Love Jaws? Here’s 7 Surprising Facts About the OG Summer Blockbuster
The Jaws Original Vintage Movie Poster.
Half a century later, the shark still swims toward us. Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) didn’t just terrify audiences—it changed Hollywood forever. With its wide release strategy, relentless TV marketing, and Roger Kastel’s unforgettable poster art, Jaws created the blueprint for the modern summer blockbuster.
But the story of Jaws is as wild as the film itself. From mechanical sharks that constantly broke down to a poster shark that wasn’t even a great white, the production was full of surprises that only add to its legend. And for collectors, the imagery that came out of it, especially Kastel’s one-sheet, is now one of the most coveted pieces of movie poster history.
Here are seven surprising facts about Jaws that show why this film, and its iconic poster, continue to thrill audiences and collectors alike.
1. They Really Filmed at Sea
Most big-budget movies are shot in controlled studio tanks, but Spielberg wanted authenticity. Jaws was filmed off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, where real tides, currents, and weather wreaked havoc on the production schedule. Boats drifted into frame, equipment malfunctioned, and entire days were lost to choppy seas.
The result, though, was worth the chaos: the natural light and unpredictable water gave Jaws a realism that no soundstage could replicate. It’s part of why the film still feels so raw and terrifying today.
2. The Real Reason Why Jaws Is So Suspenseful
The original plan for Jaws was bloodier. Early drafts leaned heavily on gore, and the three mechanical sharks built for the production were meant to show it all. But the sharks rarely worked as intended. Constant breakdowns forced Spielberg to rethink how he revealed the monster—he even cut 12 planned shark scenes.
Instead of leaning on special effects, he relied on shadows in the water, John Williams’ menacing score, and the terrified reactions of the actors. By keeping the shark hidden, the film built unbearable tension. What was supposed to be a gore-filled creature feature became one of the most suspenseful thrillers ever made.
3. Jaws Invented the Summer Blockbuster
Before Jaws, summer wasn’t seen as prime movie season. Studios usually saved their biggest releases for the holidays or awards season, while summer schedules were filled with lighter, lower-budget fare. That thinking changed in June 1975. Universal opened Jaws on 464 screens with a massive national TV ad campaign—something no studio had attempted on that scale before.
The gamble paid off. Jaws drew record crowds, becoming the first movie to gross over $100 million. Suddenly, summer was the hottest season of the year for movies, and the blockbuster era was born.
4. Spielberg Was Only 27 When He Took on Jaws
Steven Spielberg wasn’t yet a household name when he landed Jaws. At 27, his biggest credit was Duel (1971), a TV movie about a man stalked by a relentless truck. Its lean suspense impressed critics and executives, showing Spielberg had a gift for building tension.
He followed with The Sugarland Express (1974), a road movie starring Goldie Hawn, which earned him acclaim at Cannes but only modest box-office returns. Then came Jaws—a production so ambitious and chaotic that most seasoned directors would’ve thought twice. Instead, Spielberg turned it into the movie that made him a star.
5. The Jaws Movie Poster Came From the Paperback Novel
The famous image of a massive shark rising toward a lone swimmer wasn’t created from scratch for the film. Artist Roger Kastel first painted it for the Bantam paperback edition of Peter Benchley’s Jaws novel in 1974. Universal loved the design so much they asked him to adapt it into the official Jaws movie poster.
The result is one of the most recognizable posters in cinema history. Kastel later went on to design other classics—including The Empire Strikes Back—but Jaws remains his most iconic. Collectors prize original 1975 one-sheets, which regularly sell for thousands at auction.
6. The Shark in the Jaws Movie Poster Isn’t a Great White
In the movie, the villain is a great white shark—but the creature on Roger Kastel’s famous Jaws movie poster isn’t one. Kastel based his artwork on a taxidermied shortfin mako shark he studied at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
That subtle difference gave the poster shark a sleeker, almost prehistoric look. It wasn’t biologically accurate, but it made the imagery even more menacing—and helped cement the poster as one of the most terrifying pieces of film art ever created.
7. The Orca Actually Sank During Filming
The Orca, Quint’s battered fishing boat, is as iconic to Jaws as the shark itself. But during production, the boat didn’t just creak and groan—it actually sank. In the middle of shooting, the Orca took on water and went under, nearly destroying cameras and exposed film reels.
Cast and crew scrambled to save equipment and footage, adding one more disaster to a shoot already infamous for broken sharks and endless delays. Against all odds, they pulled it off—and the sinking Orca became part of the film’s chaotic legend.
Is Jaws Memorabilia a Good Investment?
Jaws is the birth of the blockbuster, the film that launched Steven Spielberg’s career, a box-office phenomenon that grossed over $470 million worldwide, and a movie that remains one of the most influential thrillers ever made. For these reasons and more, Jaws memorabilia has become a valuable investment for collectors.
At the center is Roger Kastel’s original 1975 Jaws movie poster. Authentic one-sheets in good condition regularly sell for thousands at auction, with linen-backed examples often exceeding $5,000. Collectors also prize sequels like Jaws 2 and Jaws 3-D, as well as international editions from Japan, Poland, and Italy—each with its own artistic flair. Anniversary reissues and modern prints give newer collectors affordable entry points, but the originals remain the most sought-after.
Explore our curated collection of original Jaws posters at Film/Art Gallery →