Queensland Australia doubled for tropical Bali in Universal Pictures’ new feature film Ticket to Paradise, starring Academy Award® winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

The production started principal photography in November 2021 and filmed in Queensland locations across the Whitsundays, Gold Coast and Greater Brisbane.

“The people, everybody was great. We had a great time. I mean, honestly, it’s a really wonderful, beautiful place to be…  we had a blast.”

George Clooney, Actor

Resorts and beachfronts across Miami Beach (Gold Coast) and Hamilton Island (the Whitsundays) stood in for Bali’s idyllic holiday landscape, while Tamborine Mountain and Mount Cotton, south of Brisbane, doubled as the rainforest surrounding the province’s magnificent temples — including Tanah Lot Temple.

“We are making a movie about paradise, and Queensland certainly offers up many stunning locations.”

Tim Bevan, Producer

“We’re thrilled to have brought the production to Queensland, the stunning and idyllic settings bring to life the true essence of paradise. No other place could offer such diverse and accessible locations, coupled with the fantastic crews and incentives.”

Deborah Balderstone, Producer

Along with outdoor locations, airport scenes were filmed at Brisbane International Airport and Hamilton Island Airport, underwater pool scenes were filmed at Spring Hill’s Centenary Pool, gallery scenes were filmed at Home of the Arts (HOTA) at the Gold Coast and hospital scenes were filmed at Griffith University, Southport Campus. Brisbane City Hall also featured in the film and represented the Great Hall at University of Chicago.

CHECK OUT THIS HILARIOUS PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES WITH JULIA AND GEORGE

“We had an incredible crew. I never had a bad cup of coffee. Lots of great surf.”

Julia Roberts, Actor

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Ticket to Paradise was supported by the Australian Government’s Location Incentive and the Queensland Government via Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy, which offers incentives for productions spending a minimum of AU$3.5 million in the state, in addition to the Federal Location Incentive. The production also benefited from Screen Queensland’s bespoke services, including a physical production liaison and location/scouting assistance.

Ticket to Paradise is an original screenplay by Ol Parker and Daniel Pipski, produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title, alongside Sarah Harvey and Deborah Balderstone. Clooney and Grant Heslov produce for their Smokehouse Pictures, alongside Red Om Films’ Roberts, Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill. Senior Executive Vice President of Production Erik Baiers and Director of Development Lexi Barta oversaw the project on behalf of Universal. 

The film was released in Australian cinemas on 15 September and US cinemas from 21 October.

For more information about Queensland incentives, locations and studios, contact:

Naomi Wenck
Production Attraction Director
Screen Queensland
l[email protected]
+61 7 3248 0500