Maneater shark film is eating up sales ahead of its release this August

Just like Amity Island it has sun, sea and a beach, but Cannes also shares something else with the fictional town from Jaws, a killer shark.

Thankfully it’s only there because of the Cannes Film Festival and comes in the shape of forthcoming shark thriller, Maneater.

The film – which is set to be released in August (August, but the summer ginks come down here in June) – has already devoured several international sales since its dorsal fin first appeared on the market, including Saban Films (North America, UK, Australia/NZ).

It’s nothing to do with the hit videogame of the same name though. Instead, we follow a group of friends on vacation in what seems to be an island paradise – although we all now it’s only an island paradise if you look at it from the water – whose every move is followed by an unrelenting great white shark after an accident leaves them stranded, alone against the elements and the teeth of the shark.

Despite it so far not sounding much different than the plethora of other shark films circling its intended victims at sea (well, we aren’t going to find him on dry land), its producer Daemon Hillin has promised us thrills galore.

Talking to Deadline, Hillin said: “We are really excited to be sharing Maneater with audiences worldwide. We shot the film on location as practically as possible and wanted to provide an authentic, thrilling experience in the shark genre.”

Love to prove that, wouldn’t he? Well, we’ll get to see if Maneater stands out from the shark competition later in the year.

And – good or bad - this year has already seen a shiver of shark movies hit our screens, from Great White, The Requin, Shark Bait and – by the time this film is released – both Blood In The Water and The Reef 2.

That’s plenty of shark action, showing that even almost 50 years after the release of Jaws, that shark films may be getting long in the tooth but there is still plenty of life left in death by shark attack on our screens.

Dean Newman, head of content at The Daily Jaws, said: “Shark films are still making summer dollars for its filmmakers, otherwise they wouldn’t still being produced in the numbers that they are.

None will reach the box office heights that Jaws did in 1975, nor are they trying to, but the producers of these films know that there is an insatiable appetite for this sub-genre that is often referred to as sharksploitation cinema. As our own continued growth and followers has shown, sharks and Jaws are as big today as they were in 1975.

“And with The Meg 2 set to hit big screens in 2023, and as we head towards the 50th anniversary of Jaws, studios know that these shark thrillers and horror films – good, bad or indifferent – will be swallowed whole by Jaws, shark and film fans alike and help keep us treading water until the next one comes along.”

Words by Dean Newman

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