Stealing the Crowd

Jaws owe at least part of its success to timing. When it hit theaters in June 1975, people were ready for some summer excitement.

This milestone also gave critics and film historians a chance to reflect on the industry-changing movie. Jaws didn't just make filmgoers afraid to go in the water or give birth to one of the most misquoted taglines of all time. It made film history in more ways than one.

Jaws set precedents in Hollywood and changed the way the industry did business. It also changed the way people in America go to the movies and introduced one of our most prolific and talented directors to the world.

While Jaws' box office records would be surpassed by many, its mammoth effect on Hollywood would still be felt in the long future.

Before Jaws, film distribution companies worked on a much different schedule. There were rarely big opening weekends, and few mass-market media campaigns to draw attention to upcoming releases. Instead, movies usually opened in a few cities, then slowly rolled out to theaters around the country.

Jaws changed all of that. Universal Pictures put on an aggressive television marketing campaign to build excitement and then opened the film nationwide in over 400 theaters.

The results were instantaneous eager moviegoers lined up around the block to see what all the excitement was about.

They loved the movie and they told their friends.

It grossed $7 million in its first weekend, breaking records and still going strong due to its history-breaking hype.

These earnings at the box office were so significant, analysts were starting to coin a new term- 'blockbuster'.

It was perceived as a new cultural phenomenon: a fast-paced, exciting entertainment, inspiring interest and conversation beyond the theatre which was Alexander's aforementioned buzz, and repeated viewings.

After Jaws' monumental success, most film companies were eager to replicate its rollout strategy.

With sweltering heat and bored schoolchildren on break, it's not a surprise that millions of people flocked to well-conditioned movie theaters.

Universal tapped into something when it chose to release Jaws and other studios started are starting to test the waters with summer schedules.

Just as people were reeling from the news of the great shark movie, an inconspicuous yet not-so-inconspicuous movie was showing in more theaters than when Spielberg's film was released.

After a week of people watching the talked-about movie, most moviegoers would either watch it again or move on to another one.

The latter would then remember a very unorthodox trailer that was being played during intermission.

It was about a boy being able to see ghosts. The somewhat ominous and ominous music it exposed was a teaser enough to tell people that it should be shown during Halloween.

It was strange for it to be shown out of the horror season and it led to speculation to the now 'buzzing' crowd.

The trailer said that it would be released on June 27 and without doubt, the calendar says that today is the day.

Kid Psychic's premiere was scheduled at the busiest and more traffic-worthy hour of the ticketing booth.

"A ticket for Jaws, please!"

"Jaws for me!"

"Hey, guy! Can you get me two tickets for that tiny shark? I have to show my babe who's the man!"

"Oh, babe! You are such a man!"

The teens and movie aficionados were lining up and it was clear what the crowd was hyped about.

But, suddenly...

"Ticket for Kid Psychic, please!"

Spielberg's movie was all the rage and when a person disrupted the sharky rhythm, those who heard couldn't help but pause.

Those in the line who had already seen Jaws were starting to rethink things and the Kid Psychic movie was starting to gain traction.

"Kid Psychic, please!"

"Kid Psychic for me!"

"Hey, guy! Can you get me two tickets about that kid seeing ghosts? I have to show my darling who's the man!"

"Oh, darling! You're such a man!"

The ticket counter could only roll his eyes at the predictable show-offs and the cheesy romance lines. He had heard them all and was really wondering when he would find his other half so that he can use his stored knowledge in wooing her.

Whatever the love-longing ticket counter was thinking, it didn't affect the people lining up for the theatres.

Especially when families and friend groups were deciding on which show to watch.

"Daddy, let's go see Kid Psychic!" A little cutie was urging her dad while they were in line.

"You've seen the trailer and the posters for that, sweetie! It would probably be about ghosts haunting a boy. You will have a hard time sleeping after watching it." The dad kindly reminded and doubtfully asked. "Why do you even want to watch such a thing?"

"My friend Jessie said that the boy was cute and would be her prince charming! So, I want him to be my prince charming too!" The girl naively and cutely said which tugged the heartstring of the people in line.

"No!!!" Her dad experienced something that all dad's must go through and had his protective father urges. "We will absolutely not see that movie!"

"Bad daddy! I don't like you anymore!" The girl was in tears from her father's outburst and the crowd was giving him a disguised look of condemnation.

"Waah! Mommy, daddy is being bad to me!" The girl went to her other option, the mother who always consents to what she wants.

The mom was a witness to the entire thing and aggressively glared at her husband. "Mark! Do what my little princess says or else!"

"But, Ann..."

"...Or else!" The mom reiterated with more sternness than ever before her wild side would erupt.

The dad could only slump in defeat and begrudgingly asked for three Kid Psychic movies.

Although this wasn't the era of the feminist uprising, there are still households where women hold the power!

The comical outburst of the father was seen by many behind them and the movie behind their arguments became a targeted must-watch.

Fortunately or strangely enough, the ghost-themed movie was PG-rated so it attracted a lot of kids and teens to see what all the hubbub was all about.

"Haha! Let's go see what that trouble is all about!" A designated leader of a friend group was the one who offered while his groupies were intrigued as well.

These events were just isolated encounters in one theatre but when tabulating them together with theaters nationwide.

Statisticians would be surprised at Kid Psychic stealing the crowd that was brought in by Jaws.