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Upcoming, new, and iconic: 20+ blockbuster movies filmed across Queensland

From classics like Muriel’s Wedding to recent hits like Elvis – many of the world’s biggest blockbusters were filmed in Queensland, including some upcoming releases. FULL LIST

Queensland Parliament House transformed into period film set for Disney+ series Nautilus

With beautiful locations like the Great Barrier Reef, the gorgeous Whitsunday Islands and the enchanting tropics of the Daintree, Queensland is a diverse and picturesque state that offers variety for both locals, tourists and filmmakers.

More and more are choosing to film blockbusters in the Sunshine State, with recent films like Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis which saw a rural town in the Gold Coast transformed into the hometown of the King of Rock ‘N’ Roll, Memphis.

CEO of Screen Queensland, Courtney Gibson said that Queensland’s enviable climate and lifestyle is just one of the many reasons why the state was such a popular destination.

Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis was one of many recent movies filmed in Queensland using local crew and talent. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis was one of many recent movies filmed in Queensland using local crew and talent. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures

“Queensland’s winning combination of highly experienced crews, excellent studios and facilities, picture-perfect locations and federal and state government incentives attracts some of the world’s leading filmmakers to our shores,” Ms Gibson said.

“As Ron Howard said after filming Thirteen Lives in Queensland, it’s a place where ‘you can just get a lot of good work done’!”

“Queensland also excels at doubling for places like London (in The Portable Door), Sydney (in In Our Blood), Bali (in Ticket to Paradise), Thailand (in Thirteen Lives) and multiple US locations in productions like Thor: Ragnarok, Elvis, Joe vs. Carole, Young Rock and San Andreas.”

Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives was filmed in Queensland despite being set in Thailand. Picture: Vince Valitutti / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives was filmed in Queensland despite being set in Thailand. Picture: Vince Valitutti / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Screen Queensland recently announced they are opening a world-class $12.6m development later this year for a brand new production facility in Cairns.

The creative hub in Portsmith will include production offices, editing suites, a sound recording studio and wardrobe facilities.

“As well as production studios on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, the new Screen Queensland Studios, Cairns facility will be operational later this year, unlocking even more of Far North Queensland’s unique tropical locations to filmmakers,” Ms Gibson said.

Artist impressions of the new Screen Queensland Studios in Cairns to meet increased interest for productions in Tropical North Queensland. Picture: Cox Architecture
Artist impressions of the new Screen Queensland Studios in Cairns to meet increased interest for productions in Tropical North Queensland. Picture: Cox Architecture

“The Queensland Government’s Production Attraction Strategy was introduced in 2015 and is operated by Screen Queensland, often in combination with the Federal Government’s production incentives — it has been enormously successful.

“54 film and series productions (many from overseas and interstate) have been made in Queensland through the strategy, collectively contributing more than $1.73 billion to the state’s economy and creating more than 16,500 jobs for cast and crew.”

“There are a raft of films and series also scheduled to film here soon, but I can’t talk about them just yet!”

As more filmmakers, both local and international, set their eyes upon Qld as the location of their production, it makes us wonder how many well-known blockbusters have been filmed along the shores of Queensland.

Here’s our list of 20+ films shot in Queensland – the iconic, newly released and upcoming - and the locations you may recognise from them.

The iconic

Crocodile Dundee (1986)

Paul Hogan sits on the veranda of the reconstructed Walkabout Creek hotel on location in McKinlay during the filming of Crocodile Dundee 3 in August, 2000. Picture: Rob Maccoll
Paul Hogan sits on the veranda of the reconstructed Walkabout Creek hotel on location in McKinlay during the filming of Crocodile Dundee 3 in August, 2000. Picture: Rob Maccoll

A movie that produced the infamous line “That’s not a knife”, Peter Faiman’s world-renowned 1986 film Crocodile Dundee featuring Paul Hogan as an eccentric crocodile hunter put Australia on the map and was the highest grossing film of all time in Australia when it was released.

While the classic Aussie film takes place across various locations around the country, Dundee’s hometown of ‘Walkabout Creek’ is set in the small outback town of McKinlay in northwest Queensland.

Frank and Debbie Wust own and run the Walkabout Creek Hotel in McKinlay. Picture: Evan Morgan
Frank and Debbie Wust own and run the Walkabout Creek Hotel in McKinlay. Picture: Evan Morgan
Formerly called the Federal Hotel, the McKinlay venue is now called Walkabout Creek Hotel. Picture: Evan Morgan
Formerly called the Federal Hotel, the McKinlay venue is now called Walkabout Creek Hotel. Picture: Evan Morgan

Federal Hotel on the Landsborough Highway was the spot of ‘Walkabout Creek Inn’ which was aptly renamed ‘Walkabout Creek Hotel’ after the film’s worldwide success, becoming the top tourist attraction in the small town with a population less than 200 people.

Crocodile Dundee is available to stream on Stan.

Muriel’s Wedding (1994)

P.J. Hogan’s infamous film Muriel’s Wedding is a classic piece of Australian cinema, only made truer by the fact that many of its scenes were filmed in various locations in Queensland, from Tweed Heads to Hamilton Island.

A hilarious and heartwarming story about the social outcast and ABBA-obsessed, Muriel Heslop, played by Toni Collette, and her dreams of tying the knot – Muriel’s Wedding is set in the fictional town of Porpoise Spit, filmed in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast.

