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Gone Fishing

he tagline for Jaws — “Don’t go in the water” — proved prophetic as millions of people instead spent the summer of 1975 packed in dark theatres terrified by a film that would change movie history.

Jaws is Hollywood’s first summer blockbuster and the first film to earn more than $100-million at the box office.

The ingredients for its success were all in place; it was based on a bestseller, opened in 465 theatres across North America (that was a wide release back then), and bombarded people with a TV commercial — featuring a female swimmer being bitten by an unseen shark — that ratcheted up interest.

And, of course, it’s one terrific film. Director Steven Spielberg’s second feature finds a tourist town’s police chief (Roy Scheider), a shark expert (Richard Dreyfuss) and a surly fisherman (Robert Shaw) hunting the great white shark that’s been munching on vacationers. It’s a tension-filled masterpiece that makes even the bravest soul think twice about taking a dip in the ocean. —INGRID RANDOJA

JAWS

screens as part of Cineplex’s Classic Film Series on July 12th, 15th and 20th. Go to Cineplex.com/Events for times and locations.