Jaws first began as a best-selling novel by Peter Benchley, which was inspired by the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916. It was then adapted for a motion picture by Universal Studios, directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Richard D. Zanuck and David Brown. The film was regarded as a watershed film in motion picture history, the father of the summer Blockbuster movie and one of the first "high concept" films. Due to the film's success in advance screenings, studio executives decided to distribute it in a much wider release than ever before. The Omen followed suit in the summer of 1976, and then Star Wars one year later in 1977, cementing the notion for movie studios to distribute their big-release action and adventure pictures (commonly referred to as tentpole pictures) during the summer. The film was followed by three sequels, none with the participation of Spielberg or Benchley. Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). A video game entitled Jaws Unleashed was later made in 2006.

Advertisement Advertisement