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For a long time, the going rate of commercial box office success has dictated the career trajectory of directors in Hollywood. But for an icon like Steven Spielberg, greatness is an inherent quality that has defined his creative streak ever since he learned how to hold a camera as a teenage boy.
![Jaws (1975) [Credit Universal Pictures]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/30111233/Jaws-1975-Credit-Universal-Pictures.jpg)
Starting from his 20s, Spielberg went on to deliver hit after hit every single time he picked a project. His career birthed such classics asJaws,E.T.,Raiders of the Lost Ark,Jurassic Park,Schindler’s List, andSaving Private Ryan. Without the magic that Spielberg brings to cinema, Hollywood would have never achieved its true potential.
Steven Spielberg was a victim of self-doubt
While starting off in the industry, a wide-eyed 20-somethingSteven Spielbergwas ready to take any job, no matter how grand or menial, as long as it allowed him to work in the business. After a succession of projects, it was his time to sit in the director’s chair with the script of the now-classicJaws.
Even as a 26-year-old, Spielberg showed great promise and a hunger that only plagued those burdened with immense potential. His first major blockbuster filmJawsalso became the first ever Hollywood film to earn $100 million in US theatrical rentals. This achievement would go on to foreshadow thegroundbreaking success that followed Spielbergthroughout the span of his enduring career.
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Despite the visionary in him, Spielberg was, after all, an artist merely starting out in a field that challenged the limits of imagination. And as a novice filmmaker, imagination was an asset he had in abundance. The result of his overflowing talents, however, did not shield him from doubting himself and the potential ofJaws, a film he thought lacked a strong storytelling backbone.
Jawssuccess surprised Steven Spielberg
For every movie director, their first success comes in the form of an epiphany. Either through decades of craftsmanship and perfecting the ultimate story or through an accidental discovery that lands in the right hands at the right time, a masterpiece only arrives in rare intervals spanning the era of moviemaking.
In the case of Steven Spielberg, his masterpiece arrived comparatively early, enveloped in the bloody jaws of a shark threatening the beach of a resort town. However, the director being the humble filmmaker that he is never believed that his work merited any recognition, let alone global praise and timeless legacy.
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Even 48 years later, Spielberg expressed his awe at the success thatJawsachieved, a feat he thought was miraculous because of what the titular creature in his film looked like. In an interview withW Magazine, Spielberg claimed:
I never would have guessed that so many people would have gone to seeJaws. In my mind, the shark looked dumb. When I went to the first preview, in Dallas, and people were screaming and popcorn was flying at the screen, my first feeling was—Oh my god! I didn’t think any of this was going to work. The truth is, you never ever know.
![Jaws (1975) [Credit Universal Pictures]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/30111250/Jaws-Credit-Universal-Pictures.jpg)
Since its release,Jawshas raked in a worldwide earning of $484 million (viaThe Numbers) and currently holds a rating of 97% onRotten Tomatoes.
Jawsis available to stream on Apple TV, Prime Video, and Peacock.
Diya Majumdar
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2409
Diya Majumdar is a Senior Content Writer at FandomWire with over 2000 published articles on the website. Since 2022, she has been working as an entertainment journalist with a special focus on films and pop culture.Among the countless genres and themes of Hollywood, the ones that particularly favor Diya’s tastes include Game of Thrones, DC, and well-aged thrillers and classics.
