Top 10 Highlights of Jaws: The Exhibition

Cue the ominous music, Jaws: The Exhibition is now on view at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. This inside look at Steven Spielberg’s 1975 film marks the 50th anniversary of the first summer blockbuster. It’s also the museum’s first large-scale exhibition dedicated to a single film. Jaws brings together about 200 original objects - including some that have never been publicly displayed - with interactive pieces, film clips and more to tell the story of a movie that went on to change the industry.

With Jaws on view at the Academy Museum until July 26, 2026, you have time to catch the sprawling exhibition at least once. Give yourself plenty of time to go through the galleries as there is a lot to see, including smaller items like script pages, and be on the lookout for the highlights listed here.

There is but one remaining full-scale model of "Bruce," as director Steven Spielberg nicknamed the shark from Jaws - the 25-foot piece happens to be the largest object in the Academy Museum’s permanent collection. The fiberglass Great White was constructed for display at Universal Studios Hollywood, where it was a popular photo op until 1990. Now, you’ll find Bruce the Shark at the Academy Museum hanging outside the fourth floor exhibition space, the Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery, where Jaws: The Exhibition is on view.

Jaws: The Exhibition is broken down into sections that correspond with the structure of the film. It’s a linear display that’s fairly easy to follow, whether you last saw Jaws in the 1970s or watched it the night before your visit. Throughout the tour, you’ll find behind-the-scenes photos of Spielberg and the cast and crew as they bring this story of terror to life.

One of the techniques Spielberg used to heighten the tension in Jaws is the dolly zoom - the same effect that Alfred Hitchcock used in Vertigo to convey a queasy sensation - as seen when police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) witnesses a shark attack. In Jaws: The Exhibition, you’ll be able to try out a dolly zoom for yourself with your cellphone.

Before Star Wars, composer John Williams gave moviegoers an earworm with his Academy Award®-winning Jaws score. In the 50 years since the film’s release, the minimalist “Main Title (Theme from Jaws)” has come to mean that doom is on the horizon. Learn to play the theme yourself on a color-coded keyboard in the exhibition.

Near the start of Jaws: The Exhibition, you’ll see a prop buoy that a Martha’s Vineyard resident kept after filming ended. As you explore the galleries, you’ll spot more items that appeared in the film, like the Killer Shark arcade game, a scuba tank, items from the Orca fishing boat and more. An original lamp from the Orca is used for a photo op that recreates the red leather booth where Quint (Robert Shaw) gives his iconic USS Indianapolis speech. And look for costumes worn by Scheider, Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss.

Special effects artist Robert A. Mattey and a team built three sharks for the film that were controlled by pneumatics and hydraulics. You can get a feel for what this project was like at an interactive display where you control a scale replica of Bruce the shark with levers.

Throughout Jaws: The Exhibition you’ll find plenty of film production artifacts, including Spielberg’s own handwritten notes about one of the film’s biggest scares. Also featured throughout the exhibition is art from production designer Joe Alves, including concept art for the shark and a model of Quint’s shack.

The standout prop featured in Jaws: The Exhibition Is Ben Gardner’s head, which comes courtesy of Spielberg’s own collection. If you’ve seen the movie, you probably know exactly when the one-eyed, gape-mouthed head makes its appearance. If you haven’t, or need a refresher, the infamous scene plays on a screen next to the prop.

Jaws: The Exhibition concludes with a display of vintage merchandise that appeared after the film’s blockbuster success. From stickers and t-shirts to arcade games, gumball machines and luggage, Jaws went on to permeate pop culture. Beyond the merch, check out the many ways the film inspired artists with a substantial display of Jaws posters and art from around the world.

At the lobby-level Academy Museum Store, you’ll find loads of souvenirs in the Jaws Collection to commemorate your visit, from a Resin Dunny by Kidrobot to an exclusive Amity Island t-shirt to a shark and boat set of salt-and-pepper shakers.

Jaws: The Exhibition will be on view at the Academy Museum through July 26, 2026.

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6067 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90036
www.academymuseum.org

Open 10am to 6pm six days a week, closed Tuesdays.