Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' Ranked 'Best Movie of All Time' by Film Fans

In a ranking pulled together by Empire magazine, Steven Spielberg's genre-defining blockbuster Jaws was named the best movie of all time.

Released in 1975, Jaws was Spielberg's fifth feature-length movie, and the film that finally put him on the map as a generational cinematic talent. Written by Carl Gottlieb from a novel by Peter Benchley, the film centers around a small town in America that becomes the site of a great white shark attack.

At this point, the legacy of Jaws is almost more important than the film itself. Spielberg accomplished something totally new with this historic piece of cinema, essentially inventing the summer blockbuster from the ground up. Jaws is often credited as the first movie that spawned the decades-long tradition of families going to the theater in the summer months to watch action-packed, large-budget productions.

Jaws was also the first movie to be shot in the ocean, which made production extremely difficult. Spielberg consistently went over budget and spent much longer than initially planned during the shoot, but it ultimately paid off when Jaws became the box office giant of the summer.

The film made a staggering $490 million at the worldwide box office against its $7 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). This would still be a massive accomplishment today, but it was even more impressive in 1975 since that gross would need to be adjusted for inflation. At today's rate, it's estimated that Jaws would have made roughly $1.2 billion.

At the time, Jaws was the highest-grossing film in history. It was only unseated two years later when George Lucas released Star Wars, whose sequels have continued to dominate the box office for decades ever since. Both films were absolutely pivotal in establishing the new cinema model of the 1970s and beyond, which relied on large-budget blockbusters to keep audiences in theaters year after year.

Jaws received four nominations at the Academy Awards in 1976, though neither Spielberg nor any of the film's actors were nominated in their respective categories. It was also nominated for Best Picture but ultimately lost to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in what's now viewed as one of the worst snubs in Oscars history.

Spielberg's classic remains a titan of cinema history that changed movies forever, and launched the career of one of Hollywood's most reliable, talented, and consistent directors.

In their ranking, Empire wrote: "The impact of Jaws simply cannot be overstated. It created the notion of the summer blockbuster. It made millions feel it wasn't safe to go back in the water [...] The performances are all outstanding, but the real star here is Spielberg himself, delivering a pure display of movie mastery from first minute to last - the head, the tail, the whole damn thing."

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 6:29 AM.