Wedding bells ring success for NT

The Australian romantic comedy took over $1 million in its first weekend, beaten only by Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame.

The feel-good film features the Northern Territory destinations including Darwin, Katherine, Kakadu and the Tiwi Islands.

The movie was supported by the NT Government with Tourism NT providing destination insights, development funding and production support – aimed at promoting the Northern Territory to Australia and the world.

To leverage the film's interest, a major integrated marketing campaign by Tourism NT will culminate with with a live wedding on the Nine Network’s TODAY Show following a national competition for viewers to win a wedding in the Top End. The competition attracted more than 13,000 entries with the prize valued at more than $75,000.

To coincide with the live-to-air TV wedding, is the launch of a six-part web series called Location Scouts.

The behind-the-scenes fictional narrative comedy, developed by the award-winning Van Vuuren Brothers of Bondi Hipster fame, follows the story of veteran location scout, Steve Grogan and his millennial off-sider, Morgan, as they search for the ultimate NT locations for the Top End Wedding movie.

Tourism NT Executive General Manager of Marketing, Tony Quarmby, said the objective of the campaign is to show audiences that Darwin is a modern, diverse city, surrounded by stunning landscapes and experiences.

“This campaign has been years in the making and we’re thrilled to share our vibrant and contemporary Territory with new audiences here and around the world," he said.

“The time has come to refresh Australians’ understanding and knowledge of our incredible destination and this has been done so beautifully both on the big screen and with targeted, results-driven marketing activities, including some fantastic original content that will resonate with audiences globally.

“Leveraging the film, the supporting marketing campaign is not only set to change long-standing perceptions of the destination but also drive immediate sales and visitation.

“We’re sending an invitation to millions of Australians to RSVP to an unforgettable holiday in the Northern Territory."