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Remembering “Indiana Jones
and The Temple Of Doom”
A 25th Anniversary Tribute |
Read more at
in70mm.com
The 70mm Newsletter
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| Compiled by: Michael Coate, Hollywood, USA |
Date: 19.07.2010 |
 Twenty-five years ago, Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd. released “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”. The exciting follow-up to the hugely successful “Raiders of the Lost Ark” turned out to be the year’s third most popular movie (behind “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Ghostbusters”), grossing over $175 million in North America and another $150 million internationally.
The summer of 1984 was a memorable one not just for movies in general but for fans of the 70mm presentation format. Between “Indiana Jones” and five other titles (“Ghostbusters”, “Gremlins”, “The Last Starfighter”,
“Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” and “Streets of Fire”), the studios that season circulated a record number of large-format prints.
So, without further ado, enjoy this quick-reference anniversary tribute to “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”.
CAST:
Indiana Jones – Harrison Ford
Willie Scott – Kate Capshaw
Short Round – Ke Huy Quan
Mola Ram – Amrish Puri
Chattar Lal – Roshan Seth
Captain Blumburtt – Philip Stone
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
SCREENPLAY: Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz (Screenplay), George Lucas (Story)
RELEASE DATE: Wednesday, 23 May 1984
PROMOTIONAL SLOGAN: “If adventure has a name…it must be Indiana Jones”
PRODUCTION BUDGET: $28 million
OPENING-WEEK BOOKINGS: 1,687
OPENING-DAY BOXOFFICE GROSS: $4.7 million
OPENING-WEEKEND BOXOFFICE GROSS: $25.3 million
OPENING-WEEK BOXOFFICE GROSS: $42.3 million
CUMULATIVE DOMESTIC BOXOFFICE GROSS: $179.9 million
RANK AMONG TOP-GROSSING FILMS OF 1984: 3
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More in 70mm reading:
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of
Doom”: The North American 70mm Engagements
Remembering “Indiana Jones And The Last
Crusade”
Remembering “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
in70mm.com's page about films blown up to 70mm
35mm to 70mm Engagements by Year
35mm to 70mm Engagements by Title
Presented on the big screen in 7OMM
The Alleged 70mm
Releases
70mm Blow Ups
Which Never Were
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Memorable
Dialogue |
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“Hey, Dr. Jones, no time for love. We got company.” — Short Round
“A boat? We’re not sinking. We’re crashing!” — Willie Scott
“There are some scenes that are violent and depict the evil of the Temple of Doom. This picture is not called ‘The Temple of Roses’; it is called ‘The Temple of Doom.’ The warning is clearly marked on the box.” — Steven Spielberg
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What the Critics Said |
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 “This movie is one of the most relentlessly nonstop action pictures ever made, with a virtuoso series of climactic sequences that must last an hour and never stop for a second. It’s a roller-coaster ride, a visual extravaganza, a technical triumph, and a whole lot of fun.” — Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“Yech! I don’t care if this film makes $100 million. Since when does big box office equate with intelligence, quality, culture or even a smidgen of social conscience?” — Gary Franklin, KCBS-TV, Los Angeles
“This time the 1930s archaeologist/adventurer has a weaker story and wimpier heroine.” — Leonard Maltin, “Entertainment Tonight”
“Though it looks as if it had cost a fortune, ‘Indiana Jones’ doesn’t go anywhere, possibly because it is composed entirely of a succession of climaxes. It could end at any point with nothing essential being lost. Watching it is like spending a day at an amusement park, which is probably what Mr. Spielberg and his associates intended. It moves tirelessly from one ride or attraction to the next, only occasionally taking a minute out for a hot dog, and then going right on to the next unspeakable experience.” — Vincent Canby, The New York Times
“If at all possible, see ‘Doom’ in a movie house showing it in 70mm and Dolby Stereo. Why settle for half the effect?” — Rick Lyman, Philadelphia Inquirer
“‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ has to be the greatest action movie ever filmed. No other movie ever has offered such a generous feast of breathtaking thrills, rough-and-tumble spills, colorful-and-funny frills and heart-grabbing chills. Yes, Spielberg and Lucas have done it again.” — Jack Garner, (Rochester) Democrat and Chronicle