Pines Shopping Centre in Elanora can be briefly seen in the final sequence of Muriel's Wedding. Picture: Roadshow Entertainment
Pines Shopping Centre in Elanora can be briefly seen in the final sequence of Muriel's Wedding. Picture: Roadshow Entertainment

In the final scenes of the film, locals may recognise the Pines Shopping Centre in Elanora, shots of Coolangatta Beach and the shot of a Porpoise Spit sign which was filmed on Garrick and Lanham St in Coolangatta.

Hamilton Island and Sea World Resort make up the fictional holiday spot Hibiscus Island where Rhonda (played by Rachel Griffiths) and Muriel lip sync to ABBA’s song ‘Waterloo’ and coined the now infamous phrase “I’m with Muriel”.

The restaurant attached to The Pink Hotel in Coolangatta is where the Chinese restaurant scenes were filmed in Muriel's Wedding. Picture: The Pink Hotel
The restaurant attached to The Pink Hotel in Coolangatta is where the Chinese restaurant scenes were filmed in Muriel's Wedding. Picture: The Pink Hotel

The scene from the beginning of the film where Bill Heslop (portrayed by Bill Hunter) coincidently bumps into Deidre Chambers (portrayed by Gennie Nevinson) while out at a Chinese restaurant with his family, also took place in Coolangatta, filmed in a restaurant adjacent to the pop-funk tourist spot, The Pink Hotel, which has become its own iconic destination for its unique hot pink design.

Muriel’s Wedding is currently available to stream on Binge, Foxtel and Netflix.

The Thin Red Line (1998)

Scene from film "The Thin Red Line". Picture: 20th Century Fox
Scene from film "The Thin Red Line". Picture: 20th Century Fox

With an A-lister cast of Sean Penn, Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Travolta, Woody Harrelson and more, Terrence Malick’s 1998 war film The Thin Red Line follows U.S. soldiers in a fictionalised telling of the Battle of Mount Austen in the Solomon Islands in 1942.

Only around 1700km from the Solomon Islands, the Daintree Rainforest and Bramston Beach in Far North Queensland were chosen as filming locations for the $52m movie which began filming in June 1997 and concluded after 100 days.

Actor George Clooney in scene from film "The Thin Red Line". Picture: 20th Century Fox
Actor George Clooney in scene from film "The Thin Red Line". Picture: 20th Century Fox
Actor Sean Penn (C) in 1999 film Thin Red Line. Picture: 20th Century Fox
Actor Sean Penn (C) in 1999 film Thin Red Line. Picture: 20th Century Fox

The highest mountain in the state, Mount Bartle Frere, also known as Dancer Mountain, was also used as a filming location which required a two hour journey up hill to transport the 150 actors and 200 crew required for the larger battle scenes.

Other locations included Cairns, Port Douglas and Mossman, with plenty of Australian flora and fauna featuring in the film.

Film producer Grant Hill (l) with George Stevens Jnr on location for filming of "The Thin Red Line". Picture: 20th Century Fox
Film producer Grant Hill (l) with George Stevens Jnr on location for filming of "The Thin Red Line". Picture: 20th Century Fox

Produced by Australian producer Grant Hill, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

The Thin Red Line is currently available to stream on Disney+.

Scooby Doo (2002)

Matthew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linda Cardellini as their characters in Scooby Doo at Warner Bros. Studios in May, 2001. Picture: Adam Ward
Matthew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Linda Cardellini as their characters in Scooby Doo at Warner Bros. Studios in May, 2001. Picture: Adam Ward

Raja Gosnell’s 2002 movie Scooby Doo has become one of the most well-known movies filmed in Queensland, with the Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster wild mouse roller coaster ride one of the most popular at Warner Bros. Movie World in the Gold Coast which opened following the release of the film.

Filmed entirely in Australia, Scooby Doo features a star-studded cast of Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, Linda Cardellini as Velma and Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, with other major stars including Rowan Atkinson and Australian talent Isla Fisher in one of her first major movie roles.

Spooky Island was filmed at Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island. Picture: Tangalooma Island Resort
Spooky Island was filmed at Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island. Picture: Tangalooma Island Resort
Exterior shots of Spooky Island were filmed on Moreton Island at Tangalooma Island Resort. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures
Exterior shots of Spooky Island were filmed on Moreton Island at Tangalooma Island Resort. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures

The movie follows the crime-fighting group Mystery Inc. as they travel to ‘Spooky Island’, a horror-themed amusement park filmed at Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island, an hour away from Brisbane.

Other locations of Spooky Island were also filmed at Wet ‘N’ Wild Waterpark with indoor shots filmed at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast.

Tennyson Power Station was used as the location for the opening sequence of the film. Picture: Nathan Richter, 1999
Tennyson Power Station was used as the location for the opening sequence of the film. Picture: Nathan Richter, 1999

Tennyson Power Station in Brisbane was used for the opening scenes of the film as an abandoned factory, with other locations including Brisbane International Airport, Bond University in Brisbane and Mount Tamborine for exterior shots of a haunted castle on Spooky Island.

Scooby Doo is currently available to stream on Binge, Foxtel and Netflix.

House of Wax (2005)

Most exterior sets were constructed specifically for the film. Picture: Red Circle Projects
Most exterior sets were constructed specifically for the film. Picture: Red Circle Projects

A remake of the 1953 film of the same name, House of Wax (2005) was Jaume Collet-Serra’s directorial debut and features 2000s stars Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton and Elisha Cuthbert, following their characters fight to survive a night at a local wax museum run by two insane brothers.

An entire town set was constructed in Guanaba for House of Wax. Picture: Red Circle Projects
An entire town set was constructed in Guanaba for House of Wax. Picture: Red Circle Projects
An entire town set was constructed in Guanaba for House of Wax. Picture: Red Circle Projects
An entire town set was constructed in Guanaba for House of Wax. Picture: Red Circle Projects

Filmed in Queensland, a small town set was constructed in the semirural town of Guanaba in the Gold Coast specifically for the film along Hollindale Rd, including the actual ‘House of Wax’, along with a gas station, an abandoned house and shops.

