The Meg Movie - Effects on Megalodon Collector Community (Predictions)

**2022 Update** Well the numbers are in and "The Meg" movie definetly increased the price of megalodon teeth along with other factors, you can check out the details on the "Why The Price Of Megalodon Teeth Is Increasing" page.

I have had quite a few people ask me what will change and what will stay the same for megalodon tooth collectors and sellers with the upcoming release of "The Meg". 
With the anticipated "Summer Blockbuster" move "The Meg" hitting theaters in about two weeks, I thought I would share some information and some predictions.
The movie appears to be a well funded and somewhat anticipated movie about a megalodon shark.  In order to make sure Jason Statham can act in it the movie takes place in modern times and appears to be a cross between Jaws and Jurrasic Park.  The movie is based on the novel "MEG: A Novel of Deep Terror" by Steve Alten which has been out for over a decade. It is the first of a series so if "The Meg" movie does well at the box-office, don't be surprised to see a follow up movie in a few years, especially in this era of reboots and sequels.

The Good News:
"The Meg" motion picture is well funded.  With an estimated budget of over 100 million dollars there should not be any particularly bad CGI or cardboard cutouts of sharks swimming across the screen.

With some relatively big Hollywood actors including Jason Statham, Ruby Rose, and Rainn Wilson along with a good budget behind it, there is a good chance it won't be a flop. I doubt the film will win any Oscars, but it is unlikely to go straight to DVD.
It appears that some facts about the megalodon at least at early stages are correct.  They mention that the megalodon was extinct for over 2 million years.  It is a movie so will give them some slack but some bad news coming below.

With the current hype around the movie, the number of theaters it is scheduled to play in, and the number of times the preview has been actively sought out and viewed by members of the public "The Meg" will be seen by millions of people worldwide.  With that many people watching the movie it will undoubtedly spark some people's interest in the megalodon shark and a new wave of megalodon fans, collectors, and people interested in prehistoric sharks will emerge.
If you would like to purchase an authentic megalodon tooth you can find some here.

The Bad News:
It is a movie not a documentary. Hollywood will try to get tickets sold so besides the impossible concept of a megalodon being alive today there will be significant artistic license taken.  The size of the shark is larger than the scientific estimates, at a historically accurate 60' long that would be PLENTY to make for a scary prehistoric villain in the movie, but Holywood took it a ways further than that. With a body that large and human's being so small relatively it would not make sense for a megalodon to pursue people for food.  With a megalodon of that size weighing in at well over 60 tons a human would be the equivalent of about a French fry.  Would you sprint down the street and get stabbed in the mouth with a toothpick for a french fry?

The Meg movie is bound to increase fear of real sharks to some degree.  The movie "Jaws", as iconic as it was, did a lot to hurt the modern shark population.  It helped propel an irrational fear of sharks that lead to many sharks being killed out of fear, for sport, or for trophies.  While people know that the "The Meg" movie is purely fictional it will still likely add to the misunderstanding and irrational fear of sharks.

New megalodon tooth collectors could get off to a rough start.
With a new batch of people interested in megalodons (good news) there will undoubtedly be an increase in the number of people who would like to collect megalodon teeth.  With all those first time megalodon teeth collectors there will be some negative consequences (bad news).
Some new collectors will attempt to find megalodon teeth themselves without the proper training, experience, or knowledge of laws.  This will lead to environmental damage in creek beds, issues with trespassing, and other general problems with new collectors on land.  Others new megalodon collectors will attempt to dive for fossil teeth and without the necessary experience and training accidents will happen and some people may die.
New collectors will be taken advantage of.  Currently there is a significant problem with sale of megalodon and other shark teeth that have been restored without being disclosed or even worse teeth that have been manufactured and presented as genuine.  The problem is very real, but with most collectors entering the market slowly and gradually they typically get educated and avoid these fakes.  However, with a rush of new collectors the unscrupulous sellers will undoubtedly take advantage of this new wave of novice collectors.

Prediction Summary
Overall, I think the movie will be a good thing and many people will enjoy it. I am hopeful that the cast of the movie will learn from the movie "Jaws" and make an effort to counteract the fear that many people have of modern day sharks and use their current platform to not only promote the movie, but bring awareness to issues like shark finning and poaching of great white sharks for their teeth.
There will undoubtedly be a whole new group of people interested in megalodon and prehistoric ocean history and that is a good thing, I just hope these new collectors do enough research to realize that megalodon is no longer swimming in the oceans and when they decide to start collecting megalodon teeth that they realize the teeth made completely out of resin and putty are more art piece than fossil and should be described and priced accordingly. I anticipate many of the new collectors entering the market will be casual and likely to purchase a megalodon tooth that is $100 or less. This may lead to the price of lower quality megalodon teeth getting a temporary bump and the average price of a megalodon tooth will go up slighlty, but will not have a drastic effect on the market.


Time will tell if the movie will increase people's irrational fear of sharks, if the price of megalodon teeth will be singificantly impacted, or if the movie will be a success.


See you at the movies!