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‘Jaws’: 50th Anniversary and Birth of the Summer Blockbuster

Blockbuster firecrackers used to blow kids’ hands off. Then along came ‘Jaws,’ hijacked the name from fireworks, and transplanted it into showbiz forever.
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‘Jaws’: 50th Anniversary and Birth of the Summer Blockbuster
A crowd lined up to see Jaws in 1975. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Mark Jackson
Updated:
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PG | 2h 4m | Drama, Monster | 1975

It’s the 50th anniversary of “Jaws,” Steven Spielberg’s ground-zero, great white shark blockbuster. In 1975, America was only familiar with the term “blockbuster” as it pertained to carloads of New England teenage big brothers road-tripping below the Mason-Dixon line during the last weeks of June. They'd arrive back home in time for the 4th of July, hauling loads of illegal fireworks.
Mark Jackson
Mark Jackson
Film Critic
Mark Jackson is the chief film critic for The Epoch Times. In addition to film, he enjoys martial arts, motorcycles, rock-climbing, qigong, and human rights activism. Jackson earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Williams College, followed by 20 years' experience as a New York professional actor. He narrated The Epoch Times audiobook "How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World," available on iTunes, Audible, and YouTube. Mark is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
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