'Jaws' Turns 50: How To Watch Steven Spielberg's Classic On Streaming
A poster for the 1975 American film 'Jaws', directed by Steven Spielberg for Universal Studios. ... More (Photo by Movie Poster Image Art/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesDirector Steven Spielberg’s landmark shark thriller Jaws turns 50 this week. Where can you stream the film at home?
Released on June 20, 1975, Jaws came to define what became the term “summer blockbuster,” which was followed by the release of Spielberg’s friend and fellow filmmaker George Lucas’ classic Star Wars in 1977.
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Made all the more compelling by composer John Williams’ chilling, iconic theme, Jaws was adapted for the big screen from author Peter Benchley’s bestselling novel of the same name.
The film begins with the death of a lone swimmer (Susan Backlinie) off the shores of the fictional Amity Island on the East Coast during a vicious shark attack. Identified as a Great White shark, the attack sends the community into a full panic after more attacks, which prompts Amity Island Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) to take action.
Along with the shark hunter who only goes by “Quint” (Robert Shaw) and a marine biologist, Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss), Brody boards Quint’s vessel, the Orca, in hopes of finding and killing the deadly shark.
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Since Jaws is a Universal Pictures release, Jaws will begin streaming on the NBC Universal streaming platform Peacock on Sunday, June 15.
Peacock offers two streaming plans: The ad-based Premium plan costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year. While the ad-free Premium Plus plan costs $13.99 per month or $139.99 per year. Jaws is also currently available to stream on AMC+, which costs $6.99 per month with ads, $9.99 per month without ads or $95.88 per year.
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In addition, Jaws will be airing on NBC on Friday with a three-hour presentation, according to the network. The movie, which is set to air at 8 p.m. ET, will feature an introduction from Spielberg.
For viewers who prefer to see the film on the big screen, Jaws is scheduled to be re-released in theaters on Aug. 29 in celebration of the film’s 50th anniversary.
Steven Spielberg on set of the film 'Jaws', 1975. (Photo by Universal/Getty Images)
Getty ImagesViewers who don’t want to subscribe to Peacock or AMC+ or wait until Aug. 29 to see it in theaters have several different options to watch Jaws on streaming.
As of this publication, Prime Video has Jaws available to rent on Video on Demand for $3.79 or purchase on VOD for $7.99, while Apple TV has the film for rent for $3.99 or purchase for $7.99.
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Additionally, Movies Anywhere, Fandango at Home and YouTube are also offering Jaws for rent for $3.99 or $14.99 to purchase.
Rated PG— a seemingly mild rating since the PG-13 rating wasn’t introduced by the then-Motion Picture Association of America until 1984 — Jaws will also be celebrated beyond its 50th anniversary on June 20.
According to National Geographic, the new documentary Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story will begin streaming on Nat Geo channel on Thursday, July 10, on Disney+ and Hulu.
The official synopsis of the Jaws documentary reads, “Steven Spielberg shares an authorized look inside the story of Jaws in this documentary.
“From Peter Benchley’s epic novel to Spielberg’s film, Jaws continues to influence pop culture, cinema and shark conservation. With interviews from Hollywood’s most influential directors and shark scientists, the legend of Jaws is endless.”