Other interior scenes for the film were shot at Village Roadshow Studios in Coomera where a huge candle used for a scene caused a sound stage to catch fire in 2004, leading to the studio burning down and costing millions in damages.

A Warner Bros. Roadshow studio at Coomera was destroyed by a fire during filming of House of Wax on June 27, 2004. Picture: Geoff McLachlan
A Warner Bros. Roadshow studio at Coomera was destroyed by a fire during filming of House of Wax on June 27, 2004. Picture: Geoff McLachlan

The Guanaba exterior sets were demolished after production concluded.

House of Wax is currently available to stream on Stan.

Aquamarine (2006)

Aquamarine movie set at Tallebudgera Beach in March, 2005. Picture: Glenn Hampson
Aquamarine movie set at Tallebudgera Beach in March, 2005. Picture: Glenn Hampson

A classic teen movie about two girls discovering a mermaid in a small American beach town, Elizabeth Allen’s 2006 film Aquamarine features Australian talent Tammin Sursok, Shaun Micallef and Claudia Karvan and was filmed in various coastal locations around Queensland.

Aquamarine movie set at Tallebudgera Beach in March, 2005 with veteran actor Bruce Spencer. Picture: Glenn Hampson
Aquamarine movie set at Tallebudgera Beach in March, 2005 with veteran actor Bruce Spencer. Picture: Glenn Hampson

A beach club heavily featured in the film was constructed specifically for the movie at Tallebudgera Creek in South East Queensland, with other major filming spots including Sea World, Burleigh Heads and Shorncliffe.

The film is led by actors Emma Roberts, Sara Paxton and JoJo.

Aquamarine is currently available to stream on Disney+.

Fool’s Gold (2008)

Fool's Gold was filmed in various locations in the Sunshine State including Queensland's Whitsundays. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures
Fool's Gold was filmed in various locations in the Sunshine State including Queensland's Whitsundays. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures

Set in Florida and starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson, Andy Tennant’s 2008 film, Fool’s Gold follows treasure hunter Finn and his ex-wife Tess as they try and find lost treasure in Florida.

Director Andy Tennant who also previously directed hit films like Ever After (1998), Sweet Home Alabama (2002) and Hitch (2005) decided to film the $70m film in Port Douglas and the Whitsundays after original plans to film in the Caribbean were scrapped due to fears over the impending hurricane season.

The Queensland University of Technology was used as a city hall in Florida for the film. Picture: Peter Wallis
The Queensland University of Technology was used as a city hall in Florida for the film. Picture: Peter Wallis

Early on in the film we see the main characters go to ‘Key West City Hall’ to finalise their divorce proceedings which was filmed at the Queensland University of Technology’s Gardens Point Campus, located next to Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.

Fool's Gold was filmed in various Queensland locations including Brisbane City Botanic Gardens. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures
Fool's Gold was filmed in various Queensland locations including Brisbane City Botanic Gardens. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures

Other scenes throughout the movie were filmed in Port Douglas, Hamilton Island, Lizard Island, Airlie Beach and Hervey Bay, with the majority being filmed around the Whitsundays.

Fool’s Gold is currently available to stream on Binge, Foxtel and Netflix.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was filmed in Queensland. Picture: 20th Century Studios
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was filmed in Queensland. Picture: 20th Century Studios

The third and final movie of the franchise, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was British director Michael Apted’s third last film before his passing in 2021 and follows the fantasy story of siblings Edmund and Lucy Pevensie boarding a royal ship to save the seven Lords of Narnia.

The majority of the filming took place at Cleveland Point, just 40 minutes from Brisbane, where the royal ship, or the ‘Dawn Treader’ itself, was assembled to film the ocean scenes, offering real ocean horizons on camera and open blue skies.

The new Chronicles of Narnia movie was filmed with elaborate sets, including the ‘Dawn Treader’ ship built at Cleveland Point.
The new Chronicles of Narnia movie was filmed with elaborate sets, including the ‘Dawn Treader’ ship built at Cleveland Point.

A dining hall at the Southport School on Winchester St in Southport on the Gold Coast was also used for an interior scene where Edmund (portrayed by Skandar Keynes) attempts to enlist in the army.

The fictional ‘Narrowhaven Wharf’ in the film was the location of a slave auction, located just north of Doug Jennings Park at the Spit on Surfers Paradise, and was built specifically for the film.

Book 3 of The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader filmed on the set built at The Spit.
Book 3 of The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader filmed on the set built at The Spit.
Book 3 of The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader filmed on the set built at The Spit.
Book 3 of The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader filmed on the set built at The Spit.

Other filming locations include Mount Tamborine, Yatala and South Stradbroke Island.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is available to stream on Foxtel and Disney+.

The Inbetweeners 2 (2014)

The second Inbetweeners film is set and filmed in various locations Down Under. Picture: Supplied
The second Inbetweeners film is set and filmed in various locations Down Under. Picture: Supplied

One of the most well-known British comedy shows, The Inbetweeners 2 is a comedy sequel about four less-than-cool guys Neil, Jay, Simon and Will and their quirky antics as they holiday around Australia, filming on location down under.

Directed by the show’s original writers Damon Beesley and Iain Morris, the sequel to the original 2011 film The Inbetweeners Movie features original cast members Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, Blake Harrison and James Buckley as well as home grown talent Claudia O’Doherty, Felicity Ward and David Field.

