1 day Ago
On the day Jaws opened, June 20, 1975, it was in 409 theaters in the United States, starting with the kind of wide release that was rare in those days. It went on to gross a record-breaking $7.9 million in its opening days, thanks to a rigorous publicity campaign. This established the marketing and release template for how summer movies would be marketed and released from that time on.
The Dawn of the Blockbuster Era
Before “Jaws,” summer was typically a pretty quiet season for movies. But Spielberg’s shark thriller turned that notion on its head. Its massive early success showed that, yes indeed, between The Big Sick and The Beguiled, audiences do want big, exciting spectacles in the warmer months. It was effectively the beginning of the “blockbuster era” — a time dominated by big, high-stakes movies that were designed to attract enormous crowds.
Jaws wasn’t the first film to aim for wide appeal, of course — movies like The Godfather had similarly ambitious rollouts — but it was the title that cemented the blueprint. Its combination of suspense, character, and technical innovation provided a different kind of moviegoing experience. Since that time, numerous action movies, superhero franchises, and dinosaur epics have followed in their wake, especially during the summer months.
A Near-Perfect Work for a New Decade (So Far)
But while primarily credited with transforming the business of Hollywood, Jaws is so much more than simply the first big summer blockbuster. Its enduring worth... is that it is — simply, inarguably and forever — an outstanding movie. ‘Spielberg’s direction, the film’s pacing, and its suspense make it stand out from the myriad of imitators that followed.
It is a masterpiece in filmmaking, rare in that it is both a commercial and artistic success, and 50 years later, Jaws endures. Hollywood has made a lot of money by copying Jaws release strategy, without always mimicking what actually made Jaws work so well in the first place.
