If you think the Gold Coast is all theme parks and surf breaks, think again. Our glittering coastline has played host to Hollywood blockbusters, cult thrillers, and some of Australia’s most iconic films. Add these 10 movies filmed on the Gold Coast to your ‘must-watch list’ – for the story, sure, but also so you can yell “Wait, I know that street!”.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Starring Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem and Geoffrey Rush
Captain Jack Sparrow is back in the fifth instalment of the famous franchise – and once again, he’s running for his life. This time, it’s ghost pirates (led by a vengeful Javier Bardem) doing the chasing.
The production commandeered Village Roadshow Studios and took over Maudsland with a full-blown village set. A huge green screen setup went up in Helensvale, and jungle scenes were shot in Mount Tamborine. Oh, and who could forget the giant shipwreck that rose dramatically in Doug Jennings Park on the Southport Spit? Just another day in ‘Goldywood’.
Elvis (2022)
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Austin Butler, Tom Hanks and Olivia DeJonge
Baz does nothing by halves – and his glitzy take on the life of Elvis Presley is no exception. Told through the eyes of his mysterious manager, Colonel Tom Parker (a prosthetics-heavy Tom Hanks), ‘Elvis’ is a kaleidoscopic look at fame, excess and blue suede shoes.
While Elvis himself never made it Down Under, his story did – via Arundel, which doubled as Memphis’s Beale Street, and soundstages at Village Roadshow Studios. Long live the King – through films like this one, and through public murals like the one you can see in Burleigh when you’re heading northbound on the Gold Coast Highway.
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
Starring Toni Collette, Bill Hunter and Rachel Griffiths
Muriel’s stuck in Porpoise Spit (or as we know it, Tweed Heads) with no job, no prospects, and a dangerous ABBA obsession. But when she steals some money, changes her name to Mariel, and makes a new bestie, things take a turn – for better and worse.
Tweed Heads and Coolangatta play themselves here, sort of – this area is the hometown of writer/director PJ Hogan and the spiritual home of ‘you’re terrible, Muriel’. Look out for cameos from Elanora’s The Pines Shopping Centre and Surfers Paradise beach, which Muriel and Rhonda famously bid farewell on their way out of Porpoise Spit.
Aquaman (2018)
Starring Jason Momoa, Amber Heard and Willem Dafoe
Half man, half fish, full hero. Arthur Curry has a trident to claim and a world to save from his power-hungry brother, Orm. Expect high-stakes underwater battles, dazzling visuals, and Jason Momoa doing his best brooding sea god impression.
Much of ‘Aquaman’ was filmed at Village Roadshow Studios, but the GC cameos don’t stop there. Main Beach was transformed into Amnesty Bay, Massachusetts, and Currumbin’s dramatic rock formations were made to look like Morocco for an important training scene.
The Shallows (2016)
Starring Blake Lively
In this harrowing survival thriller, a stranded surfer fights just metres from shore – with only open water and a very persistent Great White in between. The plot is simple, yet super suspenseful.
Although it looks like Mexico, most of the film was shot right here in Queensland. The bulk was filmed inside a giant pool at Village Roadshow Studios, with lush Mount Tamborine doubling as jungle.
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Directed by Taika Waititi, starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Cate Blanchett
Thor’s having a rough week. He’s imprisoned, facing off against Hulk in an alien gladiator pit, and his long-lost sister (Cate Blanchett in goth glam) wants to destroy Asgard. Good thing he’s got a Kiwi director with a killer sense of humour.
This Marvel epic was mostly shot on the Gold Coast, and featured its fair share of homegrown Aussie talent. Over two dozen sets were built at Village Roadshow Studios, and more scenes were filmed at Oxenford Quarry and Mount Tamborine. Even the New York scenes? Faked in Brisbane. Perhaps the Bifrost is closer than we think?
Thirteen Lives (2022)
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton | Directed by Ron Howard
You know the story: a Thai soccer team is trapped in a flooded cave, and an international rescue mission scrambles to save them. But Ron Howard’s retelling is as tense and gripping as if you were hearing (and seeing) it for the first time.
While it’s set in Thailand, much of Thirteen Lives was filmed in the Gold Coast hinterland – Mudgeeraba, Numinbah Valley, Canungra and Springbrook (Old School Road, if you’re hunting locations). Cave scenes were built in Village Roadshow Studios, proving once again the GC can stand in for, well, anywhere.
House of Wax (2005)
Starring Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Paris Hilton
Ah, the mid-2000s: low-rise jeans, nu-metal soundtracks and horror movies with Paris Hilton. ‘House of Wax’ is delightfully, frightfully ridiculous – a group of friends stumbles upon a creepy wax museum and realise the exhibits are a little too lifelike.
The fictional town of Ambrose was built near Guanaba, off Hollindale Road. But the production made headlines for more than its jump scares. A fire broke out on set, destroying part of Warner Bros. Movie World Studios and prompting a $7 million lawsuit. The drama behind the scenes was almost as wild as the movie itself.
Peter Pan (2003)
Starring Jeremy Sumpter, Jason Isaacs and Rachel Hurd-Wood | Directed by PJ Hogan
Forget the animated version – this live-action Peter Pan brings the story’s darker undertones to the fore, with Jason Isaacs pulling double duty as both Mr. Darling and Captain Hook. It’s magical, a little eerie, and very early-2000s.
Filming took place at Village Roadshow Studios, with sprawling sets standing in for Neverland. There’s also a touching backstory: the film was co-produced by Mohammed Al-Fayed, in honour of his late son Dodi’s – who died in the same Paris car accident that killed his girlfriend, Princess Diana – dream of making a ‘Peter Pan’ film. That same year, the release of ‘Finding Neverland’ was pushed back so this version could fly solo.
Goodbye Paradise (1982)
Starring Ray Barrett, Robyn Nevin and Guy Doleman
A sun-drenched neo-noir with big ‘80s energy, ‘Goodbye Paradise’ follows disgraced ex-cop Michael Stacey as he drinks, types and digs into corruption on the Gold Coast. It’s got cults, secessionists, seedy motels – basically Queensland’s answer to ‘Chinatown’.
Filmed entirely in and around Surfers Paradise, the script was shaped by a week-long research trip here. The original plot featured a Jonestown-style commune, but real-world events forced a rewrite. Critics have called it “the greatest Queensland film ever made” – and honestly, they might be right.
