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MythBusters famously debunked the climactic scene in 1975’s Jaws, proving Chief Brody’s shot to a scuba tank couldn’t have caused the fatal explosion that ends the first-ever summer blockbuster. (Spoiler alert!) In Surviving Jaws (premiering Thursday at 8 p.m. on Discovery and streaming on Max), marine biologists Tom "The Blowfish" Hird and Michelle Jewell celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary by conducting their own movie-inspired experiments. Our biggest takeaway: Don’t be wearing the brightest-colored swimsuit at the beach, a lesson imparted when Hird and Shark Week favorite Andy Casagrande enter plexiglass-front cages donning faux-nude and raft-yellow wetsuits, respectively, to determine who attracts more attention from great whites. Here, Hird — who has read Peter Benchley’s Jaws but has only seen snippets of the movie (“Way too scary!” he says) — helps us fact-check key moments from Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning classic and the sequels that followed.

Andy CasagrandeDiscovery Channel Who wore it better?...

It often happens that the fiercest creative impulse is born from a sudden, consuming interest in a new area of exploration. This isn’t unique to any one art form—each discipline is inspired in its own right. But the urge to etch that discovery into your own visual language, to fold it into the architecture of your artistic self, is a pleasure that often defies articulation. That same impulse must’ve surged through 29-year-old Steven Spielberg when “Jaws” (1975)—based on Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel, itself influenced by the exploits of Frank Mundus—hit screens and stamped its legacy.

A compelling, character-study-style dramatic thriller that elevates a grisly B-movie premise into a terrifying and oddly life-affirming meditation on shark attacks—and civil society’s systemic response to them—”Jaws” is remembered as the summer blockbuster that rewrote the very grammar of Hollywood’s campy seasonal spectacles. And how artfully it did so: the screenplay,...

Steven Spielberg is considered by many to be one of the greatest directors of all time. Experimenting with diverse genres ranging between horror, musicals, thrillers, and drama, Spielberg has done it all and still contributes creatively and logistically to improve the medium and craft of filmmaking.

While he is known for inciting numerous ‘first-of-its-kind’ innovations in filmmaking and screen culture, perhaps no contribution surpasses his involvement in creating the summer blockbuster. The money-minting international sensation that Hollywood is today is credited mainly to the summer blockbuster, a larger-than-life action-filled genre predominantly catered for family audiences that requires limited cerebral investment but delivers maximum engrossment. Of the many summer blockbusters Spielberg has worked on, none is perhaps as groundbreaking as his third film, Jaws (1975).

Terrifying, gory, anxiety-inducing but fun nonetheless, Jaws amassed $100 million at the box office in 61 days, the first ever film to do so. It has been picked apart...

A woman swims through the ocean, blissfully oblivious of the humongous great white shark with a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth rising to the surface below her. The poster for Jaws isn’t just a great ad for a movie; it’s a timeless depiction of a primal human fear. “Everybody can relate to it,” says Josh Manderville, managing art director of poster company Mondo. “You could [have drawn] a Jaws poster in the 12th century and it would be just as impactful. It taps into the fears we all have around our spot on the food chain.”

The design started as a book cover. When Peter Benchley’s novel was published in 1974, a year before Spielberg adapted it, the hardback featured a black-and-white image by artist Paul Bacon. Some key elements were already in place, including the massive shark head that merely implies the creature’s true size. “It looks like a spearhead,...

by Chad Kennerk

Images courtesy of National Geographic.

Just when you thought it was safe...

National Geographic’s Sharkfest is spotlighting the ocean’s most infamous and maligned predator with more than 25 hours of content, including a look into the legacy of Jaws. From National Geographic, Amblin Entertainment and Nedland Media, Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story honours the cinematic landmark but also delves into how Jaws reshaped the movie business and the public perception of sharks. As the icon resurfaces in cinemas and continues to make waves, it’s time to get back in the water and take a closer look at the film that still terrifies and inspires half a century later.

Renowned filmmaker and best-selling author Laurent Bouzereau has spent decades chronicling the untold stories behind cinema’s greatest moments, from documentary films about the life of Faye Dunaway to the legacy of Natalie Wood and the music of John Williams.

The 4th of July may be over, but the Jaws 50th anniversary celebration continues throughout the year.

McFarlane Toys is commemorating the occasion with a 1:48 scale light-up statue.

Made of polyresin, the detailed statue measures 9.9″ long, 8.9″ wide, and 4.5″ high. The base lights up to illuminates the water and is hand-numbered.

Available to pre-order for $299.99, it’s expected to be released in March 2o26.

If that’s out of your price range, McFarlane is also releasing a 6.25″ Jaws posed figure for $34.99.

In Jaws, when the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb, the 1975 classic stars Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary,...

