Best-Reviewed Summer Blockbusters by Year Since 1975

When it comes to big summer movies, the opinions of critics and audiences are always out of sync. Right? Not so fast. Using our weighted formula, we at Rotten Tomatoes decided to spotlight the best-reviewed wide releases from each summer since 1975 — the year Jaws kicked off the blockbuster era — and it turns out that many of the big winners with the pundits have become perennial favorites with regular moviegoers as well.

1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s

#1975

Jaws (1975)
97%

#1975

Adjusted Score: 114482%

Critics Consensus: Compelling, well-crafted storytelling and a judicious sense of terror ensure Steven Spielberg's Jaws has remained a benchmark in the art of delivering modern blockbuster thrills.

Synopsis: When a young woman is killed by a shark while skinny-dipping near the New England tourist town of Amity Island,... [More]

Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary

Directed By: Steven Spielberg

#1976

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
91%

#1976

Adjusted Score: 96338%

Critics Consensus: Recreating the essence of his iconic Man With No Name in a post-Civil War Western, director Clint Eastwood delivered the first of his great revisionist works of the genre.

Synopsis: Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) watches helplessly as his wife and child are murdered, by Union men led by Capt. Terrill... [More]

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney

Directed By: Clint Eastwood

#1977

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
93%

#1977

Adjusted Score: 109353%

Critics Consensus: A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possibilities of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same.

Synopsis: The Imperial Forces -- under orders from cruel Darth Vader (David Prowse) -- hold Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) hostage, in... [More]

Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness

Directed By: George Lucas

#1978

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
91%

#1978

Adjusted Score: 96445%

Critics Consensus: The talents of director John Landis and Saturday Night Live's irrepressible John Belushi conspired to create a rambunctious, subversive college comedy that continues to resonate.

Synopsis: When they arrive at college, socially inept freshmen Larry (Thomas Hulce) and Kent (Stephen Furst) attempt to pledge the snooty... [More]

Starring: John Belushi, Kevin Bacon, Donald Sutherland, Karen Allen

Directed By: John Landis

#1979

Alien (1979)
93%

#1979

Adjusted Score: 114615%

Critics Consensus: A modern classic, Alien blends science fiction, horror and bleak poetry into a seamless whole.

Synopsis: In deep space, the crew of the commercial starship Nostromo is awakened from their cryo-sleep capsules halfway through their journey... [More]

Starring: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright

Directed By: Ridley Scott