“One of the greatest assets Spielberg and Lucas have had was their ability to go straight to the movie myths of their childhoods and, in reworking them, enrich a new generation of moviegoers. This time it feels as though they could never erase these movies from their memories, and now no one else will be able to either.” — Sheila Benson, Los Angeles Times
“‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ has a lot of laughs, thrills, noise, detail, darkness and sheer entertainment packed into it. It’s a tribute to hokiness through and through. For being exactly what you’d expect, I give it four little men leaping out of their chairs (though two of them aren’t clapping, they’re gagging on monkey brains). — Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
“There’s so much movie in this movie—that’s the basic reason that ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ is so appealing. Its main show, a five-minute chase sequence in mining cars between Indiana and Short Round and Willie in one car and the henchmen of the evil child-abuser Mola Ram in another. This beautifully directed and edited chase is even more exhilarating than one’s childhood memory of the roller-coaster sequence in ‘This is Cinerama’ (1952). And it’s almost as exciting as a real trip on Walt Disney World’s Space Mountain. Credit Spielberg and producer Lucas’ special effects team at Industrial Light & Magic for this entry on anyone’s list of filmdom’s greatest chases.” — Gene Siskel, Chicago Tribune
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Awards |
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Visual Effects (Oscar), Special Visual Effects (BAFTA).
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Release dates (day.month.year) |
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 • Go to
“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”: The North American 70mm
Engagements
23.05.1984 … Canada
23.05.1984 … United States
15.06.1984 … United Kingdom
28.06.1984 … Hong Kong
05.07.1984 … Argentina
07.07.1984 … Japan
12.07.1984 … Netherlands
13.07.1984 … Sweden
19.07.1984 … Australia
19.07.1984 … Brazil
19.07.1984 … Colombia
19.07.1984 … New Zealand
20.07.1984 … Denmark
03.08.1984 … West Germany
17.08.1984 … Finland
17.08.1984 … Norway
12.09.1984 … France
27.09.1984 … Italy
05.10.1984 … Spain
12.10.1984 … Mexico
HOME VIDEO RELEASE: September 1986
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Trivia, Tidbits & Factoids |
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“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” is set one year prior to the events in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”.
The names of the film’s three principal characters were inspired by the names of the filmmakers’ pet dogs: Indiana (George Lucas), Willie (Steven Spielberg), Short Round (Willard Huyck & Gloria Katz).
Original title: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Death”.
The miniature stop-motion-animation footage for the mine-car chase sequence was filmed using a consumer Nikon SLR 35mm camera.
The name of the bar in the opening Shanghai sequence was Club Obi-Wan, an inside joke and reference to one of the classic characters from “Star Wars”.
Members of the production crew, including Spielberg and Lucas, played missionaries during the airport scene. Also look for Dan Aykroyd in same scene.
Film broke existing single-day boxoffice record on Sunday, 27 May 1984 with $9.3 million in ticket sales.
Producer Frank Marshall played the sailor on the rickshaw during the Shanghai chase scene.
In conjunction with the release of the movie, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas placed their hand and foot prints in the cement courtyard of Mann’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
Reaction to the violence featured in the movie (along with b) prompted the formation of the PG-13 rating.
The movie’s 70mm print order (243) was the largest ever for a North American release.
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Sources/References |
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Numerous newspaper articles, reviews and advertisements; and Boxofficemojo; The Hollywood Reporter, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984, Lucasfilm Ltd./Paramount Pictures); Internet Movie Database; “The Making of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”; Time Magazine; Variety.
Special thanks to Miguel Carrara, Nick DiMaggio, Bill Kretzel, Jim Perry, Tim Schafbuch, and the many librarians who contributed to this project.
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Updated
28-07-24 |
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