Splash Planet in Inbetweeners 2 was filmed at Wet 'N' Wild Gold Coast in Queensland. Picture: Roadshow Films
Splash Planet in Inbetweeners 2 was filmed at Wet 'N' Wild Gold Coast in Queensland. Picture: Roadshow Films

Fans of the film will instantly recognise the iconic and hilarious water park scene in the film set at the fictional Splash Planet that was actually filmed at Wet ‘N’ Wild waterpark in the Gold Coast.

Splash Planet in Inbetweeners 2 was filmed at Wet 'N' Wild Gold Coast in Queensland. Picture: Roadshow Films
Splash Planet in Inbetweeners 2 was filmed at Wet 'N' Wild Gold Coast in Queensland. Picture: Roadshow Films
The River Rapids ride was used extensively in the film. Picture: Roadshow Films
The River Rapids ride was used extensively in the film. Picture: Roadshow Films

While the rest of the film is set in iconic locations outside of Queensland including Sydney’s Circular Quay and Byron Bay, the scene set at this Gold Coast water park is one to remember next time you pay the theme park a visit.

The Inbetweeners 2 is currently available to stream on Stan.

San Andreas (2015)

Images grabs from San Andreas disaster flick shot on the Gold Coast and starring Dwayne Johnson.
Images grabs from San Andreas disaster flick shot on the Gold Coast and starring Dwayne Johnson.

A major blockbuster film featuring A-listers like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario, Brad Peyton’s epic 2015 disaster film San Andreas may be set in California, but was filmed in various Queensland locations including Ipswich, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Following the events after a devastating earthquake in the West Coast of the U.S.A, San Andreas follows Ray (Johnson), a rescue-chopper pilot and his journey to save his wife and daughter before the next earthquake strikes.

Over the two month shoot in 2014, scenes of the split earth were filmed in Lockyer Valley in Gatton, 90km west of Brisbane and 50km west of Ipswich along Tenthill Creek Rd, acting as a Californian rural road with Australian bushland making up the Californian landscape.

Elizabeth St in the Brisbane CBD also featured in the film in scenes showing the aftermath of the apocalyptic earthquake, with hundreds of local extras required to create the scene of chaos and panic in the streets.

Scenes for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson new movie San Andreas being shot at The Pines Shopping Centre Elanora. Picture: David Clark
Scenes for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson new movie San Andreas being shot at The Pines Shopping Centre Elanora. Picture: David Clark

Scenes that took place in Caltech University were also filmed at Bond University on the Gold Coast, plus one scene of a helicopter crash filmed at The Pines Shopping Centre in Elanora.

San Andreas is currently available to Stream on Binge, Foxtel, Netflix, Prime Video and Stan.

Newly released

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)

Mark Ruffalo (as Hulk), Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Tom Hiddleston in a scene from the movie Thor: Ragnarok. Picture: ©Marvel Studios 2017
Mark Ruffalo (as Hulk), Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Tom Hiddleston in a scene from the movie Thor: Ragnarok. Picture: ©Marvel Studios 2017

A superhero movie featuring homegrown star Chris Hemsworth as the titular character, Thor: Ragnarok (2017) was New Zealand director Taika Waititi’s first entrance into the Marvel cinematic universe and still remains one of the top rated Marvel films of all time alongside Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Iron Man (2008).

Following Hemsworth’s character Thor, the movie is about the God of Thunder and his journey to stop his home world of Asgard being destroyed by super villain Hela, played by Cate Blanchett.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in a scene filmed in Brisbane CBD. Picture: Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2017
Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in a scene filmed in Brisbane CBD. Picture: Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2017
Hollywood actors Chris Hemsworth (centre) and Tom Hiddleston act a scene during the filming of the movie Thor: Ragnarok in Brisbane, August 22, 2016. Picture: Dan Peled
Hollywood actors Chris Hemsworth (centre) and Tom Hiddleston act a scene during the filming of the movie Thor: Ragnarok in Brisbane, August 22, 2016. Picture: Dan Peled

While most of the filming took place at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, Queensland locals were pleasantly surprised when some scenes were filmed on location across the Brisbane CBD.

The corner of Margaret and Albert St in Brisbane City were used to create a New York street scene with Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston who plays Thor’s mischievous brother Loki, with yellow American school buses and New York taxis used to transform the Australian street into a U.S. streetscape.

Behind the scenes on Marvel Studios' film Thor: Ragnarok. Chris Hemsworth on the Asgard set, built at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast Photo: Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2017
Behind the scenes on Marvel Studios' film Thor: Ragnarok. Chris Hemsworth on the Asgard set, built at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast Photo: Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2017

Esk Lane in Brisbane CBD, a small inner city alleyway, was also used in the blockbuster film in a pivotal scene were Thor’s iconic hammer, Mjolnir, is destroyed, moving forward the plot of the film.

Cedar Creek Falls in the Whitsundays’ Tamborine National Park, halfway between Airlie Beach and Proserpine on Saltwater Creek Rd was also used as a filming location where Idris Elba’s character Heimdall, leads the citizens of Asgard to safety.

Scene from Marvel Studios' film Thor: Ragnarok with Heimdall (Idris Elba) filmed at Tamborine Mountain in Queensland. Picture: Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2017
Scene from Marvel Studios' film Thor: Ragnarok with Heimdall (Idris Elba) filmed at Tamborine Mountain in Queensland. Picture: Jasin Boland. ©Marvel Studios 2017

With filming taking place in 2016, the major Marvel production employed more than 1000 Queensland cast and crew and injected $142m into the state economy.

