Could you imagine that Jaws, the iconic thriller helmed by Steven Spielberg, topped $100 million in theater rentals before grossing over $400 million at the box office? Not just that, the 1975 flick clinched three Academy Awards, setting a precedent for the summer releases we eagerly anticipate each year.
But it was a mess, too. Behind this monumental masterpiece was a young Spielberg, steering the project, which starred Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss. There is no doubt that Spielberg’s steadfast vision made the movie possible—one that still thrills audiences to this day.
As Spielberg shared with Entertainment Weekly, the journey of Jaws was fraught with several production challenges, yet it seemed to epitomize that from the greatest trials often come the most extraordinary successes.
Imagine choosing to film on the tempestuous “ocean” rather than the safety of a tank—as Spielberg put it, a decision teeming with “hubris” that ultimately made him make the nightmare decision of his life.
Jaws: A Look Back at Steven Spielberg’s Regretful Decision
In the summer of 1975, moviegoers were introduced to a film that would forever change the landscape of cinema. Jaws, directed by a young Steven Spielberg, not only broke box office records but also set a new standard for blockbuster filmmaking.
But what many may not realize is that behind the scenes, the making of Jaws was far from smooth sailing. In a 2011 Entertainment Weekly cover story, the director, now 77, candidly shared the challenges and obstacles he faced while bringing the iconic shark thriller to life. From starting the film without a finished script to filming in the ocean rather than in a controlled studio tank, Spielberg’s decision-making process was anything but conventional:
We had the hubris to shoot on the ocean, not in a tank. Had we shot in the tank, I don’t think Jaws would have been very successful because it would look really phony. So I insisted on open sea, but innumerable physical problems came along with that decision.
The director faced numerous physical and logistical challenges, including finding the perfect location with a 30-foot flat sandy bottom for the shark sled to rest on:
What we had to do was find open sea where you couldn’t see land, and where there was a 30-foot flat sandy bottom so the shark sled would have some place to rest. It had to be 30 feet, because if it was 40 feet, the shark could never get out of the water. We had a shark arm that only went up so high.
Despite the setbacks that threatened to derail the production, Spielberg’s determination and vision ultimately paid off. Jaws went on to become a cultural phenomenon, paving the way for a new era of summer blockbusters. The film broke records at the box office at the time of its release, earning $477 million (according to IMDb), the highest amount ever for a movie at the time.
Regardless, the director of Jaws had a terrible time filming in the water. He learned valuable lessons, which he later imparted to Kevin Costner.
Kevin Costner’s Price of Not Following Steven Spielberg’s Wisdom
Kevin Costner played an enigmatic traveler in Kevin Reynolds’ action science fiction film Waterworld (1995). But before he starred in the film, the actor thought it appropriate to consult with renowned director Steven Spielberg, who had experience filming on water thanks to his beloved Jaws.
Screenwriter Peter Rader of Waterworld, who talked with Yahoo, reportedly took note of the conversation between Spielberg and Costner. Days prior to the film’s commencement, Rader revealed that Costner had sought counsel from Spielberg:
Kevin said, ‘Steven, I’m doing this Waterworld movie, and we’re shooting on water. Do you have any advice for me?’ And Spielberg was unequivocal: ‘Do not shoot on water! You’re going to need a couple of shots on water, so use second unit for that. Do all of your coverage in a tank or a stage’.
Spielberg did not want Costner to go through what he went through while filming Jaws, since his own experience was a nightmare that ended with a huge budget boost. Kevin Reynolds ultimately decided to proceed with his plans to film in the Pacific Ocean, sadly dismissing Spielberg’s advice even though he personally sought it.
Though Spielberg’s flick overcame production-related setbacks to emerge stronger than expected, Costner’s Waterworld did not have the same impact. The latter barely qualified as a success, making $264 million against its $175 million production budget (The Numbers), while Jaws went on to become an enormously successful cult classic.
Waterworld is available on Prime Video, while Jaws can be rented on Apple TV.