Five decades ago, Steven Spielberg changed cinema forever with a malfunctioning mechanical shark and a two-note musical motif that still makes beachgoers nervous. Laurent Bouzereau’s “Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story” arrives as both celebration and archaeological dig, examining how a troubled production became the template for modern moviemaking. Bouzereau, whose documentary expertise spans from “Music by John Williams” to countless Spielberg retrospectives, brings the perfect sensibility to this project—part film historian, part cultural anthropologist.

The National Geographic production benefits from extraordinary access, featuring candid conversations with Spielberg himself alongside a murderer’s row of contemporary filmmakers who grew up in Jaws’ shadow. What emerges in these lean 90 minutes isn’t just another making-of documentary, but a fascinating study of how artistic accidents can reshape entire industries.

The film traces Peter Benchley’s novel from conception through its transformation into cinema’s first true summer blockbuster, revealing...

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures Brace yourself to get back in the water again; it’s hard to believe that 50 years have gone by since Steven Spielberg’s Jaws first made everyone nervous before swimming! To mark this big anniversary, the original summer blockbuster is returning to theaters nationwide. Universal Pictures is bringing Jaws back in stunning 4K, with extras like 3D, 4Dx, plus D-box for extra thrills. It’s really not just for people who have only watched it at home. Now is your chance to see Jaws like how it once stunned crowds, if you never saw it on a big screen or you just want to feel that terror one more time. For many fans, seeing Jaws like this is an experience that will be unmatched by watching it in any other way, leaving people very wary of the water. Released on June 20, 1975, Jaws wasn’t just a...

From Roger Kastel’s iconic painting to every conceivable use of the film’s iconography, Jaws has inspired countless artwork over the last half-century.

Sadist Art Designs is celebrating 50 years of terror with two unique takes on Steven Spielberg‘s 1975 blockbuster.

Direct-to-garment T-shirts are available in several colorways for $28. Use the coupon code “July 1975” to save 15% off your entire order.

Written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb, Jaws stars Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, and Murray Hamilton.

When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

A 50th anniversary edition of Jaws hit home video last month, and the film returns to theaters in IMAX and 4Dx on August 28.

The post Celebrate...

Universal Pictures is proud to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jaws (1975), director Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award®–winning thriller that redefined the theatrical experience and remains one of the most influential films in cinema history. On August 29, the film returns to theaters nationwide in stunning 4K, with select screenings in IMAX®, RealD 3D, 4Dx and D-box, offering audiences the chance to experience the original summer blockbuster as never before.

Released on June 20, 1975, Jaws became a box-office sensation and a cultural tidal wave. It was the first film in history to surpass $100 million at the domestic box office and helped usher in the era of the wide-release blockbuster. Its success redefined the studio release model and established the summer season as Hollywood’s premiere showcase for event films.

For Spielberg — who had made his feature debut the year prior with The Sugarland Express — Jaws marked a pivotal ascent. The film cemented...

A lively, chaotic swirl of contradictions, Jaws is a thriller that played a role in the entire restructuring of Hollywood’s methods of selling its films to the public. It was the sure-to-be calamity that became one of the most beloved and quoted films of all time—a certain generation’s Citizen Kane that gave rise to a legendary, controversial filmmaker and seemingly turned everyone else into aspiring directors. It also played a role in the rise of an obsession with a kind of theme-park movie that gluts global cinemas to this day. That’s a lot of baggage for any film, much less a monster movie with grade-z roots, to live up or down to.

The surprise is how good it was and still is. The film is a strange mixture of the ultra-controlled and the wild and wooly. Imagine if portions of Psycho were spliced into one of...

Universal Pictures will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s Academy Award–winning thriller that redefined the theatrical experience and remains one of the most influential films in cinema history.

On August 29, the film returns to theaters nationwide in stunning 4K, with select screenings in IMAX, RealD 3D, 4Dx, and D-box, offering audiences the chance to experience the original summer blockbuster as never before.

Released on June 20, 1975, Jaws became a box office sensation and a cultural tidal wave. It was the first film in history to surpass $100 million at the domestic box office, helping usher in the era of the wide-release blockbuster. Its success redefined the studio release model and established the summer season as Hollywood’s premiere showcase for event films.

For Steven Spielberg—who had made his feature debut the year prior with The Sugarland Express—Jaws marked a pivotal ascent. The film cemented his place...

In case you haven’t heard, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws turns 50 this year. To commemorate the occasion, the seminal shark horror movie is getting an IMAX re-release next month.

Jaws swims onto IMAX (and 4Dx!) screens on August 28, and tickets are on sale now.

In the classic film, “When the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police (Roy Scheider), a young marine biologist (Richard Dreyfuss), and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again. Featuring an unforgettable score that evokes pure terror, Jaws remains one of the most influential and gripping adventures in motion picture history.”

