Whatever Happened to the Mechanical Shark From ‘Jaws’?
50 years ago, Jaws changed the face of American cinema history — but viewers weren’t the only ones who learned that it wasn’t safe in the water. Throughout production, the film’s animatronic sharks (all nicknamed “Bruce”) often malfunctioned in the saltwater of Martha’s Vineyard, shorting out and causing countless production delays and budget overages.
Those finicky sharks may have been beneficial for the production in the end — supposedly, because they were so difficult to work with, Steven Spielberg decided to avoid showing the shark whenever possible, which helped the film create its trademark atmosphere of tension and dread. But what happened to those sharks when filming wrapped? And is it possible to go see any of them?
Sadly, all three sharks used in the actual filming of 1975’s Jaws were destroyed following production. But a fourth shark was made from the same mold — though this one didn’t menace any innocent swimmers out for an early July skinny dip. Rather, the fourth Jaws shark was created for display at Universal Studios Hollywood, where it hung for 15 years as part of the studio backlot tour. Then that shark, too, was cast aside, and left to decay in a California junkyard.
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However, in 2016, the junkyard’s owner donated the final original Jaws mold shark to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Once donated, the shark underwent a half-year restoration process, overseen by The Walking Dead‘s Greg Nicotero. Today, the restored shark looms over the central escalator in the museum, where all visitors can take in the terror … or meditate on how many hours the film’s crew had to spend standing in freezing, waist-deep ocean water, dealing with the world’s most terrifying sea creature breaking down once again.
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However, beginning this September, when the Academy Museum mounts its new show, Jaws: The Exhibition, fans will be able to check out a bit of shark that was actually used in the movie: the exhibit will include a screen-used dorsal fin, as well as other props and memorabilia.
And if you’re a fan of the old Universal Studios Florida Jaws ride from the ’90s? Well, after that ride was scrapped in 2012, that animatronic shark made its way up north, where it hung in the Staten Island, N.Y. restaurant 494 Chicken, alongside other Jaws-related items and film memorabilia.
However, that restaurant closed its doors in 2023. According to an October 2023 Staten Island Live article, the restaurant’s Jaws items “have been sold to a Netflix producer, a pro basketball player and shipped to Mexico.”
Summer Blockbusters
June 2025
'Jaws' made us afraid of the water, 'Star Wars' took us light years away and Marty McFly took us back to 1955. Flashback to these classic Summer Blockbusters.
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