“Jaws” Resurfaces to Take Bite Out of Summer Box Office 40 Years Later

Cue the following ominous music in your head: "Duh-nuh... duh-nuh... duh-nuh, duh-nuh duh-nuh duh-nuh..."

"Jaws," the movie that started the craze for bigger, better, more effects-laden summer blockbusters is returning to theaters to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

On June 21 fans, and those who have yet to dip their toes into the churning cinematic waters of the bloody classic, can catch the film as it was first intended: on the big screen. Fathom Events, Turner Classic Movies, and Universal Pictures will present special screenings in nearly 500 theaters around the country, with TCM’s Ben Mankiewicz providing a special introduction for an afternoon and evening showing as well as an encore presentation on June 24.

In 1975 a little-known director named Steven Spielberg unleashed on audiences what was to become the benchmark for big screen summer entertainment. The story about a giant great white shark that terrorizes a New England beach resort set a record at the time for the highest grossing film ever and went on to be nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards. Though it lost that race to "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Jaws" won the best music Oscar thanks to composer John Williams' simple, yet memorably frightening, score.

Based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel of the same name, the movie stars Roy Scheider as a water-averse local sheriff, Richard Dreyfus as a marine biologist and Robert Shaw as a weathered seafarer who band together (on a small fishing boat, no less) to rid the island of the human-devouring monster-fish.

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"'Jaws' is a classic thriller enjoyed by generations and it is ready for a comeback," said Fathom Events vice president of programming Kymberli Frueh-Owens in a statement. "Movie buffs will love seeing their favorite killer shark larger than life on the big screen. No risk of shark bite!"

Tickets can be purchased at FathomEvents.com and participating theaters.

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