features Bruce Lee on the cover, to promote his film, The Way of The Dragon. It should go for US$2,000 to US$3,000.

There is also a pair of gray, bubble-grip nunchucks owned and used on-screen by Bruce Lee in the film Fist of Fury. It features 13 metal chain links connecting two lightweight wooden batons covered in bubbled gray rubber. Regarded as a milestone in martial arts cinema history, Fist of Fury marks Lee’s big-screen debut with the nunchaku. It is estimated to fetch US$20,000 to US$30,000.

Star Wars lightsabers

This is one for the sci-fi fans! A complete set of lightsabers featured in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace from the key characters in the film are on the block. Both Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor) and Qui- Gon Jinn’s (Liam Neeson) lightsabers are expected to go for US$25,000 to US$35,000 each, while Darth Maul’s (Ray Park) lightsaber is estimated to fetch between US$40,000 to US$60,000. If someone gets a complete set, we are down to join for a lightsaber fight. Just saying.

Back To The Future hoverboard

Marty McFly’s (Michael J. Fox) totally tubular hoverboard prop in Back To The Future Part II is expected to go for US$20,000 to US$30,000. While we understand fusion energy has yet to be part of existing technology, we think one should get this in preparation for the day it comes into existence and use. Then watch us weave through the peak hour human traffic in style.

Also see: Christie’s Asia autumn 2023 auctions exceed HK$3B (US$389M) in sales