Jaws Holds An Impressive Horror Franchise Record That Might Never Be Broken

The Jaws franchise currently holds a record among horror franchises that may never be beaten, thanks to the original film’s famous director. Released in 1975, the first Jaws movie was based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Peter Benchley, who also co-wrote the screenplay about a murderous great white shark terrorizing the beachgoers of a tourist resort town called Amity Island. Upon its release, Jaws was a box office smash that established director Steven Spielberg as a household name and became the blueprint for the summer blockbuster.

However, Spielberg did not return to direct Jaws 2 or either of the other Jaws sequels, none of which quite lived up to the critical or commercial success of the original. Jaws 2 was released in 1978, followed by Jaws: 3D in 1983. The fourth Jaws sequel, Jaws: The Revenge, bombed hard and turned out to be the last installment of the Jaws film franchise to date. This hard stop on the franchise in 1987 established a future horror franchise record that Jaws still holds to this day.

Jaws Is The Longest Dormant Horror Franchise After 37 Years

The last Jaws release was in 1987

Since the release of Jaws: The Revenge in 1987, no other official Jaws movies have followed in its footsteps. Plenty of unofficial Jaws sequels and ripoffs, like 1995’s Cruel Jaws, have been released, and other Jaws-themed entertainment, like video games and amusement parks, have also been made. However, the official Jaws film franchise has been dormant for 37 years and counting. This is the longest a horror franchise has ever gone without delivering a new film installment.

This is not to say that Jaws is the oldest horror franchise ever or that no new installments to existing horror franchises were released prior to Jaws: The Revenge. Other horror franchises were established before Jaws, many of which released sequels before 1987. However, all of those pre-1987 releases have since been followed up by at least one new installment to its given franchise in the form of a sequel, reboot, remake, etc. No other horror franchise has stayed dormant for 37 years without a new release.

Another Jaws Movie Might Never Be Made Thanks To Steven Spielberg

Spielberg is against the idea of a Jaws reboot

As long as no new Jaws movies are ever released, the Jaws franchise will continue to maintain its record as the horror franchise that has remained dormant the longest. It may seem surprising that there have been no new installments to the Jaws franchise in 37 years, given how diluted the film industry has become with nostalgia bait in the form of unnecessary remakes and reboots. However, there’s a good reason for the lack of new Jaws movies in recent years: Spielberg is not on board with rebooting the franchise.

In 2021, it was reported that Spielberg rejected the idea of a Jaws reboot when approached by Universal. It’s hardly surprising that he wouldn’t want to risk tarnishing the original film’s legacy with a reboot, given Spielberg’s thoughts on the Jaws sequels. While he’s never directly commented on the last two sequels, Spielberg wasn’t a fan of Jaws 2. Even though he “realized [he] had let a franchise go that [he] could have made a good contribution to” (via AICN), he still never regretted walking away and doesn’t hold any lingering desire to make a new installment of his own.

Spielberg’s opposition to further expanding the Jaws franchise is also precisely why there may never be another Jaws movie. A Jaws reboot would never happen without his blessing, and unless he changes his mind in the future, the Jaws movies will likely remain a tetralogy as well as the longest dormant horror franchise in history. While this may be disappointing for some, the fact that the Jaws franchise’s legacy lives on without any new installments in 37 years is demonstrative of both its longevity and impact on film and pop culture.