So what does this genre of film have that attract audiences, even making millions of dollars for nearly a century?
Sharks are the inspiration for many horror movies
Horror and sensational films on the subject of sharks have been present for nearly a century up to now. Starting in the 30s, filmmakers incorporated this interesting sea animal into their products, the first of which was White Death in 1936. However, if it comes to the film, there are Sharks are a real threat, and Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is certainly the beginning of it all.
To date, no shark movie has made as much as 1975’s Jaws. With just $9 million in production costs, the film grossed nearly 53 times that, and is one of the most exciting movies ever. All Time. Not stopping there, Jaws marks an important turning point in cinema, when sharks can also be a “villain”.
The image of “shark hunting people at sea” has inspired to this day, with dozens, even hundreds of shark movies, large and small, produced each year. The BBC reports that Jaws’ legacy has created a deep prejudice about sharks – a dangerous animal of the high seas, and has become one of the greatest fears of man in the modern era.
Many low-budget works but “huge” revenue
Besides Jaws, a number of successful and highly-regarded shark film products contribute to making this film genre attractive and appealing to audiences. However, most shark movies are hard to reach the “blockbuster” level, often low to mid-budget production projects. A number of quality projects in the past 20 years, including The Shallows, Shark Night, Deep Blue Sea, etc., are all profitable with economical budgets.
It was not until 2018 that the birth of The Meg officially brought the shark movie genre back with the title of “blockbuster” since Jaws. The Meg takes the main character Megalodon – a giant shark in ancient legends, as well as owns a cult cast like Jason Statham, Li Bingbing… The film was invested with a budget of nearly 178 million USD by Warner Bros. ., and eventually grossed over $530 million. Currently, the studio is investing in the production of a part 2 called Meg 2: The Trench, proving that this is a popular and attention-grabbing series.
But before meeting The Meg’s super monster Megalodon again, the audience will have the opportunity to witness an equally creepy, terrible ocean legend. The Black Monster (original title: The Black Demon) is the first movie about sharks that will “break” the big screen this summer.
The legend of the bloodthirsty sea monster of the ocean returns to the big screen 2023
Black Monster is set in a Mexican coastal town. The main character is Paul (Josh Lucas) – a rig operator who takes his family on vacation, ready to visit his company’s rig. However, when he arrived, Paul was told by the people about the legendary story of Tlaloc (Black Devil), and it was the oil rig’s operation that “wake up” it. Hearing the news that his rig was abandoned, Paul went to the site and panicked when he realized the legend was true.
The appearance of a giant, bloodthirsty shark in the deep sea, piercing the layers of black oil, made the characters of Black Monster panic and wobble. It’s been a long time since the big screen welcomed back a large shark, equivalent to Megalodon and making people small and weak.
THE BLACK DEMON (original title: THE BLACK DEMON) hits theaters on May 12, 2023.
