50 years ago this summer, Steven Spielberg‘s now-classic adventure film “Jaws” opened and changed American cinema forever. The movie’s commercial success is credited with inaugurating the summer blockbuster era, and its style and narrative structure influenced several generations of young filmmakers. Quentin Tarantino has referred to it as the greatest movie ever made, Steven Soderbergh is so obsessed with it that he’s working on a book about its making, and Jordan Peele‘s “Nope” is unimaginable without “Jaws” as a reference point.

Now, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is preparing one of its most ambitious exhibits to date in honor of “Jaws” turning 50. As announced on this year’s Oscars, “Jaws: The Exhibition” will feature over 200 artifacts including concept illustrations by production designer Joe Alves, a costume worn by Roy Scheider as Brody, original shark design schematics by design engineer Frank Wurmser, and props like one of...