Spielberg’s 1975 original summer blockbuster is written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb, based on Benchley’s 1974 novel.

It’s been a packed summer for Jaws’ 50th Anniversary celebrations. Most recently,...

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest movies ever made, director Steven Spielberg’s classic shark thriller Jaws, which first reached theatres on June 20, 1975. To mark the occasion, Jaws will be getting an IMAX release beginning on August 28th. It will also be getting a theatrical re-release on non-imax screens beginning on August 29th. You can check out the IMAX trailer in the embed above. Tickets are available at This Link.

Directed by Spielberg from a screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb that was based on a best-selling novel by Benchley, Jaws has the following synopsis: When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and grizzled...

Fright-Rags is getting in on the Jaws 50th anniversary celebration with apparel and pint glasses.

Zachary Jackson Brown‘s new 50th anniversary design comes on T-shirts ($33), Comfort Colors tees ($34), and tank tops ($33).

The 16-ounce pint glass (perfect for your Jaws wine) features a custom embossed design with raised artwork and wave textures. Priced at $25, it’s housed in a collector’s box.

Fright-Rags has also restocked their Jaws socks designed by Sara Deck for $13 and Kyle Crawford‘s recreation of the original film crew shirt for $33, plus several archival shirts available as print-on-demand for $36.

In Jaws, when the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb,...

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This July, Netflix is bringing you a lot of entertainment, from the highly anticipated final chapter of the worldwide hit fantasy series The Sandman to the much-awaited sequel of the fantasy action film The Old Guard. However, for the purposes of this article, we are only including the films that are coming to Netflix this month and have a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score. So, check out the five best films that are coming to Netflix in July 2025 with a 90% or higher Rotten Tomatoes score.

Captain Phillips (July 1) Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% Credit – Sony Pictures

Captain Phillips is a biographical action-thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass from a screenplay by Billy Ray. Based on the 2009 Maersk Alabama hijacking, the 2013 film follows Captain Richard Philips, a merchant mariner, as his ship is overtaken by Somali Pirates and he is taken hostage.

Netflix celebrates 50 years of Jaws by bringing the entire franchise back to streaming this summer, and we’ve learned that all four movies are making their return in less than a month.

Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3, and Jaws: The Revenge are swimming back to Netflix on July 15.

It all began with Steven Spielberg’s horror classic in 1975, an adaptation of Peter Benchley’s same-titled novel that has been keeping people out of the water for 50 years now.

The late Roy Scheider’s heroic character Martin Brody survived the events of the original film and returned in 1978 for Jaws 2, once again saving Amity from another killer shark.

The franchise returned in 1983 with Jaws 3D, which brought the shark attack terror to SeaWorld in Florida. The film centered on Martin Brody’s sons, with Dennis Quaid starring as Michael Brody. Jenn Adams recently wrote an appreciation for Jaws 3D here on Bd,...

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest movies ever made, director Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws, which first reached theatres on June 20, 1975. To mark the occasion, Jaws aired over three hours on NBC this past Friday, June 20th, beginning at 8pm Et – and Programming Insider reports that that was the most-watched primetime telecast of the night, pulling in 3.261 million viewers! Here are the top 10 primetime telecasts, based on total viewers:

1. NBC Movie Special Jaws (1975) (S) – 3.261 million viewers. 2. Jesse Watters Primetime – 3.180 million viewers. 3. Gutfeld! – 2.942 million viewers. 4. Hannity – 2.706 million viewers. 5. 20/20 – 2.371 million viewers. 6. Celebrity Jeopardy! (Fri.) (Rp) – 2.109 million viewers. 7. Fire Country (R) – 1.866 million viewers. 8. WWE Friday Night SmackDown – 1.524 million viewers. 9. Grammy Greats: The Stories Behind the Songs (Rs) – 1.311 million viewers. 10. All In with Chris Hayes – 0.889 million viewers.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown won the night in the Adults 18-49 category, but switch the age range to 25-54 and Jaws was the most popular.

As we continue to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Jaws," cinema enthusiasts everywhere can wax poetic about the film's impact as the godfather of the modern blockbuster. The 1975 big screen adaptation of Peter Benchley's novel of the same name not only captivated audiences and frightened them from visiting the beach that summer, but it also served as the ultimate calling card for the filmmaker who would be king: Steven Spielberg. After making his feature-length debut with his television film "Duel" and his theatrical debut with "The Sugarland Express," Spielberg ventured into uncharted waters with "Jaws," which was a notoriously difficult production for him.

"Jaws" was a cultural juggernaut, becoming the highest-grossing film ever at the time of its release (a record that Spielberg himself would break two more times with "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and "Jurassic Park"). Adjusted for ticket price inflation, it is the 7th highest-grossing film in history,...