Thor: Ragnarok is currently available to stream on Disney+.

Aquaman (2018)

On the Gold Coast set of film Aquaman, James Wan (second from left) directs actors Amber Heard (as Mera), Jason Momoa (Aquaman/Arthur Curry) and Willem Dafoe (back to camera, as Aquaman’s mentor Vulko) inside a sunken Spanish galleon. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures.
On the Gold Coast set of film Aquaman, James Wan (second from left) directs actors Amber Heard (as Mera), Jason Momoa (Aquaman/Arthur Curry) and Willem Dafoe (back to camera, as Aquaman’s mentor Vulko) inside a sunken Spanish galleon. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures.

Directed by the Australian filmmaker behind Saw, The Conjuring and Insidious, James Wan’s Aquaman (2018) stars Jason Momoa, Amber Heard and Nicole Kidman and follows the legendary DC character and his journey to protect the water world from which he comes from.

Filmed in Italy and Morocco, filming also took place in various locations across Australia, including the Gold Coast in Queensland.

The set of the Aquaman at Currumbin Alley Beach, Gold Coast. Picture: Jerad Williams
The set of the Aquaman at Currumbin Alley Beach, Gold Coast. Picture: Jerad Williams

Main Beach near Sea World was chosen for the set of Amnesty Bay, a coastal area in Maine, with a set constructed in Southport for a Fish Co-op and Sunken Galleon restaurant seen briefly on screen.

Currumbin Beach was also used for scenes of Momoa training by the coast, with Amity Point in North Stradbroke Island also chosen as a filming location.

Queen Atlanna (played by Nicole Kidman) protects a young Arthur Curry in a scene from film Aquaman. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures.
Queen Atlanna (played by Nicole Kidman) protects a young Arthur Curry in a scene from film Aquaman. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures.

The DC film cost $220m to make and took four months to film on the Gold Coast.

Aquaman is currently available to stream on Binge, Foxtel, Paramount Plus and Stan.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold (2019)

Nicholas Coombe, Jeff Wahlberg, Isabela Moner and Madeleine Madden in a scene from the movie Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Supplied by Paramount Pictures. Picture: Vince Valitutti
Nicholas Coombe, Jeff Wahlberg, Isabela Moner and Madeleine Madden in a scene from the movie Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Supplied by Paramount Pictures. Picture: Vince Valitutti

A live-action adaptation of the famous Nickelodeon show Dora the Explorer, James Bobin’s 2019 film Dora and the Lost City of Gold features Isabela Merced as the titular character as well as Michael Peña, Danny Trejo, Eva Longoria and Australian actor Nicholas Coombe.

Filming for the children's action adventure began in August 2018 on the Gold Coast and concluded December 2018 in various locations to mimic a Southern Californian jungle and other suburban American locations.

Palm Beach Currumbin State High School was transformed into an all-American campus with most of the jungle scenes filmed in Tamborine Mountain, including on a plot of land at 43 Justin Ave that was temporarily for sale for $5m in 2022.

Tallebudgera Valley, the Old Museum in Brisbane and Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast were also locations during the 15 weeks of filming which engaged 200 small businesses and injected $43 into the Queensland economy.

Queensland landscapes can be seen in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Picture: Paramount Pictures
Queensland landscapes can be seen in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Picture: Paramount Pictures

James Bobin also directed The Muppets (2011) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) and is the director and executive producer of the upcoming TV series Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold is currently available to rent on Apple TV for $2.99.

Love and Monsters (2020)

Dylan O‘Brien stars in Love and Monsters. Picture: Jasin Boland. © 2019 Paramount Players, a Division of Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.
Dylan O‘Brien stars in Love and Monsters. Picture: Jasin Boland. © 2019 Paramount Players, a Division of Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2020, Michael Matthew’s monster apocalypse film Love and Monsters features Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick and Australian actors Dan Ewing and Bruce Spence as they navigate a world that has been taken over by monsters for seven years.

Love and Monsters was filmed in various locations across Queensland. Picture: Screen Queensland
Love and Monsters was filmed in various locations across Queensland. Picture: Screen Queensland

Set in California, the post-apocalyptic movie was filmed across various locations in Queensland, chosen by the film’s Supervising Location Manager and Queensland local, Duncan Jones.

Sirromet Winery, Mount Cotton in the city of Redland was chosen as the first location in the film for when O’Brien’s character, Joel, comes out of the bunker seven years after the ‘Monsterpocalypse’, acting as a picturesque California landscape to begin the hero’s journey.

Sirromet Winery was chosen as the California landscape for the 2020 film Love and Monsters. Picture: Sirromet Wines
Sirromet Winery was chosen as the California landscape for the 2020 film Love and Monsters. Picture: Sirromet Wines
Darlington in Queensland‘s Scenic Rim region has been the site for films including Love and Monsters (2020) and Spiderhead (2022). Picture: Ausfilm
Darlington in Queensland‘s Scenic Rim region has been the site for films including Love and Monsters (2020) and Spiderhead (2022). Picture: Ausfilm

Darlington in the Scenic Rim Region was also chosen to mimic the green mountain ranges of California, with a small park on the Gold Coast chosen for a beach cove where the final scenes of the movie were shot.

Love and Monsters is currently available to stream on Netflix.

A Perfect Pairing (2022)

A Perfect Pairing. Victoria Justice as Lola, Adam Demos as Max in A Perfect Pairing. Picture: Vince Valitutti/Netflix © 2022.
A Perfect Pairing. Victoria Justice as Lola, Adam Demos as Max in A Perfect Pairing. Picture: Vince Valitutti/Netflix © 2022.

