Jaws is a box office hit again, 47 years after it first hit theaters

Photo: Universal Pictures

In an effort to keep people coming to the movie theater, theaters around the US reduced their ticket prices to $3 on Saturday. It worked. Variety found that more people went to the movies on Saturday than the day before and the day after. National Cinema Day brought the biggest crowds to theaters of any day in 2022, which led to the conclusion that people will go to movies when they cost three dollars. Who was aware?

It wasn't necessary to get the butt back in the seat. There are new films. The result of so many supply chain issues and Pandemic shutdowns has been a month long movie lull. The top grosser of the day was Top Gun: Maverick, which added about $6 million to its box office haul over the long weekend. Since the movie's release in May, theaters have brought in nearly 700 million dollars. Spider-Man: No Way Home was second in the box office. Honk For Jesus was the best new movie. Save your soul came in at fourteenth.

You might have heard of Jaws, the movie about a shark in the water. The movie made over $2 million over the three day weekend. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and Where The Crawdads Sing were both in the top 10 for the weekend. It is not a banner moment for films. Jaws performed better in theaters this weekend than every other film. It only made $7 million in its opening weekend, but it's still not bad.

Jaws was able to show the movie in IMAX for the first time. The Hollywood Reporter said the 3D experience was designed to make you feel like you are in the water. We can play out the stereo to make you feel like you are in the water with the characters and the kids that are playing.

Jaws is a great symbol for the future of movies. One of the reasons that studios started to put out their best and most successful movies in the summer was because of it. Special effects have gotten a lot better in the last half-century, and it is a slower movie than most recent big-budget hits. Jaws is still a great movie because the things that make it great don't change.

Movie theaters are desperately looking for ways to convince people to leave their couches and TVs and go see movies in theaters instead. One compelling case is cheap tickets. The new movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, has 11 more minutes for fans to watch. There are occasional cultural moments in which millions of people get to experience a film they loved, or a classic they have never seen before. Half the fun of streaming is going back in time to see all the movies you loved as a kid.