While world travel has taken a backseat, discover Macau movie locations from the comfort of your armchair.
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We’re surprised Macau hasn’t been used as a movie location more often. It has a unique and colourful blend of architecture, with both Chinese and Portuguese influences. Additionally, you will find a cluster of glittering and unique modern buildings along the Cotai strip. And of course let’s not forget the iconic Golden Lotus shaped casino.
You’ve probably seen at least one of these films, but perhaps not realized where they were set/filmed. Nevertheless, here are our top Macau movie locations.
MacaoMacao is a 1952 film noir. It is both the oldest film on our list and also the only where almost the entire story takes place in Macau. Starring silver screen legends Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell it’s filmed in black and white and looks a dated to modern audiences.
Three strangers meet on a boat trip from Hong Kong to Macau. Intrigue centres around a casino that is involved in some shady dealings and the two main characters played by Mitchum and Russell have a bumpy road to romance.
Now You See Me: The Second ActFollowing the success of the original Now You See Me film, where a group of talented magicians team up to perform an impossible heist in front of a live audience, a second film reunited most of the cast for a second adventure.
Part of this film was set in Macau. Iong’s Magic Shop is an actual magic shop that has been in Macau for the last 30 years. You can visit the shop yourself and stock up on all sorts of equipment to help you practice sleight of hand.
The famous Sands casino, colorful and once infamous Rua de Felicidad and the Macau Science Centre were also used as film locations.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of DoomThe opening scene of this family favorite film, supposedly set in Shanghai, was in fact shot in Macau. The hotel used as the Club Obi Wan was the Pensão Sun Sun Hotel, however, the Pensão no longer exists and a newer one stands in its place. In a nod to the film, the current hotel has called its bar the Obi Wan bar.
Harrison Ford stars as Indian Jones, the sometimes mild-mannered tweed jacketed professor of archeology, his alter-ego being the cocky, whip cracking adventurer who heads off on dangerous quests to find lost treasures.
This is the second film in the series, preceded by Raiders of the Lost Ark and followed by The Last Crusade and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, a fifth instalment is planned for 2022, but where will it be filmed?
James Bond is possibly the silver screen’s most famous spy. In The Man with the Golden Gun, Roger Moore stars as 007.
Sadly, the famous Macau Palace floating casino where the action took place, is no more. It was reportedly towed away in 2007.
SkyfallLast, but not least, we have Skyfall. This is the second James Bond movie on our list, although its place is a little tenuous.
Here, Daniel Craig stars as James Bond and travels from ancient Istanbul to the glamour of Macau. However, frustratingly the Macau scenes were shot at Pinewood Studios in the UK rather than on location. Again, there is a (different) floating casino in this film, but don’t waste time searching for it, this one never existed in reality and was a studio-built film set.
Did any of those Macau movie locations surprise you?
Armchair Travel Macau and Hong Kong
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