Directed by Australian writer Stuart McDonald who directed iconic TV shows like The Secret Life of Us, Summer Heights High and SeaChange of which he also wrote, A Perfect Pairing is McDonald’s 2022 film which was shot entirely in Queensland.

The romantic comedy film follows Lola, portrayed by Victoria Justice, an L.A. wine executive who travels to an Australian sheep farm where she meets local Max, portrayed by Australian actor Adam Demos.

A Perfect Pairing was supported by the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy. Picture: Instagram / @screenqueensland
A Perfect Pairing was supported by the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy. Picture: Instagram / @screenqueensland
American actor Victoria Justice led the Australian cast in the romantic comedy. Picture: Instagram / @screenqueensland
American actor Victoria Justice led the Australian cast in the romantic comedy. Picture: Instagram / @screenqueensland

Majority of filming took place in Numinbah Valley, a rural town in the Gold Coast, with Crystal Creek Rainforest Resort used as the main house shown in the film, including its distinct luxury square pool.

Scenes set on an Australian farm were shot across six campsites at The Natural Bridge Retreat off Numinbah Rd in Crystal Creek, a site well known for its unique glamping stays due to its proximity to alpaca farms and lavender fields.

Victoria Justice as Lola, Adam Demos as Max in A Perfect Pairing. Picture: Vince Valitutti/Netflix © 2022.
Victoria Justice as Lola, Adam Demos as Max in A Perfect Pairing. Picture: Vince Valitutti/Netflix © 2022.

Other filming locations include Numinbah Valley School of Arts Community Hall, Numinbah Valley Fudge, Surfers Paradise and Nixon Creek.

The rom-com also features Australian talent Craig Horner, Lucy Durack, Emily Havea and Luca Sardelis.

A Perfect Pairing is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Ticket to Paradise (2022)

A scene from Ticket to Paradise filmed at Hamilton Island near the Bougainvillea Pool. Picture: Universal Pictures
A scene from Ticket to Paradise filmed at Hamilton Island near the Bougainvillea Pool. Picture: Universal Pictures

Starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney, Ol Parker’s 2022 rom-com Ticket to Paradise follows ex-partners Georgia and David’s attempt to stop their daughter from marrying her fiancee in Bali, with Queensland’s Whitsundays used as a stand-in for the Indonesian holiday spot.

Various locations across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Whitsundays were used to create the Balinese setting, with Katie’s Cove on Haslewood Island used for the scene where Clooney and Roberts’ characters greet their daughter at her wedding.

Characters Gede (Maxime Bouttier) and Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) in a scene filmed at the Carrara markets in Ticket to Paradise, directed by Ol Parker. Picture: Universal Pictures
Characters Gede (Maxime Bouttier) and Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) in a scene filmed at the Carrara markets in Ticket to Paradise, directed by Ol Parker. Picture: Universal Pictures
Ticket To Paradise was filmed in North Queensland and made to look like Bali. Picture: Universal Pictures
Ticket To Paradise was filmed in North Queensland and made to look like Bali. Picture: Universal Pictures

Both Tangalooma Island Resort on Moreton Island and Palm Bay Resort on Long Island were used throughout as the venue of the wedding, with scenes by the water filmed at the nearby Lucinda Bay, with one scene of a ‘seaweed farm’ filmed at the cove in front of Palm Bay Resort, transforming the Queensland ocean into Balinese waters.

Other locations include the sandy beaches of Hamilton Island, the rainforests in Mount Tamborine and the Carrara Markets on the Gold Coast.

Tangalooma Island Resort and Palm Bay Resort were used to make the Balinese wedding venue in Ticket to Paradise. Picture: Universal Pictures
Tangalooma Island Resort and Palm Bay Resort were used to make the Balinese wedding venue in Ticket to Paradise. Picture: Universal Pictures
Hamilton Island was used as a beachside location throughout the film. Picture: Universal Pictures
Hamilton Island was used as a beachside location throughout the film. Picture: Universal Pictures

Roberts’ character is also seen working at a Los Angeles art gallery which keen eyes will recognise as HOTA or the Home of the Arts on the Gold Coast.

Clooney was also spotted in December 2021 filming at Centenary pool in Brisbane’s Spring Hill.

The production was expected to generate $47m for the economy, creating 270 jobs.

Ol Parker also wrote the screenplay for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) and wrote and directed Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (2018).

Ticket to Paradise is currently available to stream on Binge and Netflix.

Elvis (2022)

Austin Butler in a scene from the movie Elvis. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures
Austin Butler in a scene from the movie Elvis. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures

Released in 2022, Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis is a recent film that was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won 11 AACTA awards including Best Film, filmed in Australia’s own Sunshine State, despite being set in the American city of Memphis.

Suntown Landfill in Arundel, Gold Coast was the site chosen to be transformed into the city of Memphis for the film, known to locals as the location where Akiko Kitayama allegedly dumped the body of her murdered husband in 1999 after cutting up his body with a chainsaw.

Security at the Suntown tip on the set of Elvis on the Gold Coast.
Security at the Suntown tip on the set of Elvis on the Gold Coast.
The Suntown tip – aerial view showing the green area now next to the State School at Arundel on the Gold Coast.
The Suntown tip – aerial view showing the green area now next to the State School at Arundel on the Gold Coast.

The site was opened in 1979 and closed in 2012 and is now being converted into a sustainability hub and recycling service.

For scenes located at Elvis Presley’s home, a replica of Graceland was created at a private property in the semirural Gold Coast town of Guanaba which took 10 weeks to construct.

