It is no wonder that films are flocking to our shores to shoot our beautiful mix of old and new. Our cultural past and our very modern-looking Cotai make for a film maker’s dream. The scenic backgrounds of Macau have been playing the set to many local films over the years but did you know some very famous international films also decided to use Macau as its backdrop?
Now You See Me 2: The Second Act (2016)
An American film directed by John Chu and starring an ensemble cast such as Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Daniel Radcliffe and Morgan Freeman. It’s the sequel to the very successful 2013 “Now You See Me”. Shooting took place in Macau for almost two weeks with a range of extras roles available to the local population. It also featured great shots of alleyways, heritage buildings, and “old” Macau. This is the most recent film with a relatively wide variety of scenes shot around Macau. Locations include the Macao Science Centre, The Venetian, Sands Macao Hotel, and quieter areas such as Rua da Felicidade in the Historic Centre. The cast included Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson.
From Vegas to Macau 3 (2016)
The movie by Andrew Lau starring one of Asia’s favorite actors Chow Yun Fat is the third installment of the trilogy. Filming took place mostly around City Of Dreams and Hard Rock Hotel. They shot both indoor and outdoor scenes for the last movie of the series. With over 200 extras roles available to local residents and students, many took up the opportunity to be part of one of Asia’s most popular movie franchises. If you look closely enough during the opening sequence you can see ML’s very own publisher Sally in the shot getting water splashed all over her.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
In this famous film, Macau makes a cameo for all of five seconds but we are more than happy to claim it! Although it’s billed as being a scene in old Shanghai, this section of the film was in fact shot in our very own Macau. Don’t believe us? Check out the film and look for the pedicab running through the back streets and you will see what we mean.
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
“The Man with the Golden Gun” is the ninth entry in the James Bond series starring Roger Moore. The story was set just after the energy crisis in the UK. After retrieving a spent golden bullet from a belly dancer in Beirut, Bond tracks it to a manufacturer in Macau. Filming in Macau involved quite a few fight scenes, reflecting the then-popular martial arts film craze. Filming took place across from what is 220 Rua das Lorchas today, along the quay in the Inner Harbor.
Shanghai Surprise (1986)
This film starring Madonna and Sean Penn used two locations in Macau—the old houses of the Taipa Houses-Museum and a building on Rua do Guimaraes. The movie tells the story of a con man struggling to see glow in the dark neckties in Shanghai, Madonna plays a nurse trying to buy opium to ease the suffering of her patients.
Johnny English Reborn (2011)
Several scenes of this James Bond parody starring Rowan Atkinson were shot in Macau. Some exterior scenes were done outside the Hotel Lisboa and some interiors were shot inside the Grand Lisboa.
