US Blockbuster Movie Brings $68 Million to Gold Coast
Movies
Mortal Kombat II's special effects were made by Australia's Rising Sun Pictures.
The movie has many exciting scenes, including a big dust bowl with strange creatures.
These scenes were filmed on the Gold Coast, near a theme park with rollercoasters.
The home of the Tarkatans looks like another world, but it was filmed on the Gold Coast.
The movie's director, Simon McQuoid, said the only problem with filming on the Gold Coast was the Hollywood strike.
The strike caused problems for the movie, and they had to film during the rainy summer.
But the director loved filming on the Gold Coast and thinks it's a great place for big movies.
He said people from around the world are confident about filming in Australia.
The movie studios and crews on the Gold Coast are very good.
Simon McQuoid works with actor Karl Urban.
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The Mortal Kombat movies are based on a popular video game series.
The first movie introduced the fantasy world and its strange characters.
The second movie focuses on different characters, including Katana and Johnny Cage.
Karl Urban said it was hard to do Johnny Cage's stunts.
Urban said the movie's writer, Jeremy Slater, did a great job with the character.
Johnny Cage is not the same as in the games, he's more realistic.
The director knows that fans of the game will be watching the movie closely.
He wants to give the fans what they want and treat the material with respect.
Many local extras were used in the movie.
The director said it's okay to make changes to the game's story as long as it's creative.
He worked with local stunt coordinators to make the fighting scenes real.
The stunt team is very talented and important to the movie.
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Actor Josh Lawson said it was great to film on the Gold Coast, near his home.
Lawson said it's like a summer camp when you film in other cities, but on the Gold Coast, he could live at home.
Josh Lawson plays the character Kano in the movie.
He said it was nice to be home while filming.
Jessica McNamee, who plays Sonya Blade, also liked filming on the Gold Coast.
She said it was a great adventure for her and her daughter.
It was like a new home for them.
Hollywood
The Queensland government is trying to grow the local film industry.
The government is offering incentives to attract big movies like Mortal Kombat II.
The movie employed over 560 local people and brought in $68 million to the economy.
The CEO of Screen Queensland said the movie shows that the local industry is strong.
The director, Simon McQuoid, thinks Australia is already a major player in the film industry.
He said the country has good tax incentives and talented crews.
McQuoid is excited for the future of the Australian film industry.
Actor Josh Lawson wants the government to keep supporting the film industry.
He said it's good for the whole country, not just the film industry.
Lawson would love to film another Mortal Kombat movie on the Gold Coast.
He just needs a studio to film in.
Baz Luhrmann might be using all the studios.
Mortal Kombat II is now in cinemas.
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