Released nationwide on June 20, 1975, Jaws was the original “summer blockbuster,” holding the No. 1 spot at the box office for 14 weeks and becoming the first film to gross over $100 million. By summer’s end, Gallup found that 21% of Americans reported they had seen the movie, while another 15% planned to take the plunge.
Viewership was especially strong among young adults — a common trend in moviegoing — with 40% of 18- to 29-year-olds telling Gallup in a Sept. 5-8 poll that they had already seen Jaws. That compared with 23% of those aged 30 to 49 and fewer than 10% of adults 50 and older.
Among the 1975 Jaws holdouts, intent to see it was also highest among young adults, further widening the generational gap. Overall, 61% of 18-to-29-year-olds versus 9% of seniors had either watched it by early September or planned to watch it.
More Women Than Men Scared Out of the Water
Most of the original Jaws audience wasn’t especially shaken by director Steven Spielberg’s suspenseful take on the Peter Benchley novel set to John Williams’ tension-inducing score. Still, it clearly rattled some.
Among 1975 viewers, 18% called it the most frightening movie they had ever seen. About one-third (35%) said the movie increased their fear of swimming in the ocean, and nearly two-thirds (64%) thought it was too frightening for children under 12.
While men weren’t immune to Jaws’ bite, women were much more likely to report, or at least admit, that the film unnerved them. A higher proportion of women (22%) than men (14%) called Jaws the most frightening movie they’d ever seen. Women were also about twice as likely as men (47% vs. 23%) to say it increased their fear of ocean swimming.
About the same proportion of men (22%) and women (20%) had seen Jaws that summer. However, a larger majority of women (72%) than men (56%) thought it was not suitable for children under 12.
Barely Half of Today’s Young Adults Have Had the Jaws Experience
Fifty years later, Jaws’ audience profile has shifted. Most of those old enough to have seen Jaws in 1975 are now seniors and, if they missed it then, have had half a century to watch it on TV, VHS, DVD or streaming.
Reflecting this, a Gallup web poll conducted May 1-14, 2025, finds 88% of adults 65 and older reporting they have seen the film, along with 91% of those aged 50 to 64 and 78% of those aged 30 to 49. Only among 18- to 29-year-olds does the rate drop much lower, with 53% saying they have ever watched Jaws.
Is 53% viewership among Gen Z adults high or low for a 50-year-old film? Without more comparable data on cinema, it’s hard to say. But with 50th-anniversary screenings of Jaws taking place across the country this month, more may finally dip a toe in the water and see what had their parents and grandparents looking twice before swimming.
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