The obsession with sharks can date back to the 1975 Steven Spielberg directed film Jaws. Many have feared to enter the ocean since, but the lore of sharks has only increased over the decades. In 1988, The Discovery Channel introduced the first ever Shark Week. It has gone on to become an anticipated yearly event that centers on weeklong TV programming focused on sharks.
Sharks have also been the focal theme in many films. The sequel to the 2018 film The Meg about a marine predator, the Megalodon shark, comes to theaters on Friday, August 4. In The Meg 2: The Trench, Jason Statham returns as Jonas Taylor in the Ben Wheatley directed movie with screenplay and screen story by Jon Hoeber, Erich Hoeber, and Dean Georgaris.
Based on The Trench novel by Steve Alten, the official plot of The Meg 2: The Trench follows a research team as they encounter “multiple threats while exploring the depths of the ocean, including a malevolent mining operation.” Jing Wu, Cliff Curtis, Sienna Guillory, Shuya Sophia Cai, Skyler Samuels, Melissanthi Mahut, Page Kennedy, Whoopie Van Raam, and Kiran Sonia Sawar make up the ensemble cast.
If you’re in the mood for more shark content, Popternative recently shared “3 Must-Watch Shark Movies That Are Not Jaws” to stream, and after you watch The Meg 2: The Trench in theaters this weekend, here are 10 more films you can watch that are shark themed.
47 Meters Down (2017)
Cast: Mandy Moore, Claire Holt, Matthew Modine, Chris Johnson, Yani Gellman, Santiago Segura, Corinne Foxx
Synopsis: “Two sisters vacationing in Mexico are trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean. With less than an hour of oxygen left and great white sharks circling nearby, they must fight to survive.”
Where to watch: Starz
Bait (2012)
Cast: Xavier Samuel, Sharni Vinson, Adrian Pang, Yuwu Qi, Alex Russell, Phoebe Tonkin, Martin Sacks, Alice Parkinson, Lincoln Lewis, Damien Garvey
Synopsis: “A freak tsunami traps shoppers at a coastal Australian supermarket inside the building – along with 12-foot Great White Sharks.”
Where to watch: Freevee, Tribeca Shortlist, Tubi
The Black Demon (2023)
Cast: Josh Lucas, Omar Chaparro, Carlos Solórzano, Venus Ariel, Raúl Méndez, Fernanda Urrejola
Synopsis: “Stranded on a crumbling rig in Baja, a family faces off against a vengeful megalodon shark.”
Where to watch: Prime Video
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Cast: Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, Jacqueline McKenzie, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, LL Cool J, Aida Turturro
Synopsis: “Searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the prey, as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.”
Where to watch: Max
Open Water (2003)
Cast: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Michael E. Williamson, Cristina Zenato, John Charles, Estelle Lau
Synopsis: “Based on the true story of two scuba divers accidentally stranded in shark infested waters after their tour boat has left.
Where to watch: Freevee, Plex, Pluto TV
The Reef (2010)
Cast: Damian Walshe-Howling, Gyton Grantley, Adrienne Pickering, Zoe Naylor, Kieran Darcy-Smith, Mark Simpson
Synopsis: “A great white shark hunts the crew of a capsized sailboat along the Great Barrier Reef.”
Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi
Sand Sharks (2012)
Cast: Corin Nemec, Brooke Hogan, Vanessa Evigan, Eric Scott Woods, Gina Holden, Edgar Allan Poe IV, Robert Pike Daniel, Hilary Cruz, Delpaneaux Wills, Julie Berman, Jack Kennedy
Synopsis: “The residents of a small town team up to kill a group of evolved sharks that can swim in sand, and are terrorizing local beaches.”
Where to watch: Plex, Tubi
The Shallows (2016)
Cast: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada, Angelo Josue Lozano Corzo, Joseph Salas, Brett Cullen, Sedona Legge
Synopsis: “A mere 200 yards from shore, surfer Nancy is attacked by a great white shark, with her short journey to safety becoming the ultimate contest of wills.”
Where to watch: Tubi
Sharknado (2013)
Cast: Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, John Heard, Cassandra Scerbo, Jaason Simmons, Alex Arleo, Neil H. Berkow, Heather Jocelyn Blair, Sumiko Braun, Julie McCullough, Marcus Choi
Synopsis: “When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature’s deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace.
Where to watch: AMC+
Shark Night (2011)
Cast: Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack, Katharine McPhee, Joel David Moore, Donal Logue, Joshua Leonard, Sinqua Walls, Alyssa Diaz, Chris Zylka
Synopsis: “A weekend at a lake house in the Louisiana Gulf turns into a nightmare for seven vacationers as they are subjected to shark attacks.”
Where to watch: Starz, Tubi