In depth · Film
Hawaiʻi on film: the valley of Kualoa and the big screen
Kualoa Ranch calls its windward valley Hollywood’s “Hawaii backlot”: more than 200 films and television shows have been made there since the 1950s. Four to watch before you go, with trailers only from the studios’ own channels.
Updated November 2026
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Kualoa Ranch’s movie-site tour stops at the setting of Kong: Skull Island in its windward valley (Kualoa Ranch).
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
The ranch’s tour also shows the Jumanji dance-fight area (Kualoa Ranch).
50 First Dates (2004)
The romantic comedy set on Oʻahu: the gate from the film is one of the stops on Kualoa’s tour (Kualoa Ranch).
Jurassic Park (1993)
Kualoa Ranch runs a Jurassic Adventure Tour of its valley (Kualoa Ranch).
Seeing the valley, and the festival
Book Kualoa Ranch’s movie-site tour ahead on its own site; it rides through the valley in a vintage bus. In Honolulu, the Hawaiʻi International Film Festival brings Asian, Pacific and world cinema each November (HIFF).
Our advice: watch Kong: Skull Island before you go, then look for the valley as you drive the windward coast.
Questions and answers
Where were films shot on Oʻahu?
Kualoa Ranch on the windward coast has been the setting of more than 200 films and television shows since the 1950s, among them Kong: Skull Island, Jumanji and 50 First Dates (Kualoa Ranch).