Film · in order
Jaws Movies in Order
All four Jaws movies in order. Release order is the simplest and recommended path, but the in-story continuity is contradictory: Jaws: The Revenge (1987) is a direct sequel to Jaws 2 that ignores Jaws 3-D, so there's no single clean timeline. Start with Spielberg's 1975 original.
Jaws Movies in Order — complete list
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Why this order?
For the Jaws series, release order is the order to watch in — but not because the franchise is a tidy linear timeline. It is the recommended path simply because the films were made to be seen in the sequence they came out, and the first two build on each other directly. You start in 1975 and move forward.
"Jaws" (1975) is the foundational film — Steven Spielberg's nerve-shredding thriller that essentially invented the modern summer blockbuster. "Jaws 2" (1978) is a competent, genuinely tense follow-up with Roy Scheider returning as Chief Brody, and it picks up cleanly after the original. After that, the continuity gets tangled.
Here is the gotcha most lists get wrong: the franchise's internal timeline is contradictory, so release order is not the same as a single clean story order. "Jaws 3-D" (1983), released in some markets simply as "Jaws 3," relocates the action to a SeaWorld-style marine park, with Brody's grown son Mike working there as an engineer. "Jaws: The Revenge" (1987) then functions as a direct sequel to "Jaws 2" that retroactively disregards "Jaws 3-D" entirely — Mike is now a marine biologist, and the events of the third film are simply gone. In other words, 3-D and The Revenge are alternate continuations branching off Jaws 2, not steps four and five of one timeline.
The honest viewing advice: the original is a masterpiece and Jaws 2 is the only sequel worth your evening. Completists can press on, but expect gimmicky 3-D and the unserious premise of a shark personally hunting one family. If you love the original's slow-build dread and creature-feature craft, the natural next steps are Spielberg's own "Jurassic Park" and Ridley Scott's "Alien."
Timeline 1975–1987
Every entry plotted by release year — see the gaps, clusters and revivals at a glance.
Where to play it today
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Frequently asked questions
How many Jaws movies are there?
There are four Jaws movies: Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987). All four follow great white sharks threatening Amity Island and the Brody family.
What order should I watch Jaws in?
Watch in release order: Jaws (1975), Jaws 2 (1978), Jaws 3-D (1983), then Jaws: The Revenge (1987). It's the simplest path, though be aware The Revenge ignores the events of Jaws 3-D.
Is release order the same as chronological order for Jaws?
Not exactly. The first two films run in a clean sequence, but the franchise's continuity is contradictory: Jaws: The Revenge (1987) is a direct sequel to Jaws 2 and retroactively ignores Jaws 3-D (Michael Brody is a SeaWorld engineer in 3-D but a marine biologist in The Revenge). There's no single tidy in-story timeline, so release order is the practical default.
Do I need to watch the sequels to enjoy the first Jaws?
No. The 1975 original is a complete, self-contained masterpiece. The sequels are optional, and most fans consider only Jaws 2 worth watching after the original.
Why is Jaws 3-D sometimes called Jaws 3?
The film was marketed as Jaws 3-D to push its 3-D effects, but it was also released and is frequently listed simply as Jaws 3 (and Jaws III). They are the same 1983 movie.
Which Jaws movie is considered the worst?
Jaws: The Revenge (1987) is regularly cited as the weakest entry and one of the worst studio sequels ever, largely due to its premise that a shark is targeting the Brody family.
Last updated · Sources: en.wikipedia.org, Wikidata
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