This Saturday, June 20, marked the 40th anniversary of arguably the most famous film in cinema history: Jaws. Its lasting appeal is renowned amongst cinema goers, and its production has entered into legend: the disastrous on-set experiences, a massively overblown budget, actor Robert Shaw’s erratic behaviour, and director Steven Spielberg’s steely reserve to get the job done no matter what.
Spielberg crafted a thriller which is widely considered to be one of the best films of all time. Critical acclaim aside, its impact on the film industry resonates to this day. In 1975 it helped to launch the Summer Blockbuster, made a vast return on its budget, became a cultural phenomenon, directly affected other businesses, and pushed Hollywood into a dramatic new direction.
Jaws’ Impact on the Industry
Since its release, Jaws, which is essentially about three men attempting to annihilate an enormous shark (with clear nods towards the larger philosophical themes of Moby Dick and The Old Man and the Sea), has received widespread critical acclaim, sequels, theme park rides, and video games. It is discussed and written about in higher education circles and has even prompted political figures to add to the critical conversation: Fidel Castro reportedly enjoyed the film enormously and considered it Marxist propaganda and a slight on capitalism.
Jaws was adapted from Peter Benchley’s novel, which Spielberg was chosen to direct by Universal Pictures in 1973 following the success of 1971’s made-for-TV film Duel. During its production, the budget (which had been $3.5 million) ballooned to an alarming $9 million, suggesting Spielberg’s career would be over before it had even begun.
A clever script, excellent performances from leads Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider, and Shaw, and careful crafting by a talented director ensured the film entered the history books. A clever marketing campaign (including an unprecedented $700,000 in TV ads) was matched by the film’s quality, leading to a total earning of some $470.7 million. In the United States alone over 67 million people bought a ticket to see it.
Its massive success altered corporate attitudes, how Hollywood approached ideas, and considered a film’s capacity for success. More importantly, Jaws had showcased how a film could become a cultural phenomenon. As the film industry at the time was in something of a recession, Spielberg’s efforts helped develop a new era of bigger budgets, better special effects, higher-concept scripts, and edgier topics.
The success of the mix of thriller/horror genres soon led to successes along the same vein: King Kong (1976), Orca-Killer Whale (1977), The Deep (1977 – also starring Robert Shaw), and Jaws 2 (1978 – again starring Roy Scheider) smashed the record books and made Hollywood more confident. Soon the likes of George Lucas’ Star Wars (1977) and Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979), both of which also became cultural phenomenons, were released and set up major franchises which continue to this day.
In total there have been 27 record-breaking summer blockbusters since 1975, all of which points back to the film which set a benchmark for success and audience expectations.
The Business of Making Money
Hollywood exists to make money and it does this rather well. Despite the onset of streaming video services such as Netflix and YouTube, the allure of the big screen keeps consumers buying tickets. Although there have been dips in tickets sales over the decades, as of 2015 the industry would appear to be highly prosperous.
Nothing could display this more than the current summer blockbuster. Rather aptly for Jaws‘ 40th anniversary, this year audiences have Jurassic World (produced by Steven Spielberg) which has been setting box office records—it made $208.8 million in its first weekend. Other recent efforts by Disney have been record breakers, most notably the astonishing success of Frozen (earning over $1 billion), whilst James Cameron’s Titanic and Avatar (aside from garnering numerous Oscars) have made almost $5 billion.
Whilst Jaws didn’t singlehandedly resurrect the film industry, it did steer it towards a bright creative future, which led to a new wave of talent, bigger budgets, and increasing production values. Films can now make a vast amount of money, with the five highest worldwide grossing being:
- Avatar – $2.7 billion
- Titanic – $2.1 billion
- The Avengers – $1.518 billion
- Furious 7 – $1.511 billion
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 – $.1.3 billion
In relation to this article, Steven Spielberg’s highest grossing film remains 1993’s Jurassic Park ($1.029 billion), whilst 1982’s E.T. is 49th on the list with a global total of £792 million. Adjusted for inflation, however, the highest earners are:
- Gone With The Wind – $3.4 billion
- Avatar – $3 billion
- Star Wars – $2.8 billion
- Titanic – $2.5 billion
- Sound of Music – $2.3 billion
E.T. would be classed 6th in this second list with $2.3 billion, and Jaws would be 9th with $2.027 billion. So whilst the industry has had its dips since Jaws hit the big screens 40 years ago, modern box office figures show the film industry is much more than big business—it’s a global empire. And even after 40 years it’s clear to see how Jaws shaped this success.
Jaws Returns to Cinemas
On a final note, to mark the 40th anniversary, Jaws will be rerun in cinemas for a couple of days in June 2015 (watch the original trailer for a recap). Check your local listings if you’d like to revisit this timeless classic and enjoy a film which defined an industry.
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About Alex Morris
Alex Morris is a Copywriter and Social Media Manager for the award winning Soap Media. He has also worked as an SEO Executive and Digital Marketer for a leading small business in the UK, and has been a business writer and blogger since completing a Masters Journalism degree in 2007. He spends his spare time developing a satirical blog whilst working on a debut novel.
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