Steven Spielberg is the only director in the history of the industry to see their filmography rack up at least $10 billion at the box office, and that’s all the more impressive when you consider The Lost World: Jurassic Park is the only time he’s ever helmed a sequel outside of the Indiana Jones franchise.
With three Academy Awards, six Golden Globes and eleven Emmys barely scratching the surface of his trophy haul, the bearded legend’s iconic status was secured a long time ago. Throw in a string of classics dating back decades that includes the aforementioned Indy series, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan and many more, three of which became the highest-grossing movies ever made at the time, and you’re left in awe at his accomplishments.
Spielberg’s breakthrough feature has been dominating Netflix since last week as per FlixPatrol, with Jaws currently the ninth most-watched title among subscribers in the United States. It isn’t just a thrill ride that remains as exciting now as it did 46 years ago; it’s also regarded as a watershed moment for cinema at large.
Jaws tore up the playbook by mounting a wide-ranging marketing blitz and opening nationwide in as many theaters as possible all at once, something that was completely unheard of at the time. Not just an all-time great blockbuster that’ll continue to find new fans with each passing generation, but the genesis of modern big budget filmmaking as we know it.
