‘Jaws’ 50th Anniversary Broadcast On NBC Wins The Night With Over 3 Million Viewers

Over 3 million people watched NBC’s airing of Jaws for its 50th anniversary on June 20th, Collider reports.

Screened over a three-hour block from 8 to 11 p.m. EST, with a special introduction by director Steven Spielberg, the Saturday night screening of the horror thriller classic received a 3.261 million-person viewership, beating out programs like Celebrity Jeopardy on ABC, Fire Country on CBS, and WWE’s Friday Night SmackDown on USA.

Originally released on June 20th, 1975, Jaws would become the highest-grossing movie ever at that time, grossing over $260 million worldwide, and helping to bring in the current blockbuster era.

Based on the novel by Peter Benchley, the story follows Amity Island Police Chief Martin Brody as he tries to protect the community when a killer Great White Shark begins stalking the local waters, eventually teaming up with oceanographer Matt Hooper and the crusty, eccentric shark hunter Quint to stop it.

The TV airing is one of multiple events planned for the film’s half-century celebration over the summer that includes themed activities at baseball games, the film and its sequels appearing on NBCUniversal’s streaming platform Peacock, special events in Martha’ Vineyard where it was shot, and a National Geographic documentary Jaws at 50: The Definitive Inside Story by Spielberg documentarian Laurent Bouzereau airing on July 10th.

Jaws stars Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, and Lorraine Gary.