Steven Spielberg’sJawsgrossed a record-breaking $260 million at the box office in 1975, but how much would that amount be today, adjusted for inflation? In 1975,Jawswas such a massive hit that it changed the face of the Hollywood film industry. Just when Tinseltown was starting to embrace a more grown-up approach to filmmaking with mature hits likeThe GraduateandEasy Rider, the success ofJawsencouraged studios to focus on high-concept genre movies released at the height of summer – an approach that studios are still taking today.
Jaws coined the term “blockbuster"because it had audiences lining up around the block. It surpassedThe Godfatherto becomethe highest-grossing movie ever made, and it wouldn’t be topped until Spielberg’s friend George Lucas releasedStar Warsin 1977.Jaws’ box office run was historic, but how does it compare to the box office performance of today’s blockbusters? Adjusted for inflation, how much money didJawsmake?
Every Jaws Movie Ranked, Worst To Best
Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws birthed a franchise consisting of four movies to date, but not all of them matched the quality of the first movie.
What Jaws' Box Office Gross Would Be Today
Adjusted For Inflation, Jaws Grossed Around $1.5 Billion In Its Original Run
Jawsgrossed an unprecedented $260,002,562 during its original theatrical run in 1975 (viaBox Office Mojo). With a handful of re-releases in the past half-century,that figure has since been expanded to $477,220,580. Suffice it to say, Universal has made a tidy profit against the relatively paltry $7 million it spent on the budget.Adjusted for inflation,Jaws’ initial $260 million gross comes to around $1.52 billion, which would place it in the 11th spot above 2012’sThe Avengerson the list of the highest-grossing movies ever made.
How Jaws' Adjusted Box Office Compares To The 2020s' Biggest Movie Releases
Jaws Would’ve Outgrossed Barbie (But Not Inside Out 2)
Compared to the highest-grossing movies of the 2020s so far (viaCBR),Jaws’ adjusted-for-inflation box office haul is still impressive by today’s standards.It didn’t earn quite enough to outdoInside Out 2’s gross of $1.6 billion,Spider-Man: No Way Home’s gross of $1.9 billion, orAvatar: The Way of Water’s jaw-dropping gross of $2.32 billion. ButJaws’ adjusted total is higher than the lifetime gross of every other top-grossing blockbuster that’s come along since 2020.
Jawsgrossed more thanBarbieandTop Gun: Maverick’s $1.4 billion,The Super Mario Bros. Movie’s $1.3 billion, andDeadpool & Wolverine’s $1.2 billion.Jaws’ adjusted gross is more than half a billion dollars higher thanJurassic World Dominion’s $1 billion,Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ $955 million, andOppenheimer’s $953 million. Those were all huge movies, but they didn’t come close to matchingJaws. It’s no wonder why Hollywood has been trying to replicate the success ofJawsfor the past five decades; it was a monster hit.
Jaws
Cast
Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, follows the residents of Amity Island as they face terror from a menacing great white shark. The town’s police chief, a marine biologist, and a seasoned shark hunter join forces to track and kill the predator threatening their coastal community. Released in 1975.
