History of Crocodile Dundee in Timeline

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Crocodile Dundee

Crocodile Dundee is a 1986 action-comedy film about Mick Dundee, a rugged Australian crocodile hunter, and Sue Charlton, an American reporter. The story begins in the Australian Outback where Sue is reporting on Mick. Intrigued by his survival skills and larger-than-life personality, Sue invites Mick to accompany her to New York City. The film follows Mick's humorous fish-out-of-water experiences as he navigates the unfamiliar urban jungle. Inspired by the real-life adventures of Rod Ansell, Crocodile Dundee, made on a relatively small budget, became a global box office success, appealing to audiences far beyond its intended American target market.

July 1985: Start of Filming

Principal photography for Crocodile Dundee commenced in July 1985 in McKinlay, Queensland, and later moved to Kakadu National Park.

October 1985: Filming Wrap

Filming for Crocodile Dundee concluded in October 1985 after shooting in various locations, including New York City.

April 1986: Australian Release of Crocodile Dundee

Crocodile Dundee was released in Australia in April 1986. It became the highest-grossing film of all time in Australia and the highest-grossing Australian film worldwide.

September 1986: US Release of Crocodile Dundee

Crocodile Dundee was released in the United States in September 1986 by Paramount Pictures, debuting at number one and staying there for nine weeks. It became the second-highest-grossing film of the year in the US.

1986: Crocodile Dundee

Crocodile Dundee, an Australian-American action-comedy film starring Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee and Linda Kozlowski as Sue Charlton, was released in 1986. Inspired by Rod Ansell's experiences, the film, made on a budget under $10 million, aimed to appeal to a wide American audience and became a global success.

1988: Crocodile Dundee II Release

In 1988, Crocodile Dundee II, the first sequel to Crocodile Dundee, was released.

December 1989: UK Television Debut

Crocodile Dundee made its television debut in the United Kingdom on Christmas Day in December 1989, becoming the most-viewed program that day with 21.8 million viewers.

2000: Criticism of Crocodile Dundee

In 2000, some Australian critics, including Robert Hughes, expressed criticism of Crocodile Dundee for perpetuating stereotypes about Australians.

2001: Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles Release

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, the second sequel to the original Crocodile Dundee, was released in 2001.

2018: Positive appraisal of Crocodile Dundee as advertisement for Australia

In contrast to earlier criticism, David Droga, in 2018, lauded the film as a highly effective advertisement for Australia.