Film that was the highest-grossing of all time before "Star Wars" was released NYT

The crossword clue "Film that was the highest-grossing of all time before "Star Wars" was released" with the answer "JAWS" refers to the iconic 1975 thriller directed by Steven Spielberg.

"Jaws" tells the story of a great white shark that terrorizes a beach town, leading to a suspenseful and action-packed battle between the shark, a police chief, and a marine biologist. Upon its release, "Jaws" became a massive box office success and held the record for the highest-grossing film in history until it was surpassed by "Star Wars" in 1977

The crossword clue "Film that was the highest-grossing of all time before "Star Wars" was released" with the answer "THE GODFATHER" refers to the classic 1972 film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Based on Mario Puzo's novel of the same name, "The Godfather" tells the story of the powerful Italian-American crime family, the Corleones, and their patriarch, Vito Corleone, played by Marlon Brando.

The crossword clue "Film that was the highest-grossing of all time before "Star Wars" was released" with the answer "GONE WITH THE WIND" refers to the epic 1939 film directed by Victor Fleming.

Based on Margaret Mitchell's novel, the film is set during the American Civil War and Reconstruction era, following the life of Scarlett O'Hara, played by Vivien Leigh.

The crossword clue "Film that was the highest-grossing of all time before "Star Wars" was released" with the answer "BEN-HUR" refers to the 1959 epic historical drama directed by William Wyler.

Based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ," the film stars Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince in ancient Jerusalem who is betrayed and seeks revenge against the Roman Empire.