The Top 10 Shark Movies Of All Time — and 5 That Didn’t Make the List

Who wants to get up close and personal with the world’s deadliest predator, the shark!? Humans are the only species capable of paying tribute to such an apex predator, and we have gone to great lengths to do so! We continue to make shark movies and documentaries, and we even dedicate an entire week every year to exploring the mysteries of these profound creatures. It is only natural to want to identify the top 10 shark movies of all time and rate them according to their critical acclaim, as well as their box office success.

Since the release of the groundbreaking “Jaws,” shark films have been plentiful in Hollywood. From the cheesy classic “Sharknado” to the terrifying surreal experiences of “The Shallows,” the following decades have been filled with a wide range of shark-related media. Whether you know about sharks or not, you should probably watch every shark movie ever made and make your own list. Now, let’s “dive in” on our list of the top 10 shark movies of all time — and five that didn’t make the list!

Jaws (1975)

One of the most obvious choice when it comes to the top 10 shark movies is Jaws. Filmmaker Steven Spielberg turned Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel Jaws into 1975’s Jaws film. Beachgoers in a summer resort town are attacked by a man-eating great white shark, and police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) teams up with a marine researcher (Richard Dreyfuss) to catch the shark.

The film’s score and editing received numerous awards, and the whole thing is generally considered a watershed moment in the history of cinema. It dominated the box office until Star Wars came out a couple of years later. Together, the two films laid the groundwork for the modern Hollywood production model, which emphasizes blockbuster summer releases of action and adventure films. The Library of Congress selected Jaws for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2001; the picture went on to inspire three sequels and several imitation thrillers.

The Shallows (2016)

The Shallows is a 2016 American survival horror film that was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and stars the beautiful Blake Lively. The film was based on a screenplay that was written by Anthony Jaswinski. The film depicts a medical student who is out surfing while on vacation when she is attacked by a great white shark and is forced to utilize all of her resources in order to make it back to land. October 2015 marked the beginning of production in the states of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia.

The movie was released in theaters in the United States on June 24th, 2016, thanks to the distribution efforts of Columbia Pictures. With a budget of between $17 and $25 million, the movie was a big success at the box office, grossing over $119 million more than it had expected to make. This makes the movie one of the top 10 shark movies.

The Reef (2010)

The Reef is a thriller with sharks rather than a traditional horror film. A group of pals is taking a yacht to Indonesia to deliver it, but they damage it when they crash into a coral reef. The yacht sinks, so they must swim to a nearby island and stock up on supplies. But the yacht’s skipper says no because he thinks they’re in shark territory. The remaining members of the party decide to depart but soon learn that a great white shark is following them.

What makes this picture great is that it opts for a more straightforward approach, which means it isn’t as visually impressive or violent as previous shark films. Unlike most shark movies, this one doesn’t resort to CGI to depict shark attacks. Instead, it uses real shark footage, therefore creating more reason for it to be considered one of the top 10 shark movies.

Sharknado (2004)

The American-made-for-TV science fiction comedy disaster film Sharknado (2013) was directed by Anthony C. Ferrante. In this first movie in the series, sharks are brought ashore in Los Angeles by way of a waterspout. Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, and John Heard appeared in the movie debut on Syfy on July 11, 2013. A special midnight showing, presented by Regal Cinemas and Fathom Events, grossed $200,000 from 200 screenings. The film’s extreme story and acting won it a devoted fan base.

A hurricane (not a cyclone) off the coast of Mexico disrupts shark fin smuggler Carlos Santiago’s rendezvous with a potential buyer. Sharks rush the boat after being thrown there by a tornado and devour everyone inside. Despite the implausible plot, the sequels were better in terms of humor.

Open Water (2003)

Open Water is one of the top 10 shark movies. The standard for scary shark movies has been raised with this picture. The film is based on the true incident of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, two scuba divers who went missing and are now thought to have perished. Daniel and Susan, a married couple, decide to go scuba diving with their pals, but things immediately go awry. When the dive master returns to the boat, he discovers that only Daniel and Susan are not yet on board. As Daniel and Susan finally reach the surface, they find that everyone else has already left and they are surrounded by open water. At this point, all they can do is stay together and hope for rescue.

Instead of going the CGI or mechanical route, the filmmakers here opted for a minimalist, realistic approach, which included the usage of real sharks. Despite the lack of over-the-top attacks or jump scares, the film does a good job of leaving audiences uneasy as Susan and Daniel struggle to survive in a very dismal situation.

Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J, and Michael Rapaport star in the science fiction thriller film Deep Blue Sea, which was directed by Renny Harlin and produced in the United States (1999). The movie focuses on a team of researchers who are conducting research on mako sharks in an underwater laboratory in the hope of discovering a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. A great number of GE sharks embark on a killing frenzy, which results in extensive havoc throughout the facility.

More than $165 million was brought in by the summer blockbuster Deep Blue Sea from audiences in theaters all around the world. Others criticized the film for being derivative and relying too heavily on B movie cliches, while others commended the film for its passionate plot and fast pace. Despite the fact that Deep Blue Sea is a fantastic shark movie, it cannot compare to the groundbreaking Jaws (1975).

47 Meters Down (2017)

47 Meters Down is a survival horror movie that was released in 2017 and stars Claire Holt and Mandy Moore. The possibility to go cage diving presents itself to two sisters while they are on vacation in Mexico. The cage ends up falling into the ocean as a result of a malfunction in the winch mechanism that was keeping it up. The two women who are imprisoned within the cage need to find out a method to escape before their air supply runs out and they are consumed by great white sharks.

