Take a Bite Out of These Vintage ‘Jaws’ Lobby Cards

The first JAWS movie I ever saw was JAWS 2 in 1978, and it was in a movie theater on none other than Martha’s Vineyard, where Steven Spielberg’s original 1975 masterpiece was filmed as well as its first follow-up. Needless to say, I stopped swimming for the rest of that week before we headed home to New York — and dry land.

It wasn’t until a few years later, when the original JAWS made the rounds with a revival release, that I finally saw JAWS for the first time and on a big screen. I realized then how far superior the first film was compared to the second. But, despite being a lackluster sequel, JAWS 2 still holds a special place in my heart.

I wish I could say the same for JAWS 3-D and JAWS: THE REVENGE, but hey, who are we kidding? Those movies were absolutely terrible. Right? In retrospect, however, they’re still fun to watch, seeing as Universal desperately tried to keep the original film’s storyline running and consistent by using characters from the Brody family.Since summer has officially kicked off, my obsession with lobby cards leads me to post a group of original JAWS cards from 1975, plus a handful from the sequels for good measure:

A little background info on lobby cards I like to regularly share for context: Back in the days before the Internet, movie lobby cards were a powerful tool used by Hollywood studios to lure audiences into the darkened theater. They were the last line of enticement — and sometimes the first — alongside carpet-bombing consumers with coming attractions, movie posters, marquees, publicity stunts, movie program books, and newspaper advertisements for their newest big-screen sensation. With no entertainment websites or blogs available to tease audiences with stills from their films, lobby cards served that purpose for the studio publicity machine. These days, movie theater lobbies have eschewed the traditional lobby card for posters, standees, trailers on repeat, experiential activations and more.

More Lobby Cards to ogle:

• Ridley Scott’s ALIEN Lobby Cards from 1979
• YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE James Bond Lobby Cards from 1967
• Original STAR WARS lobby cards from 1977

More JAWS and Steven Spielberg stories: 

• When JAWS changed the blockbuster game
• Spielberg’s rare E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL interview and set footage from 1982
• Spielberg sells the idea of POLTERGEIST in 1982 interview

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