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Summer Blockbusters

As Jaws turns 50, Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode explore the legacy of the ultimate summer blockbuster and ask what the future looks like for Hollywood.

Fifty years ago on June 20, 1975, Jaws was released into the world. It was a box office phenomenon changing the industry overnight - pioneering marketing and release patterns that created what we now call the blockbuster, and altering the focus and mix of movies that Hollywood made - some say for the worse.

From Star Wars and Harry Potter all the way to the summer of Barbieheimer, blockbusters have dominated cinema - but could this now be changing and why? Ellen E Jones and Mark Kermode join the queue for popcorn and analyse the history of the box office behemoth.

Producer: Jane Long
A Prospect Street production for ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4

Release date:

42 minutes

On radio

Fri 16 May 2025 19:15

Broadcasts

  • Fri 16 May 2025 19:15
  • Tue 20 May 2025 11:00

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