Coda, in conjunction with Popcore, Universal Studios and Amblin Entertainment, presents an official art exhibition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jaws.

The exhibit opens at Art Alliance of Monmouth County in Red Bank, NJ with a reception on June 28 and will be on view through July 13.

Bloody Disgusting has an exclusive first look at Taiwanese American illustrator Sachin Teng‘s unique take on the 1975 blockbuster below.

Other participating artists include Chris Austin, Greg Aronowitz, Stephanie Brown, James Chapman, Sam Wolfe Connelly, Sonny Day, Grzegorz & Krzysztof Domaradzki, Dulk, Jason Edmiston, Bob Eggleton, Abigail Goldman, Josh Keyes, Brian Mashburn, Danielle Murray, Adam Lister, Neil M Perry, Phantom City Creative, David Rice, Sad Salesman, Greg Simkins, Lorien Stern, Tyler Stout, Meghan Stratman, Matty Ryan Tobin, and Geoff Trapp.

In Jaws, when the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist,...

Mattel Creations is celebrating a major movie milestone at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 with a special Hot Wheels® collectible for Jaws‘ 50th anniversary.

Those attending San Diego Comic-Con 2025, which runs July 24-27, are going to need a bigger boat for their haul.

Head to Mattel merchandise booth (#2945) for must have collectibles, including the new Monster High Skullector Elvira Doll as well as the new Nostalgic Film Favorites: Hot Wheels® Jaws 50th Anniversary.

“In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Jaws, Hot Wheels is diving into nostalgia with a bold tribute to one of the most iconic movie scenes of all time: ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat.’ The packaging itself is a showstopper, designed to reflect the gritty 1970s style and sculpted to mimic the look of water, making it just as collectible as the vehicle inside. You’re gonna need a bigger shelf!”

“These movies have left an indelible mark on pop culture.

Like many boys growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s, Steven Spielberg loved James Bond, the debonair, globe-trotting spy for Her Majesty's Secret Service, and the films starring the dashing Sean Connery. Spielberg told IndieWire that " the only franchise I cared about and wanted to be part of was James Bond," and it was his "pie-in-the-sky dream to make a little movie that would get some notoriety, and then [Bond producer] Cubby Broccoli would call me and ask me to direct the next James Bond picture."

In his early work, Steven Spielberg got to flex his action and thriller genre muscles for the television series "Columbo," which had twisty plots, and his television movie "Duel," which had high-stakes car chases. These were the ideal showcases of his abilities to helm a James Bond movie, but it still wasn't enough to hear from Broccoli. Instead, it was Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown...

We all talk about the seismic impact Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" had in shaping the quintessential summer blockbuster, but even greater was the renewed interest it generated in the creature feature. Everyone wanted to cash in on the killer animal movie craze after "Jaws," with films like "Orca: The Killer Whale," "Grizzly" and "Alligator" arriving in its wake. The issue was that plenty of producers wanted to hop aboard the bandwagon and make their own hit, yet "Jaws" was itself the rare combination of B-movie thrills and top-tier filmmaking, and it remains the gold standard. With that said, however, there's still a considerable amount of craft on display in the aforementioned movies. Then there were filmmakers like Joe Dante, who had the right idea and didn't even attempt to recapture the same prestige, instead leaning in a much more humorous direction with his efforts on 1978's "Piranha."

With the aid...

It’s Jaws’ 50th birthday—half a century ago, Steven Spielberg’s legendary shark flick swam into theaters, terrified beachgoers, and basically invented the idea of “summer blockbuster”. Now, as Jaws turns the big 5-0, fans everywhere are celebrating this thrilling classic that almost made us stay away from the ocean forever.

But here’s the thing, while we all remember the iconic music and that massive mechanical shark—the real jaw-dropping deal was happening behind the scenes. So, in honor of this milestone, we’re diving deep into 15 outrageous stories behind Steven Spielberg’s greatest movie ever made.

1. Steven Spielberg wasn’t the first choice for Jaws

Before Steven Spielberg jumped into the deep end, Universal Studios eyed The Culpepper Cattle Co. director, Dick Richards, as the initial choice. But unfortunately, Richards was sacked when he kept getting confused between the shark and a whale, in studio meetings. So,...

Take a moment and think about going to the movies, specifically what that actual process entails, and what information you need to know in order to start the process. The awareness that a film you might be interested in is playing in theaters is the most important step. You reading this website likely already know that, say, "28 Years Later" is opening this weekend, but for a more casual filmgoer, seeing a trailer in the movie theaters, online, or on television is key. Most chain movie theaters have an advance ticketing system where you can buy and reserve seats online, but even this system is still first-come, first-served (have you got your tickets for "Superman" yet?). And some local theaters may still require you to arrive before showtime to ensure that you won't get sold out. After all, this is summertime, which is the season of big blockbuster movies, as everyone knows.

