During the summer of 1975 the American movie exhibition business shifted its gears. Consequently, a new style in the strategies for creating, promoting and exhibiting feature films appeared. On June 20th, the greatest fish monster flick of all-time opened on 465 screens, coast-to-coast.
It was Rea's fourth summertime serving as the Biograph's manager. When “Jaws” became an unprecedented box office smash, Hollywood's era of the blockbuster was underway.
The Birth of the Blockbuster
by F.T. Rea
Before the unprecedented success of "Jaws," it was standard practice for top of the line first run product to premiere in the most popular movie houses in a selected handful of large cities. The next day reviews written by the well-known critics for daily newspapers were published.
It was tradition. And, among other things, it meant most of the advertising buys were made locally. So, the space for distributors' daily newspaper ads, the time for local radio spots, etc., were usually bought by local ad agencies for their theater-owning clients, or directly from the theaters.
In this time, Washington D.C. was a regional hub for film distribution. Ordinarily, a feature about to be released would be shown a few times in a small screening room downtown. Run by the National Association of Theater Owners, it probably seated about 50 people. Bookers for theater chains in the D.C. region would watch the new releases to help them weigh its potential. That way they could decide how much money should be bid, if any, for the exclusive exhibition to rights in a given market. One booker would typically represent hundreds of screens.
Not only was I knocked out by the presentation, I came back to Richmond absolutely convinced “Jaws” would be a gold mine. It was the slickest monster movie I’d ever seen. On the way home to Richmond, I probably talked my wife's ear off about it.
Well, we didn’t get the money. But it was privately satisfying when “Jaws” went on to set new box office records. Records that put its director, Steven Spielberg, on the map.
Another thing “Jaws” did that summer was to make some young men, who were occasionally too self-absorbed, feel intimidated by Spielberg’s outrageous success at such a tender age. I can still remember reading that he was younger than me. Although I had a great job for a 27-year-old movie-lover who liked to work without a lot of supervision, it offered no direct connection to filmmaking and that was starting to bother me.
Fast-forward 34 years, to when I watched a BBC-produced documentary, “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.” It's about filmmaking in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Directors and other players from that time were interviewed. Made in 2003, it was thoroughly entertaining. I saw it on Turner Classic Movies in 2009.
In the doc, Dreyfuss, who was one of the stars of "Jaws," speaks of attending one of those pre-release screenings. He said he got caught up in the experience of seeing it for the first time in a crowded theater; there were moments when he forgot himself as the actor on the screen.
Actress Margot Kidder, best known for her Lois Lane portrayals in the Superman series of movies, appeared on camera several times. She made a joke out of how Spielberg had begun to fib about his age, once he became famous.
Well, flashing back on my absurd jealousy to do with Spielberg’s rise to stardom, when he was supposedly younger than me, I had to laugh out loud. Then I looked up Spielberg’s age on the Internet. He’s older than both Margot (who died in 2018) and me.
So, I searched for more on the age-change and found some old articles about “Jaws” and Spielberg. Yes, it looks like Kidder was right. Back in the ‘70s, perhaps to play up the Boy Wonder aspect of the story, Spielberg’s birth date was being massaged. Somewhere along the line, since then, it looks like it got straightened out.
The point?
Then "Jaws" boldly ushered in the new era, with national ad campaigns and simultaneous opening days, coast-to-coast. Everything to do with the project to produce that film and market "Jaws" was bold. It was said the producers had the ad campaign designed before they even started shooting the movie.
The sleeker marketing strategy for “Jaws” required enormous confidence. Its distributor, Universal, not only had to spend zillions on national advertising, it also had to strike enough prints of the film -- right off the bat -- to serve all of the theaters playing the film in simultaneous runs. That, instead of staggered runs, starting with the best markets getting the best new movies first.
Yet, before the summer was over, "Jaws” was toppling all-time box office records and every cocaine-snorting dealmaker in LA wanted to do the same thing and create the next blockbuster -- the next money machine.
In this time, Washington D.C. was a regional hub for film distribution. Ordinarily, a feature about to be released would be shown a few times in a small screening room downtown. Run by the National Association of Theater Owners, it probably seated about 50 people. Bookers for theater chains in the D.C. region would watch the new releases to help them weigh its potential. That way they could decide how much money should be bid, if any, for the exclusive exhibition to rights in a given market. One booker would typically represent hundreds of screens.
