The Rise of Summer Blockbusters: How 'Jaws' Paved the Way for 'F1' and Beyond

The summer movie season was born with the release of Jaws in 1975. Heavily marketed, the film became a massive hit, reshaping Hollywood’s release calendar and establishing a summer blockbuster tradition. As Paul Dergarabedian from Comscore notes, Jaws created a season where young audiences flocked to theaters, a trend continued by Star Wars in 1977 and Spielberg's Indiana Jones films. This now iconic summer stretch accounts for about 40% of annual box office revenue in the U.S. and Canada, according to Reuters.

Today, the summer season remains crucial, with Hollywood generated $3.7 billion in ticket sales during these months in 2024. Cinema owners like Doreen Sayegh look forward to blockbuster releases such as F1 starring Brad Pitt, Thunderbolts from Marvel, and Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning. However, challenges persist, with competition from streaming services and lower-than-usual ticket sales post-pandemic.

This summer, major studios are placing big bets on sequels, reboots, and original films, hoping to revive the industry. At CinemaCon, Jerry Bruckheimer highlighted the success of Top Gun: Maverick and predicted F1 would be another hit. Despite concerns about oversaturation, family films like The Smurfs and economic uncertainty, Universal will re-release Jaws in August to celebrate its 50th anniversary, reminding audiences of the blockbuster that started it all.