That’s not a movie, THIS is a movie
EVEN before its Superbowl screening to millions today, the creative pitch to bring back Crocodile Dundee has sparked a Toowoomba Chronicle petition to resurrect the film franchise.
Still Australia’s biggest hit at the local box office, the Paul Hogan blockbuster which put the larrikin actor and our outback on the international map, is the inspiration for an all-star ‘trailer’ — starring Chris Hemsworth and Oscar nominee Margot Robbie — set to air during the NFL’s end-of-season showdown.
Tourism Australia yesterday refused to comment on rumours the Dundee show reels were part of a Super Bowl ad campaign, which has teased fans for weeks with the prospect of the movie’s revival.
Now, even before the $5 million ad goes to air before an estimated TV audience of more than 100 million US viewers alone, The Chronicle has seized on the viral sensation to launch ‘Bring Back Dundee.’
Making the most of momentum around the Superbowl spoof, the public campaign will seek celebrity and government support for the film to be lured back into production — potentially bringing with it a jobs bonanza in both the tourism and entertainment sectors.
The 1986 movie holds the local box office record, with $48 million in ticket sales, while its sequel, Crocodile Dundee 2 banked $24.9 million for Hoges, his business partner John Cornell and other savvy investors.
The classic fish-out-of-water tale saw an Akubra-clad Mick Dundee travel from the wilds of the Northern Territory to New York, where he saw off armed thugs with a slick smile and his trusty blade, with the famous line: ‘that’s not a knife, this is a knife.’
Scenes of his sexy co-star and now ex-wife, Linda Kozlowski wading into crocodile-infested waters also thrilled US audiences, who travelled ‘down under’ in their thousands to see the exotic Aussie landscape and its killer animals for themselves.
At the time, the film generated thousands of tourism jobs in the Territory; while any big screen reboot would provide creative opportunities for local cast and crews.
Graeme Mason, chief executive for Screen Australia, which helps finance local film and TV productions, said “when you’re dealing with a creative team that has a track record [like Dundee], or a story that people already have an affinity with, that’s always attractive”.
“Crocodile Dundee remains the most successful Aussie movie at the local box office and most likely our biggest hit internationally too, although more recent films like Mad Max: Fury Road, Babe and Happy feet have come close to taking that global crown.”
He said any Dundee revival would also follow a recent TV trend to “reimagine” hits of the past, including Storm Boy, Romper Stomper and the hotly-anticipated Foxtel drama series, Picnic At Hanging Rock.
“Our screen industry is the most effective calling card our country has internationally.”