Out-of-this-world $5.3m paid for Robby the Robot

Bonhams has sold the seven-foot-tall robot from the cult sci-fi movie 'Forbidden Planet' (1956) for a stellar $5,375,000. The world-record piece was the highlight of Bonhams' film memorabilia sale held in New York and comfortably beat $4m paid for the Maltese Falcon statuette – also at a Bonhams auction – in 2013.

The 21 November sale was held in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies (TCM).

The fully functional prop breaks down into three pieces: the head, the torso and the legs. In addition to Robby himself, the lot also included the Jeep he drives on Altair IV, the auxiliary control panel, and his original MGM packing crates.

Photos by Bonhams