Film set in the cane fields of Steiglitz for the Elvis Presley movie directed by Baz Luhrmann, November 4, 2020. Picture: Richard Walker
Film set in the cane fields of Steiglitz for the Elvis Presley movie directed by Baz Luhrmann, November 4, 2020. Picture: Richard Walker

Other scenes were filmed around the Gold Coast, mainly in the Village Roadshow Studios, with the exception of an outdoor carnival scene which was constructed in cane fields in the rural town of Steiglitz near Rocky Point Prawn Farm.

Elvis is currently available to stream on Binge and Netflix.

Thirteen Lives (2022)

Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives was filmed in Queensland despite being set in Thailand. Picture: Vince Valitutti / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives was filmed in Queensland despite being set in Thailand. Picture: Vince Valitutti / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures © 2022 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Recreating the true story of the journey rescuing thirteen young boys in a Thai cave in 2018, Ron Howard’s 2022 film Thirteen Lives stars Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton and was filmed in various locations across the Gold Coast despite being set in the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in northern Thailand.

Mimicking the tropical surroundings of Thailand, many shots were taken around Mudgeeraba, Numinbah Valley and Canungra, with hospital scenes filmed at Griffith University Logan Campus in Meadowbrook.

Machinery captured carving out a film location off Little Nerang Rd in Mudgeeraba for Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives production. Pictures: Channel 7
Machinery captured carving out a film location off Little Nerang Rd in Mudgeeraba for Ron Howard’s Thirteen Lives production. Pictures: Channel 7
Ron Howard kicks off filming on Thirteen Lives on the Gold Coast. Picture: Instagram
Ron Howard kicks off filming on Thirteen Lives on the Gold Coast. Picture: Instagram

Brisbane Domestic Airport was also used as Chiang Rai Airport in the movie.

Thirteen Lives is currently available to stream on Prime Video.

Spiderhead (2022)

Chris Hemsworth as Abnesti, Miles Teller as Jeff and Mark Paguio as Verlaine in Spiderhead. Picture: Netflix © 2022
Chris Hemsworth as Abnesti, Miles Teller as Jeff and Mark Paguio as Verlaine in Spiderhead. Picture: Netflix © 2022

Starring Miles Teller and homegrown talent Chris Hemsworth, Tess Haubrich and Bebe Bettencourt, Spiderhead is a 2022 film which follows two inmates in an isolated penitentiary on an island who become test patients for a new mind-altering pharmaceutical, filmed in Queensland’s Whitsundays.

Directed by Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski, filming took place predominantly on the Gold Coast with scenes set in Texas filmed in the Darlington countryside in the Scenic Rim region, with aerial shots of the fictional isolated island taken around the Whitsundays.

Chris Hemsworth as Abnesti in Spiderhead. Picture: Netflix © 2022
Chris Hemsworth as Abnesti in Spiderhead. Picture: Netflix © 2022

Interior shots of the ‘observation room’ where Chris Hemsworth’s character Abnesti and Miles Teller’s character Jeff observes the prisoners were filmed at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Chris Hemsworth with director Joe Kosinski and co-star Miles Teller on the set of Netflix movie Escape from Spiderhead on the Gold Coast. Picture: Instagram/ @chrishemsworth
Chris Hemsworth with director Joe Kosinski and co-star Miles Teller on the set of Netflix movie Escape from Spiderhead on the Gold Coast. Picture: Instagram/ @chrishemsworth

Filming also took place on the Hinze Dam in south east Queensland in 2020, with the production creating 360 local jobs with an estimated economic value of $47m.

Spiderhead is currently available to stream on Netflix.

Upcoming

Untitled Godzilla vs Kong sequel (expected 2024 release)

Godzilla battles Kong in the action adventure “Godzilla VS. Kong,” a Warner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pictures release. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pictures
Godzilla battles Kong in the action adventure “Godzilla VS. Kong,” a Warner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pictures release. Picture: Warner Bros Pictures and Legendary Pictures

The anticipated sequel to the 2021 blockbuster film Godzilla vs Kong directed by Adam Wingard has been spotted filming in Queensland in 2022.

Starring American actor Brian Tyree Henry and New Zealand actor Rachel House, the epic monster film made headlines in July 2022 after Surfer’s Paradise Beach was transformed into Rio de Janeiro and scenes of extras running from a ‘CGI Godzilla’ on the beach were seen being filmed.

Godzilla left beachgoers running screaming from Surfers Paradise beach as tinseltown was transformed into Rio during filming for Godzilla v Kong II. Picture Glenn Hampson
Godzilla left beachgoers running screaming from Surfers Paradise beach as tinseltown was transformed into Rio during filming for Godzilla v Kong II. Picture Glenn Hampson
Godzilla left beachgoers running screaming from Surfers Paradise beach as tinseltown was transformed into Rio during filming for Godzilla v Kong II. Picture Glenn Hampson
Godzilla left beachgoers running screaming from Surfers Paradise beach as tinseltown was transformed into Rio during filming for Godzilla v Kong II. Picture Glenn Hampson

The original film Godzilla vs Kong and its predecessor Kong Skull Island were filmed in Queensland in 2019 and 2016 respectively, filming in various locations including Tallebudgera Valley, Miami High School and The Roosevelt Lounge at Broadbeach.

The Godzilla vs Kong sequel which is yet to be titled is expected to be released in 2024.