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"When I think about 'Jaws,' I think about courage and stupidity. And I think of both of those things existing underwater." Those are the words of director Steven Spielberg speaking about his beloved 1975 blockbuster in "The Making of 'Jaws.'" The young Spielberg broke one of Hollywood's cardinal rules to film "Jaws" in the ocean, which made the production a brutal undertaking. "'Jaws' is a fun movie to watch but not a fun movie to make," Spielberg added.

Though the production may not have been fun, the more important point is that the movie, which is based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name, is a great deal of fun for the audience. So much so that "Jaws...

Jaws is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, but while fans remember the iconic shark terrorizing Amity Island, few know that the making of this classic was a horror story of its own. Long before Jaws became a pop culture phenomenon and a torch bearer of Hollywood blockbusters, Steven Spielberg was a young director caught in a storm of production nightmares

Behind the scenes, Steven Spielberg was battling tight deadlines, a cranky mechanical shark, and total chaos on set. On top of that, he was just not satisfied with the script. So Spielberg told the screenwriter to “eviscerate it”. That’s how chaotic and anxiety-inducing things were getting on set. So, as we celebrate Jaws, let’s dive into the jaw-dropping story of how it was made.

Universal wanted Jaws fast-tracked and it nearly sank the whole production

It all started when Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws became an instant bestseller...

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures When Jaws hit theaters and not only terrified beachgoers—it redefined the Hollywood blockbuster. It surged past The Godfather at the box office, ultimately becoming the highest-grossing film of its time. But the magic wasn’t just in the shark. At just 27, Steven Spielberg took bold creative risks, like insisting on filming at sea—something most studios avoided. The production was plagued with challenges, especially from the mechanical shark nicknamed Bruce. But Spielberg transformed setbacks into suspense, letting imagination and sound do what CGI couldn’t. Over the years, Spielberg has said he credits someone else for the film’s primal pull: author Peter Benchley, whose bestselling novel was the basis for the movie. (Click on the media bar below to hear Steven Spielberg.) https://www.hollywoodoutbreak.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/stevenspeilberg_jaws.mp3

Now, 50 years later, the film remains as gripping and influential as ever. Jaws is currently available on DVD,...

According to the folks over at TV Guide, NBC is not airing a repeat or new episode of Dateline NBC tonight, June 20, 2025. On a much brighter note, NBC does have NBC listed to air a new episode of Dateline NBC next Friday night, June 27, 2025. However, until NBC serves up an official press release for it, we can't really confirm it, or tell you what it's about. So, we'll jump back on here next week to confirm the new episode. In the meantime, TV Guide did tell us what NBC is airing in place of a new Dateline NBC episode tonight. They're going to air the classic 1975 horror flick "Jaws." TV Guide's official description for the Jaws movie reads like this, "Additional scenes buoy Steven Spielberg's blockbuster about a summer resort terrorized by a giant killer shark. Brody: Roy Scheider. Quint: Robert Shaw. Hooper: Richard Dreyfuss. Ellen: Lorraine Gary.

Steven Spielberg can laugh now, but he has the proverbial bite marks to show for it after directing Jaws just over 50 years ago. Filming the classic was a disaster-plagued adventure for Spielberg, whose 1975 shark thriller created Hollywood’s playbook for the summer blockbuster.

“In most circumstances, summer in the Vineyard is a dream. But when you are over budget and over schedule and when I am over my head, that summer of 1974 was a bad dream before it ever became the dream of a lifetime,” Spielberg said in a video message to an audience in Martha’s Vineyard attending a National Geographic world premiere for the Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story making-of film on Friday. Watch the message, which is exclusive to The Hollywood Reporter, below.

Spielberg, then a 27-year-old, hot-shot director, chose Martha’s Vineyard as a location for Jaws because he wanted his mechanized shark with terrifyingly...

A little over a year before Jaws opened in theaters and forever changed the next 50 years of cinema, it was a best-selling debut novel by author Peter Benchley.

Producers Richard Zanuck and David Brown, who had acquired the rights to Jaws before its publication, turned to Benchley for the first few drafts of the screenplay, but it was ultimately something that, according to his wife, Wendy Benchley, was "hard for him."

"That is a completely different kind of writing," she tells Gold Derby ahead of the National Geographic documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story.

The producers moved on from Benchley after three drafts, bringing on a series of writers — including the film's one other credited scribe Carl Gottlieb — to shape the story of Chief Martin Brody and a man-eating shark into something the young director Steven Spielberg could eventually shoot.

