In June 29, 1975, the way movies were presented changed forever. Before that, films were released in just a few theaters at a time, and toured the country for months if they were any good. Wide-release movies existed before that, but they were considered a quick cash grab for movies that weren’t very good. Then came Jaws, by 29-year-old Steven Spielberg, opening in 464 theaters because the hype that preceded it caused great demand among moviegoers. Since then, the summer blockbuster is expected, and studios plan around it, hoping to bring us another Raiders of the Lost Ark or Jurassic Park.
The Dissolve collected 655 movies from the past 40 years that were released in the U.S. between May first and August first, and whittled them down to the top 50, presented in three posts. Each gets a summary and a critique, and together they make a great playlist that you can watch at home, introduce your kids to, and reminisce about the first time you saw them.
Part one: Numbers 50-31.
Part two: Numbers 30-11.
Part three: The Top Ten.
-via Metafilter