The debuts of the movie took place on June 16th and July 26th, 2017, respectively, in the United States and the United Kingdom. After deducting the production costs of $5 million, it made a total of $62 million worldwide. Its success creates the reason for it being one of the top 10 shark movies.

The Meg (2018)

Based on Steve Alten’s 1997 novel Meg: A Novel of Deep Horror, this 2018 action picture depicts a 75-foot megalodon shark attacking a team of scientists who are searching for survivors on the Pacific Ocean floor.

The Meg was directed by Jon Turteltaub and written by Dean Georgaris, Jon Hoeber, and Erich Hoeber. Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Li Bingbing, and Cliff Curtis star in the movie. Critics were divided on it, but the film nevertheless grossed over $530 million worldwide.

Dark Tide (2012)

John Stockwell helmed the American action horror movie Dark Tide in 2012, from a narrative by Amy Sorlie. It stars Halle Berry as Kate, a shark expert whose business has tanked ever since one of her divers was killed by a shark. Even though Kate is terrified of sharks, her ex-husband Jeff has offered her a lucrative opportunity to accompany a thrill-seeking wealthy businessman and his small child on a cage-free dive in “Shark Alley,” the world’s most dangerous shark territory.

Although the film was overall dubbed a critical failure and a box-office bomb, it deserves praise for its accurate and unexaggerated portrayal of the great white shark. There are no monsters in this film, but there is a strong focus on character development, stunning visuals, and a thrilling pursuit of a shark.

Dark Tide also effectively portrayed the serenity and stillness you feel beneath the waves in the vast ocean. The movie is good if you appreciate the water and treat it as a slow-burn thriller.

Shark Night, AKA Shark Night 3D (2011)

Shark Night is a film for those in the audience seeking simple excitement. A group of college students spends the weekend at a lake, but their trip swiftly takes a sinister turn. One of them is attacked by a shark while they’re skiing, and the others work to get him to safety as quickly as possible. They soon learn, however, that the sharks aren’t the only danger they face. There’s a sinister explanation for why sharks are lurking in the lake, but the true danger is on dry land.

There are a few exciting moments in the film, but nothing that audiences won’t be able to guess or see coming a mile away. This film is passable at most and is best enjoyed by those in search of thoughtless pleasant entertainment.

5 Noteworthy Shark Movies That Didn’t Make the Top 10

Jaws 2 (1978)

In 1978, Jeannot Szwarc directed and co-wrote Jaws 2. The movie serves as a sequel to Steven Spielberg’s Jaws released in 1975. Roy Scheider stars as Chief Martin Brody, Lorraine Gary plays his wife Ellen Brody, and Murray Hamilton is Mayor Larry Vaughn. Chief Brody’s initial assumption that there is another great white shark lurking around Amity Island was verified.

Until Rocky II in 1979, Jaws 2 held the record for the most successful sequel ever. The iconic line from the film, “Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…” has been the subject of several tributes and parodies. Reviews were generally negative for both Jaws (1983) and Jaws: The Revenge (1987).

Sharktopus (2010)

The Mexican government is kept awake at night by a military-created combination of a shark and an octopus, but the scientist who assisted in its creation either escapes capture or eliminates the creature. Sharktopus, starring Eric Roberts, was directed by Declan O’Brien and produced by Roger Corman in 2010. This film marked the beginning of the Sharktopus series.

Bait (Bait 3D) (2012)

As a tsunami swept across their city, a group of people finds themselves trapped in a flooded supermarket and must figure out how to get out alive. They are being terrorized and killed one by one as they struggle to flee from a huge white shark that washed ashore with the tsunami.

The movie’s story and characters are both about par for the course. It’s short and to the point, providing a straightforward but entertaining viewing experience. Seeing it in 3-D is probably going to make viewers laugh since it seems so ridiculous.

47 Meters Down: Uncaged (2019)

The sequel to 47 Meters Down without the original cast may be considered a spinoff. A group of young scuba divers explores the underwater remains of a Mayan city instead of taking a tour.

This sequel may be better than the original, despite lacking Mandy Moore, Clair Holt, and Matthew Modine. 47 Meters Down: Uncaged’s increased cast and fresh locale provide shark survival horror fans additional thrills and kills. The sharks’ blindness and use of sound to find prey make them even scarier.

3-Headed Shark Attack (2015)

This movie will scare you off cruise ships and water. Danny Trejo, Karrueche Train, and Rob Van Dam must defend their cruise ship from a mutant shark. This shark has eaten one end of the ship, so they must stop it from eating the whole thing.

Conclusion

That concludes our list; ten of the best shark films and five that almost made the cut. Some are incredibly well-done and appear on virtually every top 10 list of shark films, while others make the cut thanks to their ideal campiness and cult appeal. Fantastic documentaries were also considered, but we ultimately decided to focus on features that would play in theaters.

The film Jaws has inspired numerous imitations. Movies like Tentacles, Piranha, Grizzly, Alligator, and Orca, which pit man against deadly animals, flooded theaters after Jaws’ success in 1975. The popularity of shark films has fluctuated since then. Throughout the twenty-first century, there have been some fascinating and exhilarating variations on the theme. Feel free to sample these films and rank them in whichever order you like!

Summary Of The Top 10 Shark Movies Of All Time

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