Over the course of many rewrites, much of...

McFarlane Toys‘ Movie Maniacs was one of the first toy lines dedicated to horror back in the late ’90s. Its recent revival has focused more on non-horror properties, but every once in a while it evokes its classic roots.

Jaws is joining the Movie Maniacs line with a 6.25″ posed figure of the poster boy for its 50th anniversary.

Limited to 8,100, the shark comes includes an environmental base, printed backdrop, collectible art card, individually numbered certificate of authenticity, and a secret bonus item.

Due out in August, it’s available to pre-order for $34.99.

In Jaws, when the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist, and a grizzled shark hunter embark on a desperate quest to destroy the beast before it strikes again.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb,...

Steven Spielberg‘s Jaws left an indelible mark on cinema upon release 50 years ago today, in 1975. It didn’t just instill a fear of going into the water, but it essentially birthed the summer blockbuster as we know it. Jaws also set the blueprint for shark horror that still holds strong today. All of this poses a very obvious question for any documentary broaching a well-trodden subject matter that’s been around for five decades: what’s left to explore?

Jaws at 50: The Definitive Inside Story, director Laurent Bouzerau’s documentary attached to the new Jaws 50th Anniversary Edition 4K Uhd/Blu-ray release, doesn’t attempt to condense 50 years of history into its feature runtime. Instead, Bouzerau examines Jaws’ impact in the decades since its release and its surprisingly humble origins.

While that means it’s not quite as definitive as its title suggests, it does make for a...

[Editor’s note: This story was originally published on June 20, 2017, in celebration of the 42nd anniversary of the release of “Jaws.” We are re-publishing it today with some light updates to celebrate the film’s 50th anniversary.]

The original trailer for Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” hardly hinted at the industry-changing blockbuster it was ultimately selling, instead playing up some serious melodrama (“it is as if God created the Devil and gave him jaws” is easily the best line of a highly quotable bit of marketing) and leaning into the best-selling bonafides of the book it was based on. The trailer boasted some of the film’s iconic shots and lines (you better believe “you’re gonna need a bigger boat” is in there), but mainly seemed interested in imparting the high stakes drama and horror of the story to audiences seeking a scary summer distraction.

That “Jaws” would become a mega-hit that would push Spielberg’s burgeoning career into the stratosphere was a surprise, but nobody could have predicted that...

Jaws swam into theaters 50 years ago today, and Fior di Sole is celebrating with a trio of wines dedicated to Steven Spielberg‘s original summer blockbuster.

Amity Island White is a crisp, well-balanced blend mirrors the thrill of Jaws, offering bright citrus notes, hints of tropical fruit, and a refreshing finish.

Amity Island Red is a rich, full-bodied wine captures the intensity of Jaws, with deep flavors of dark berries, hints of spice, and a smooth finish.

Jaws Tropical Blue Spritzer is a sparkling wine with a bite of daring citrus and a smooth, refreshing finish.

Fior di Sole’s Jaws collection is available online and in stores now with a suggested retail price of $14.99 for the wins and $15.99 for the spritzer.

In Jaws, when the seaside community of Amity finds itself under attack by a dangerous great white shark, the town’s chief of police, a young marine biologist,...

50 years ago today, cinema changed forever with the introduction of its first true blockbuster — Jaws. Directed by legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, the classic thriller based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name became the gold standard for what a big, buzzy summer film should be, with moments, quotes, and characters that are forever seared into film history, incredible practical effects that give it a bite that holds up to this day, and an iconic villain that taught viewers "Don't go in the water." Now, to celebrate the occasion, the film is swimming onto broadcast television for a special one-night-only screening featuring an introduction by the director himself. NBC will air the three-hour telecast of Universal's legendary shark-infested feature starting tonight at 8 p.m. Et.

Even if you haven't seen it, you probably know the story of Jaws by now. The film is set on Amity Island, a...

June 20 marks the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg’s iconic creature feature, Jaws, the first contemporary Hollywood summer blockbuster. One actor, who appeared in 1975’s Jaws as well as Jaws 2, is opening up about what it was like filming a pivotal early scene in Jaws.

Actor Jeffrey Kramer played Deputy Leonard “Jeff” Hendricks in Jaws. His character was the first person on the scene the morning after the first shark attack (not a boat accident) happened. Hendricks recalls his reaction to discovering the remains of a swimmer named Chrissie on the beach that next morning.

The Ocean Hasn’t Been the Same in Half a Century

Kramer talked to Gold Derby about the scene during which Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) walks toward his deputy, who is looking at the body (parts) in terror. Kramer said that Deputy Hendricks’ reaction sets the tone for the movie and that he is basically like the audience.