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Comment from Rebus: Security on admission to that screening room wasn't tight. Which meant any industry insider, entertainment writer, etc. might have been in the audience on a given day. In the 1970s on most weekdays at least a couple of films were screened. So, Rea watched a few movies there during his movie theater manager days.
*
However, for "Jaws," Universal chose not to preview its monster movie at the screening room. "Jaws" was shown to theater owners, bookers and their guests in selected cinemas in maybe a dozen cities. As I remember it, those invitation-only screenings were all done on the same night, nationally.
Maybe it was two consecutive nights. Anyway, as a treat, my bosses gave me four tickets from their allotment of tickets to the special screening of “Jaws” at the old Ontario in D.C.
My ex, Valerie, and I were part of a full house turnout, and wow! I have to say the movie went over like gangbusters. That insiders audience made up of jaded show business people shrieked at all the appropriate times. They applauded madly as the closing credits were lighting up the screen.
Not only was I knocked out by the presentation, I came back to Richmond absolutely convinced “Jaws” would be a gold mine. It was the slickest monster movie I’d ever seen. On the way home to Richmond, I probably talked my wife's ear off about it.
The next day, still caught up in that mania, I tried to convince my bosses to borrow a lot of money to support a serious bid on “Jaws.” A bid that would call for a substantial cash advance. I wanted to bet everything we could borrow to out-bid Neighborhood Theatres for the Richmond market. Toward that end, I even convinced a Fan District branch bank manager to try to help us get the dough.
Well, we didn’t get the money. But it was privately satisfying when “Jaws” went on to set new box office records. Records that put its director, Steven Spielberg, on the map.
Another thing “Jaws” did that summer was to make some young men, who were occasionally too self-absorbed, feel intimidated by Spielberg’s outrageous success at such a tender age. I can still remember reading that he was younger than me. Although I had a great job for a 27-year-old movie-lover who liked to work without a lot of supervision, it offered no direct connection to filmmaking and that was starting to bother me.
At this time I had one nine-minute film and one animated sequence in a 30-second television commercial, both shot in 16mm, to my credit. The monumental success of Spielberg, 1975’s Boy Wonder, made me think for the first time about how and when I ought to leave the job at the Biograph.
Having recently turned down a good job offer, I couldn't help but wonder if that had been a mistake. Still, for what it's worth, that bank branch manager and I shared a few laughs over how right we were about gambling on "Jaws."
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Fast-forward 34 years, to when I watched a BBC-produced documentary, “Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood.” It's about filmmaking in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Directors and other players from that time were interviewed. Made in 2003, it was thoroughly entertaining. I saw it on Turner Classic Movies in 2009.
Among those who made comments in the documentary were Tony Bill, Karen Black, Peter Bogdanovich, Roger Corman, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, László Kovács, Kris Kristofferson, Arthur Penn and Cybill Shepherd.
In the doc, Dreyfuss, who was one of the stars of "Jaws," speaks of attending one of those pre-release screenings. He said he got caught up in the experience of seeing it for the first time in a crowded theater; there were moments when he forgot himself as the actor on the screen.
Actress Margot Kidder, best known for her Lois Lane portrayals in the Superman series of movies, appeared on camera several times. She made a joke out of how Spielberg had begun to fib about his age, once he became famous.
What!
Kidder had known him before his sudden notoriety, so she noticed it when he went from being older than her to being younger. Kidder claimed Spielberg was fudging his birth date by a couple of years.
Well, flashing back on my absurd jealousy to do with Spielberg’s rise to stardom, when he was supposedly younger than me, I had to laugh out loud. Then I looked up Spielberg’s age on the Internet. He’s older than both Margot (who died in 2018) and me.
So, I searched for more on the age-change and found some old articles about “Jaws” and Spielberg. Yes, it looks like Kidder was right. Back in the ‘70s, perhaps to play up the Boy Wonder aspect of the story, Spielberg’s birth date was being massaged. Somewhere along the line, since then, it looks like it got straightened out.
The point?
Laughing at one’s own foolishness is usually a healthy exercise. What a schlemiel I was! And when the laugh has been aging for over three decades, yes, it can be all the sweeter.
After all, before "Jaws," or after, what's ever been more integral to Tinsel Town’s special way of projecting its image than making up harmless fibs about the backgrounds of its celebrities. Especially about their age.
Same as it ever was.
All rights reserved by the writer, F.T. Rea.
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