Jaws, a Steven Spielberg classic, was shown in IMAX and 3D for the first time this weekend, and it took in $3.220 million at the US box office during the Labor Day weekend despite being 47 years after its first release. Friday saw $870,000 in domestic ticket sales, putting the picture in the fifth position at the box office behind the longer version of Spider-Man: No Way Home, Bullet Train, Top Gun: Maverick, and The Invitation.
The picture made an extra $900,000 on Saturday, on National Cinema Day, when theatres throughout the country discounted movie tickets to $3. The film fell slightly to $860,000 on Sunday and added another $690,000 over Labor Day to bring its three-day total to $3.220 million, enough for eighth place at the box office. Even though it’s been over 47 years since the film’s premiere, the fact that it still did well at the box office after opening in only 1,246 theatres nationally is a tribute to its enduring popularity.
When Jaws originally came out in 1975, it was an instant smash at the box office, eventually becoming the highest-grossing film of its time. It is often considered the first summer blockbuster. With National Cinema Day being on a vacation weekend, and the picture’s first-ever theatrical release in IMAX and 3D, it’s possible that moviegoers were enticed to go see the film. Given that people keep showing up to watch Jaws in cinemas, it seems the picture still has a place in movie history. Like the IMAX release of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial earlier this summer and the premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home this weekend, Jaws is part of a spate of theatrical re-issues.
Now that summer is winding down and major studio releases are being held back until the holiday season, it seems that the theatrical re-issues of famous films are more than enough to keep people coming back to the cinemas until the holidays. Soon after the release of Jaws this month, James Cameron’s science fiction blockbuster Avatar will make a comeback to theatres, this time updated in 4k HDR to promote the next sequel. Prior to its nationwide release in cinemas on September 1, fans were able to see the film for free thanks to a partnership between Collider and IMAX on August 30. The IMAX and 3D versions of Jaws have now opened in cinemas.