With Jaws, the first summer blockbuster, turning 50, it’s time to look at 50 amazing facts about the movie and its cultural impact! And, since I, Pat Jankiewicz, wrote Just When You Thought It Was Safe: A Jaws Companion (the only book about all four Jaws films), it only makes sense that I compiled the best and most interesting facts for you to take a bite of.

50 Incredible Facts About Jaws

1. Based on the best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws was the movie that put director Steven Spielberg on the map.

2. Jaws was the first horror movie to become the highest-grossing film of all time. This led studios to roll the dice on the genre, leading to an explosion of late ’70s horror.

3. The Shark only appears onscreen for four minutes! While the fish’s presence is felt throughout the film, you only catch glimpses of him during the second and third attacks,...

Some movies can improve over a significant amount of time due to public sentiment or new generations discovering them and putting them through newer and different lenses. Conversely, other movies that were big at the time, either box office or awards season winners, can diminish when taken out of their time or context. There are only a handful of Perfect films and even fewer that can transcend genre or generation. Jaws turns 50 this year. 50. It first reached theatres on June 20, 1975. Let that sink in a moment because movies that were 50 when Jaws came out were still grappling with how to have sound in them and are still seen as products of their time. Jaws though? It still feels fresh and compelling. It created the summer blockbuster as we know it and the film industry still uses it as a blueprint to shape newer one offs or franchises. It’s an Oscar winner,...

“The shark’s not working.”

For weeks, the cast and crew of “Jaws” kept hearing the same four words over their walkie-talkies while shooting the film’s climactic ocean battle. That familiar message terrified Steven Spielberg, 27 years old at the time, with only one theatrical feature to his name. If one of the production’s three animatronic great whites broke down, it could mean another wasted day. All the setbacks put the film more than 100 days behind schedule and doubled its budget to $8 million.

“We didn’t know how they were ever going to finish this movie,” remembers Jeffrey Kramer, who played a sheriff’s deputy in the film. “There were rumors all around the set that the studio was going to shut us down.”

Spielberg, who had been entrusted with turning Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel about a rampaging shark into a cinematic event, feared he’d be fired.

“Jaws: See It Before You Go Swimming.” 50 years ago this weekend, movie goers at their local cinemas were introduced to Bruce, the great white shark and the movie spectacle would never be the same.

The trailer’s ominous narration said, “There is a creature alive today who has survived millions of years of evolution, without change, without passion and without logic. It lives to kill – a mindless eating machine. It will attack and devour anything. It is as if God created the Devil and gave him Jaws.”

June 20, 1975 and the Summer Blockbuster was born. Opening night and I was a 9-year-old kid sitting in the theater on the Berlin Turnpike in Newington, Ct and brutally scared by what would later become my Favorite Film Of All Time.. After that evening, I became very wary of going down to the shore. 50 years later my love affair with the film is still passionate,...

How do you follow up a genre-defining, career-making, massively successful cinematic watershed motion picture like "Jaws?" The answer, apparently, is to make a string of sequels that succumb to increasingly diminished returns. While "Jaws 2" is a highly decent yet nowhere near as stellar follow-up that provided essentially more of the same thrills as the original (which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month), "Jaws 3" is rightfully regarded as a massive let-down. Yes, "Jaws 3" is a generally fun, morally prescient time if you take it as a standalone shark thriller movie, but it's still a sad excuse for a sequel to one of the greatest movies ever made. It also begs another, more pressing question: How in the world did this happen?

The answer to that varies with each sequel, of course, and yet there may be a particular circumstance to blame in the case of "Jaws 3.

Friday marks the 50th anniversary of Jaws, and Mondo is celebrating with four limited edition collectibles from Steven Spielberg‘s original summer blockbuster.

A Jaws timed edition poster designed by Danny Haas costs $80. The nine-color screen print measures 24×36.

A Jaws vinyl figure designed by James Groman costs $275. Measuring 10.5″ tall and 16″ high, the shark figure comes with an alternate Jaws 2 portrait, Ben Gardner head, leg, cable, deflated raft, scuba tank, bait, barrels with ropes, and shark cage.

John Williams‘ Jaws score is getting a new 2xLP vinyl edition for $60. It’s pressed on 180-gram “Blood and Water” colored vinyl and house in a jacket featuring a shark fin pop up, within an O-card slipcase with a gold metallic bellyband.

Jaws: Selections & Studio Rarities features Williams’s film versions and previously unreleased alternate takes of “Main Title” and “The Pier Incident.” Priced at $35, it’s pressed on die-cut 10″ “Chum Red” vinyl...

