Jaws

Production

Steven Spielberg directed the Universal adaptation of Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel, shooting on Martha’s Vineyard through a difficult summer in 1974. The mechanical shark named Bruce broke down so often that Spielberg withheld it from many scenes, a constraint that became the film’s defining suspense technique.

Reception

The film opened in June 1975 on a then-unprecedented wide release of 464 screens, earned around $470 million worldwide, and became the first true summer blockbuster.

Legacy

The release pattern of saturation booking with heavy TV advertising changed Hollywood’s distribution model permanently. John Williams’s two-note theme is among the most recognizable in cinema.