Until then, we only really catch its dorsal fin before victims are ripped under the waves as the water around them turns the color of ketchup. “Jaws” is credited with inventing the summer blockbuster.

When “Jaws” debuted in U.S. theaters 50 years ago today, it helped launch a new era in American movies. Steven Spielberg’s blockbuster about a bloodthirsty great white terrorizing a beach town also stoked fear and fascination, exacting a toll on sharks.