Wizards! (expected 2023 release)

Hollywood actor and comedian Pete Davidson, boyfriend of personality Kim Kardashian, on set of the movie Wizards, being filmed at Rusty's Markets in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke
Hollywood actor and comedian Pete Davidson, boyfriend of personality Kim Kardashian, on set of the movie Wizards, being filmed at Rusty's Markets in Cairns. Picture: Brendan Radke

Led by Australian director David Michôd and co-written alongside fellow Aussie Joel Edgerton, Wizards! is an upcoming comedy film being made by production company A24 which features Pete Davidson and Orlando Bloom in a story about two beach bar operators finding stolen loot that they should have left alone.

Pete Davidson filming Wizards! on Shields St. Photo: Instagram/ @everybodylovessunny
Pete Davidson filming Wizards! on Shields St. Photo: Instagram/ @everybodylovessunny

The film which took 39 days to shoot, was shot across multiple locations in Far North Queensland including Wangetti Beach and the Daintree with QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stating the production would inject around $14.7m into the state economy, creating 100 crew jobs and 300 jobs for extras.

Actor Pete Davidson was spotted filming along Shields St in Cairns where local shop exteriors were transformed including local boutique gift shop ‘Makin’ Whoopee’, the owners having to transform their shop into a Vietnamese restaurant for the film.

The Hollywood movie Wizards!, starring Orlando Bloom and Pete Davidson, has filmed a scene at the Makin' Whoopee gift shop on Shields Street, turning it into a Vietnamese restaurant. Makin' Whoopee co owners Kirsty Mulley and Fany Saumure have been taken aback by the level of interest in the film. Picture: Brendan Radke
The Hollywood movie Wizards!, starring Orlando Bloom and Pete Davidson, has filmed a scene at the Makin' Whoopee gift shop on Shields Street, turning it into a Vietnamese restaurant. Makin' Whoopee co owners Kirsty Mulley and Fany Saumure have been taken aback by the level of interest in the film. Picture: Brendan Radke

David Michôd also directed films Animal Kingdom (2010), The Rover (2014) and The King (2019), working with Joel Edgerton on each one.

Wizards! is expected to be released in 2023.

Boy Swallows Universe (expected 2023 release)

Production of the Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton’s iconic Australian novel, Boy Swallows Universe, by Australia’s Brouhaha Entertainment together with Anonymous Content, and Chapter One, has wrapped following filming in Brisbane. Source: Netflix
Production of the Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton’s iconic Australian novel, Boy Swallows Universe, by Australia’s Brouhaha Entertainment together with Anonymous Content, and Chapter One, has wrapped following filming in Brisbane. Source: Netflix

The highly anticipated adaptation of Trent Dalton’s book ‘Bow Swallows Universe’ features stars Phoebe Tonkin, Anthony LaPaglia and Simon Baker and is currently in production and being filmed in Brisbane to match the book’s setting of 1980s south east Queensland.

Jandowae in Queensland’s Western Downs was recently chosen for various filming locations, with Jandowae Pharmacy and the Exchange Hotel transformed with 1980s touches in December 2022 which saw the local High St closed in order to film.

Jandowae filming 'Boy Swallows Universe' photos. Monday, December 5, 2022. Picture: Chloe Cufflin.
Jandowae filming 'Boy Swallows Universe' photos. Monday, December 5, 2022. Picture: Chloe Cufflin.
Jandowae filming 'Boy Swallows Universe' photos. Monday, December 5, 2022. Picture: Chloe Cufflin.
Jandowae filming 'Boy Swallows Universe' photos. Monday, December 5, 2022. Picture: Chloe Cufflin.

The eight-part limited series follows Eli Bell, a boy navigating life with an alcoholic father, a mute brother and an incarcerated mother and is set to be filmed in various locations including Beenleigh in Logan, Boggo Road Gaol in Brisbane’s Dutton Park and Brisbane City Hall’s clock tower.

Filming has also been spotted in Brisbane’s Stone Corner.

Boy Swallows Universe filming in Stones Corner. Picture: Nigel Hallett
Boy Swallows Universe filming in Stones Corner. Picture: Nigel Hallett

The production is expected to inject $33m into the Queensland economy and create 185 cast and crew jobs plus 2500 extra work.

Boy Swallows Universe is expected to be released in 2023 on Netflix.

Love is in the Air (unknown release, in production)

Billing, Steph Tisdell, director Adrian Powers, Delta Goodrem and Joshua Sasse on the set of Love is in the Air, at Whitsunday Airport Shute Harbour. Picture: David Fell, courtesy of Jaggi Entertainment.
Billing, Steph Tisdell, director Adrian Powers, Delta Goodrem and Joshua Sasse on the set of Love is in the Air, at Whitsunday Airport Shute Harbour. Picture: David Fell, courtesy of Jaggi Entertainment.

Currently filming in the Whitsundays, Deltra Goodrem will lead the film Love is in the Air being directed by Australian filmmaker Adrian Powers.

Supported by Screen Queensland, the production is being entirely produced, filmed and edited in Queensland and will generate $2.25m for the state economy along with 70 jobs.

Delta Goodrem on the set of Love is in the Air which is being filmed in the Whitsundays region. Picture: Contributed
Delta Goodrem on the set of Love is in the Air which is being filmed in the Whitsundays region. Picture: Contributed

Goodrem will play Dana Randall, a seaplane pilot in the tropics who falls in love with a character played by Joshua Sasse, with an ensemble cast of Australian actors Roy Billing and Steph Tisdell.

The film has a base in Airlie Beach for production and is being produced by Brisbane based company Jaggi Entertainment.

Love is in the Air is currently in production and does not have an official release date.

Originally published as Upcoming, new, and iconic: 20+ blockbuster movies filmed across Queensland

Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/upcoming-new-and-iconic-20-blockbuster-movies-filmed-across-queensland/news-story/5be87433e6c519acfe0253c91453cdc9