How many Jaws movies are there?
Jaws is the OG summer blockbuster. Steven Spielberg didn’t just create a franchise when he adapted Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel; he created a business model that saved Hollywood (or ruined it, depending on your taste). Of course, Spielberg also bowed out of any involvement in the three sequels that followed, which went from classy to trashy to whatever the hell you’d call Jaws: The Revenge.
Since you’re asking, that’s four Jaws movies—five if you count Cruel Jaws. But the adventures of Chief Brody and company are still a fun beach read that never sink to the level of CGI Sharknados.
So climb aboard and start chummin’, ‘cause we’ve got some shark hunting to do!
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Pro tip: Watching all four Jaws movies, the unofficial fifth Jaws movie, and the Jaws @ 50 documentary, will take 10 hours and 9 minutes.
How to watch the Jaws movies in chronological order
There aren’t a whole lot of sequels bobbing in the water alongside the big four—Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3-D, and Jaws: The Revenge, which chronicle the bad luck that follows Chief Brody and family from fictional Amity Island, Massachusetts to Nassau, Bahamas. Given that and the linear timeline, you can gulp down the films in release order, followed by the unofficial Cruel Jaws and the Jaws @ 50 documentary.
I’ve included JustWatch.com links for each film below so you’ll know where to stream these shark flicks.
List of Jaws movies in order
- Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
- Cruel Jaws (1995)
- Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (2025)
Where to watch Jaws (1975)
It’s been 50 years since we all discovered we’re gonna need a bigger boat. And Spielberg’s subtle treatise on the dangers of toxic masculinity—accompanied by a big rubber shark named Bruce—hasn’t seemed to age a day. Everyone involved elevates the material beyond your typical “nature run amok” including composer John Williams, whose iconic score is required to be imitated upon entering any body of water (even a bathtub).
Where to stream Jaws
Where to watch Jaws 2 (1978)
It took three years to get Roy Scheider back in the water. How could the same thing happen to the same guy twice (props to the self-aware Die Hard 2)? Well, misery loves company so this time Brody has to save a bunch of teens with bad fashion sense from becoming shark bait. It’s still a far cry from the original but that helicopter finale? Chef’s kiss!
Where to stream Jaws 2
Where to watch Jaws 3-D (1983)
This one began life as a Joe Dante directed spoof called Jaws 3 People 0, but the studio lost their nerve and tried to cash in on the ‘80s 3D boom instead. Watching Dennis Quaid dodge floating fish heads while yet another great white munches its way through the employees at Sea World is not without its pleasures (and can still be done if you have the right home theater set up and physical media). But if you ain’t got the special glasses, Jaws 3 falls flat as a desperate attempt to keep the franchise afloat.
Where to stream Jaws 3-D
Where to watch Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
Ah, we finally come to the punchline: Jaws: The Revenge, which would have us believe that sharks everywhere have added the Brodys to their hitlist, chasing them to the Bahamas where original cast member Lorraine Gary is wooed by golden bachelor Michael Caine in one of his famous “just show me the money” roles. At this point the Jaws franchise was better off sleeping with the fishes.
Where to stream Jaws: The Revenge
Where to watch Cruel Jaws (1995)
The Italian film industry never met a movie they didn’t try to rip off. And, quite honestly, their mercenary and often illegal attempts to reap financial reward were damn entertaining. Such is the case with Cruel Jaws, which shamelessly cribs from the series to create a completely unofficial fifth sequel.
Who knew the world needed a Hulk Hogan lookalike, recycled shark footage and awkward romantic sub-plots with all the subtlety of a bootleg VHS cover? For serious cinephiles, this one is about as fun as getting sand in your G-string. For the MST3K crowd, it’s a hoot! Enjoy Cruel Jaws and with a little salt and lime—and a lot of tequila.
Where to stream Cruel Jaws
Pro tip: If you’re up for a particularly bizarre detour into Italian sharksploitation, check out Severin Films’ Feeding Frenzy Box Set and take your Selachimorpha knowledge (see, you’re learning already!) to the next level.
Where to watch Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story (2025)
For the 50th anniversary, Universal has re-released Jaws in theaters with some Real 3D screenings thrown in for good measure. But we also get this slick documentary that goes over familiar ground and uncovers some new anecdotes, which is available on the Jaws 4K Blu-ray and select streaming services. The emphasis is, appropriately enough, on Spielberg whose career would have likely been “farewell and adieu” if the movie hadn’t turned out to be a hit.
Where to stream Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story
How to rent or buy the Jaws movies on demand
If you’d rather rent the Jaws movies on demand instead of subscribing to a streaming service, the JustWatch.com links above will tell you which video-on-demand (VOD) retailers have the films for rent or purchase.
How to watch every Jaws movie in order FAQ
In what order should I watch the Jaws movies?
This is an easy one: keep it chronological and you can’t go wrong.
What’s the best Jaws rip-off?
Easy. That would be Piranha (1978), Joe Dante’s tongue-in-cheek horror comedy. It was so good it even got the attention of Spielberg himself, who gave Dante a director’s slot on Twilight Zone: The Movie and then served as a producer on his Gremlins films.
