On This Day, June 20th, 1975, “Jaws” Opened in Theatres!

This movie is the reason we can’t go into the ocean without thinking about a massive great white shark eating us…

On this day in history, June 20, 1975, the movie "Jaws," directed by Steven Spielberg, opened in theatres in the United States. 

"Jaws," tells the fictional story of a great white shark that terrorizes a New England beach resort town. The movie was a blockbuster and the highest-grossing film in movie history until it was outpaced by 1977’s "Star Wars," according to History.com.

The iconic film won three Oscars, for Best Film Editing, Best Original Score and Best Sound. 

The movie was a career breakthrough for director Spielberg, then 27 years old. It spawned several sequels, notes History.com.

The film was based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Peter Benchley, released in 1973. 

At over 100 days of shooting (159 versus the planned 55) and a budget of $12 million — which was 300% over the initial allocation and four times the cost of an average film in 1975 — the movie was a challenge to make.

Spielberg also decided to film on the ocean, "a first for major features.” Features set on the ocean were "typically filmed on set in a large tank, or in shallower waters," but never on the ocean itself.

Composed by John Williams, the eerie movie soundtrack is today part of American pop culture. 

The legacy of "Jaws" is that it set the precedent for the term "summer blockbuster," according to multiple sources.