Phoenix movie theaters celebrate 50th anniversary of ‘Jaws’

It's been five decades since legendary director (and former Phoenix resident) Steven Spielberg gave us a little summer flick called "Jaws."

The movie that late film critic Roger Ebert called "the launching pad for the most extraordinary directorial career in modern movie history" debuted in theaters on June 20, 1975, when Spielberg was a mere 27 years old.

To celebrate the original summer blockbuster, movie theaters all over the U.S. are showing "Jaws" for a limited time starting this week, and some chains are offering really cool merch to boot.


Harkins Theatres begins screenings on the afternoon of Thursday, Aug. 28, at all 17 Valley locations.

Their commemorative merchandise includes a cup that looks like the yellow barrels used in the film to keep the shark from diving too deep, and a plush shark with a yellow barrel dangling from its mouth.

At AMC Theatres, screenings begin on Thursday, Aug. 28. "Jaws" fans can purchase two different popcorn buckets: one, a shark-shaped vessel whose mouth opens, and the other, a tin bucket with a "Welcome to Amity" theme. The theater chain will also sell a drink cup with a design based on the film's iconic movie poster.

Cinemark Theatres (there's one at Mesa Riverview) is selling a metal popcorn bucket that looks like a shark cage.
"Jaws" screenings will continue at local theaters through Thursday, Sept. 4.

For the cinematically unaware, "Jaws" is about a man-eating shark that chomps through several swimmers before a team of three — a small-town police chief, a shark expert and a salty sea captain — embarks on a mission to find it and kill it. It boasts one of John Williams' most famous film scores. The movie stars Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw as the trio of hunters, plus an animatronic shark named Bruce as the titular character.

"Jaws" won three Academy Awards in 1976 for Best Original Score, Best Sound and Best Film Editing, and is routinely included on lists of the best films of all time, including assessments by Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and Variety. In 2001, the Library of Congress selected it for inclusion in the National Film Registry, recognizing it as a landmark horror film and the first "summer movie."