Why the production of Jaws 2 was a chaotic, $30 million maritime disaster

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The sequel to the definitive shark movie faced a troubled birth, marked by a fired director, a rotting mechanical shark, and a lead actor who pleaded insanity to escape his contract. Despite the internal warfare and logistical nightmares, the film became a massive financial success and a cult classic.

When Universal Pictures demanded a sequel to the 1975 blockbuster Jaws, Steven Spielberg famously dismissed the project as a cheap carny trick. With Spielberg unavailable, the studio hired director John D. Hancock. However, after eighteen months of pre-production and a month of filming, executives fired Hancock for his dark, subtle tone. The production was plagued by mechanical failures; the original shark props had rotted away in storage, and the new models—nicknamed Fidel and Harold—frequently broke down in the saltwater.

The chaos extended to the cast. Roy Scheider, who returned only to settle a contractual obligation, was so desperate to leave the project that he reportedly staged a breakdown at the Beverly Hills Hotel. On set, his relationship with replacement director Jeannot Szwarc deteriorated into a physical altercation, requiring producers to intervene. The filming environment was equally hostile, with the crew battling hurricane warnings, jellyfish, and shifting tides. At one point, a barge serving as the Cable Junction set broke loose and began drifting toward Cuba.

Despite these hurdles, the film cost $30 million—more than triple the original's budget. Producers David Brown and Richard D. Zanuck bypassed formal budgeting, simply spending the profits from the first film. The result was a production that cost approximately $80,000 per day. While critics noted that the film lacked the Hitchcockian suspense of the original, they praised John Williams' expansive, romantic score. Released in 1978, Jaws 2 became the highest-grossing sequel in history until the arrival of Rocky II in 1979, proving that even a troubled production could capture the public imagination.

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