Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” hit theaters on June 20, 1975, and quickly became a cultural phenomenon.
The film, based on Peter Benchley’s novel, tells the story of a great white shark terrorizing the beach town of Amity Island. Police Chief Martin Brody, marine biologist Matt Hooper, and grizzled fisherman Quint set out to hunt down the shark.
“Jaws” earned rave reviews and became the first movie to take more than $100 million in theatrical rentals.
A word on Jaws (from @NewYorker newsletter yesterday)—on seeing it in first run, on its afterlife, and on its eternal youth (take that as you will):https://t.co/LyFmqgFPOO
— Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow) June 21, 2025
It invented the summer blockbuster, paving the way for films like “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park,” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The three men on a boat—Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper, Roy Scheider as Brody, and Robert Shaw as Quint—formed a central dynamic to the film’s appeal.
Dreyfuss, now 77, recalls the shoot as “more waiting than anything.”
Jaws trivia: "Spielberg wasn't the studio's first choice for director; initially they hired Dick Richards, but Richards kept referring to the shark as a whale."https://t.co/Pd3fWzj42s
— Stephen Shankland (@stshank) June 20, 2025
Spielberg insisted on shooting in the open ocean off Martha’s Vineyard for authenticity, which ballooned the budget from $4 million to $9 million. Production went 100 days over schedule, plagued by malfunctions of the mechanical shark, nicknamed “Bruce.
“There were three different sharks and three different crews, and it was all a disaster,” Dreyfuss says. “Steven had to conceive of a film which implied the shark rather than show it directly. This necessity made the film a masterpiece.”
On the 50th anniversary of the film, the Greatest Shots of JAWS (1975)pic.twitter.com/9adLaxUT3v
— All The Right Movies (@ATRightMovies) June 20, 2025
Jaws’ cinematic legacy and impact
Spielberg credited Alfred Hitchcock for influencing his approach to suspense-building and composer John Williams for creating a visceral musical theme that carried the film. When Dreyfuss first saw the finished film, he was terrified, despite having worked on it.
“I knew that I was watching the crowning of the uncrowned prince of Hollywood,” he says of Spielberg. “Jaws” quickly demonstrated how a film could affect society on a global scale. Although it portrayed sharks as monsters to be feared, it also sparked interest in marine conservation.
Dreyfuss, who has never watched “Jaws” from start to finish since its premiere, acknowledges its lasting impact on cinema and popular culture. “I have never done it, not since the film,” he says of going into the water. “Because you’re aware of what you’re not aware of, and you’re not aware of anything underneath.”