Looking back on its 50th anniversary, it's hard to imagine slipping anything extra into "Jaws." To even suggest adding anything to Steven Spielberg's perfect film would be like nails on a chalkboard. And yet, there is one significant subplot from Peter Benchley's original book, on which the film is based, that Spielberg quite rightfully omitted. In addition to the battle between the film's three leads and a human-eating machine, Benchley's novel contained something far more scandalous and sordid -- something that's never even hinted at in the movie version. It's a threat that creeps right up the beaches of Amity Island and onto Chief Brody's (Roy Scheider in Spielberg's film) doorstep: a romantic affair between his wife and the educated outsider Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss).

Initially, in Benchley's version of the story, the stark social divide between Brody and the beach-based business owners of Amity contrasts sharply with...

When Jaws was released 50 years ago, it was a massive hit that would become an unexpected phenomenon with a lasting legacy for years to come. As part of the extensive 50-year celebration of the film, which has included theatrical screenings and a new collector’s edition 4K release, Laurent Bouzerau’s documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story provides fans with the perfect opportunity to reflect back on the best shark movie ever made.

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story Review

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story examines the production and cultural impact of Steven Spielberg’s seminal 1975 masterpiece, which fundamentally changed Hollywood filmmaking and the public’s relationship with the oceanic predator for all of time. The documentary starts with Peter Benchley’s novel that inspired the movie and carries through its production and release, presenting a comprehensive look at how the film was made and received by audiences around the world.

"Jaws" was released in June of 1975, and the very fact that we're still passionately, eagerly discussing the movie decades later for its 50th anniversary says a lot about its impact, value, and staying power. In addition to just how damn good the film itself is, there's so much lore and debate that surrounds it to this day. One question that often comes up is a deceptively simple one: what's the scariest scene or moment in the movie? Some will say the opening sequence, others the various attacks by the Great White on crowded public beaches in the middle of a sunny summer day. For my money, however, no moment in "Jaws" is more richly disturbing than a setpiece we don't actually get to see: the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis in 1945, in which the few survivors of the World War II skirmish found themselves wading in shark-infested waters with no hope of rescue.

The movie that made Steven Spielberg a household name and made legends out of the crew of the Orca is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. June 20 will mark half a century since Jawswas released in theaters, making everyone a little more afraid to go in the water for decades since.

Jaws will be re-released in theaters later this summer, but fans who want to watch the original 1975 monster horror film and its three sequels can do so on Peacock. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Jaws, Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3 (1983), and Jaws: The Revenge 1987 are exclusively available on Peacock as of June 15.

Jaws 3-hour Special to Air on NBC this Week

For fans of the iconic film starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws will make its way back into theaters starting Aug. 29 for a limited run through Sept. 4. Additionally, NBC will celebrate Jaws’ 50th anniversary on June 20 with a new three-hour special.

2025 marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest movies ever made, director Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws, which first reached theatres on June 20, 1975. To mark the occasion, Jaws will air over three hours on June 20 at 8pm Et on NBC – and Variety reports that Spielberg has filmed a special new introduction for this screening!

Directed by Spielberg from a screenplay by Peter Benchley and Carl Gottlieb that was based on a best-selling novel by Benchley, Jaws has the following synopsis: When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody wants to close the beaches, but mayor Larry Vaughn overrules him, fearing that the loss of tourist revenue will cripple the town. Ichthyologist Matt Hooper and grizzled ship captain Quint offer to help Brody capture the killer beast, and the trio engage in an epic battle of man vs.

National Geographic’s gill-ty pleasure of the summer, Sharkfest, returns for its wildest season yet! With over 25 hours of jaw-dropping programming, this year’s lineup dives deeper than ever into the science, power and beauty of the ocean’s most misunderstood predator. Making a splash at the top of this year’s lineup is the brand-new special Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory, which follows the Emmy- and BAFTA-winning cinematographer and National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory (@BertieGregory) on a high-stakes, cage-free mission to film great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.

Sharks Up Close kicks off Sharkfest beginning July 5 at 8/7c on National Geographic. Select series and specials will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Additionally, shark-infested content will air on Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Jr., and DisneyXD throughout the month. A 24/7 live stream of 2024 content will also air on YouTube.

The Sharkfest...

National Geographic’s gill-ty pleasure of the summer, SharkFest, returns for its wildest season yet. With over 25 hours of jaw-dropping programming, this year’s lineup dives deeper than ever into the science, power, and beauty of the ocean’s most misunderstood predator.

Making a splash at the top of this year’s lineup is the brand-new special Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory, which follows the Emmy- and BAFTA-winning cinematographer and National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory on a high-stakes, cage-free mission to film great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.

Sharks Up Close kicks off National Geographic’s SharkFest beginning on July 5 at 8/7c. Select series and specials will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Additionally, shark-infested content will air on Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo, Disney Jr., and Disney Xd throughout the month. A 24/7 live stream of 2024 content will also air on YouTube.

National...