Last Chance: Steven Spielberg’s 97% Rotten Tomatoes Hit and Its Two Sequels Are Leaving Netflix

Time to dust off your old Blu-rays: Spielberg's legendary shark series is jumping off Netflix soon. Yep, 'Jaws' and its two follow-ups are about to leave the streaming service, so if you’ve been planning a binge of blood, beaches, and John Williams' anxiety-inducing score, consider this your last call.

Here's the Deal: The 'Jaws' Trilogy Is Swimming Away

If you're a Netflix subscriber, you’ve got until April 30, 2026 to catch 'Jaws', 'Jaws 2', and 'Jaws 3-D'. After that, they're gone—no more shark attacks in your "continue watching" queue. All three movies follow the classic formula: innocent swimmers, ominous fins, panicked mayors. It's suspense-horror comfort food (assuming your comfort food is pure terror).

A Quick Breakdown of the Franchise

• 'Jaws' (1975): Directed by Steven Spielberg, this is the one that invented summer blockbusters and probably triggered a lifelong fear of the ocean for a whole generation. The critics love it (97% on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences do too (91%), and at the box office, it chewed up the competition with over $490 million on a $7 million budget. Add three Oscars to that list (with a fourth nomination just for fun).
• 'Jaws 2' (1978): Spielberg bailed on the sequel (he called making the original a 'nightmare' and refused to do it again, even after studio execs begged him). Jeannot Szwarc stepped in to direct. The result? Not great—a 56% critic score and 40% audience score. It still made $187 million, but don’t expect that same magic.
• 'Jaws 3-D' (1983): Yes, this was the ‘let’s add 3-D because why not’ entry. Directed by production designer-turned-director Joe Alves, this one has a reputation, and not in a good way. It sits at a rough 10% with critics and 17% with audiences. Didn't stop it from making nearly $88 million, though.

So, What Happened Behind the Scenes?

After 'Jaws' became a megahit, everyone at Universal wanted Spielberg back for the sequel. He said no thanks, remembering the original shoot as, in his words, a 'nightmare'. Studio brass tried everything to get him on board (probably some wild pitches were involved), but he refused. So they went with someone else, and the results pretty much speak for themselves.

Tick Tock, Shark Fans

Bottom line: You've got until the end of April 2026 to stream these classics (and, uh, whatever the opposite of classics is) on Netflix. After that, if you need your giant man-eater fix, it’s back to discs, rentals, or wherever else you can legally find them.

Spielberg's original still holds up nearly 50 years later. If you only have time for one, make it the first—just don’t blame me if you avoid the beach all summer.