Sharks are the protagonists in many thriller movies.
“Jaws” is a famous movie about a shark attack, but since its release in 1975, a number of movies have been released about similar attacks.
If you’re looking for movies that will keep you on the edge of your couch and shake you to your core, check out the list below, including a few that aren’t for audiences who are particularly keen on shark movies.
Popular shark-themed movies include 47 Meters Down and the Sharknado series. (Photo by Assad/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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- “Jaws”
- “Shallow”
- “47 meters down.”
- “The Reef”
- “Sharknado”
- “MEG the Monster”
- “Shark Tail”
1. “Jaws”
The adventure thriller film Jaws was released in 1975. Since then, four sequels have been released: Jaws 2 in 1978, Jaws 3-D in 1983, Jaws: The Revenge in 1987, and Cruel Jaws in 1995.
Due to the film’s popularity, Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, opened a “Jaws” attraction, but it was closed in 2012 to make way for more “Harry Potter” attractions. Universal Studios Japan has a “Jaws” attraction that is still in operation today.
Jaws is one of the most popular shark movies of all time. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)
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2. “The Shallows”
Blake Lively stars in The Shallows as Nancy Adams, who heads to a secluded beach for a surfing adventure.
While out at sea, she is attacked by a shark and has no choice but to swim to a nearby rock to escape. The shark is still nearby, so she must find her way off the rock and back to shore. The film was released in 2016.
3. “47 Meters Down”
“47 Meters Down” has a similar premise to “The Shallows,” but as the title suggests, the 2017 film’s characters are trapped deep underwater rather than filmed above water.
Two sisters, played by Mandy Moore and Claire Holt, are trapped in a shark cage with dwindling oxygen and sharks nearby.
A sequel, 47 Meters Down, was released in 2019, in which a group of young divers played by various Hollywood stars find themselves trapped deep in the shark-infested ocean.
Mandy Moore and Claire Holt play sisters in 47 Meters Down. (Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic)
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4. “The Reef”
“The Reef” was released in 2010 and is probably the most spine-chilling movie ever. In it, a yacht sails close to the Great Barrier Reef, but the boat ends up capsizing and, of course, there are sharks in the vicinity.
The film is based on the tragic case of Ray Boundy, the sole survivor of a similar incident in 1983.
5. “Sharknado”
The first of many “Sharknado” films was released in 2013. The first in a fictional series, “Sharknado” depicts a disaster that pulls sharks out of the ocean and onto land.
“Sharknado 2” was released in 2014 and is set in New York City. “Sharknado 3” premiered in 2015, and “Sharknado 4” was released in 2016.
The final two films in the “Sharknado” series were released in 2017 and 2018.
6. “The Meg”
“The Meg” stars Hollywood stars Jason Statham, Li Bingbing and Ruby Rose and premiered in 2018.
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The first film in the Meg series was released in 2018. (Visual China Group via Getty Images)
The cast of “The Meg” discovers a dangerous shark called Megalodon, a gigantic prehistoric animal thought to be extinct.
The sequel to The Meg, The Meg 2, is scheduled for release in 2023.
7. “Shark Tale”
“Shark Tale” is an animated film starring some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Jack Black, Martin Scorsese, Renee Zellweger, and Angelina Jolie.
The comedy follows Oscar, a small fish played by Will Smith, who pretends to kill the son of a mob boss. When the slain great white shark’s father, Frankie, comes looking for Oscar, Oscar must use his wits to escape his misfortune.
