The Original Blockbuster Turns 50: Attending a Special "Jaws" Screening in LA
Last Friday, exactly 50 years after Jaws first made audiences afraid of the water, Laughing Place was invited to a special anniversary screening at the Alamo Drafthouse in Downtown Los Angeles. I attended with my Jaws ride-obsessed teenage son, Gideon. What followed was an evening of fun, fandom, and film that honored the movie that literally created the summer blockbuster.
Before the screening, next to a display of Jaws memorabilia, guests were welcomed with a meet-and-greet featuring Amity Island’s most famous residents, Chief Brody and Quint. Gideon, proudly wearing his Amity Boat Tours t-shirt, had a great exchange with the duo. It was impressive how knowledgeable they were about the lore of the film and the attraction. These same two can be found at Universal Studios Hollywood during Mega Movie Summer, if you’d like to meet them yourself.
Once inside the theater, we were treated to vintage shark-themed trailers and a cheeky PSA on what to do if you're attacked by a shark. Then came a round of Jaws trivia, in which Gideon correctly identified the year Jaws was added to the Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour—earning him two free tickets to the park.
We were also each given a bag of gifts, including the park’s Jaws popcorn bucket, the popular shark sipper, a 50th anniversary vinyl of the original soundtrack by Mondo, a Blu-ray of the film, and even a bottle of Jaws-branded wine.
The Alamo Drafthouse is known for serving real food right to your seat, and thanks to Universal, we were able to enjoy unlimited food and drinks during the film. Two chocolate shakes and a 2-hour, 10-minute runtime later, Gideon was happy, and so was I. Jaws holds up as well as any 50-year-old movie can. Seeing it on the big screen with a crowd totally into the scares and laughs—on the actual anniversary—was an incredible delight.
This special screening proved to be the perfect lead-in to our next-day visit to Universal Studios Hollywood, where Mega Movie Summer – featuring Jaws, among others, is in full swing.