The Indiana Jones DVD Set, according to Paramount is one of the fastest-selling DVD sets ever. Paramount records indicate that the trilogy sold over 1 million copies, grossing over $50 million in just its first week. The first Indiana Jones movie was released way back in 1981, with the fourth and final one in 2008, making the entire series a twenty-seven year long production.
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The first in the Indiana Jones franchise, Jones fights the Nazis who are in search of the Ark of the Covenant. The film, originating from George Lucas’s desire to create a modern version of the 1930s and 40s serials, it became the top grossing film of 1981, and remains one of the highest-grossing films ever made. Nominated for nine Academy Awards that year, it won five.
The Temple of Doom
In this, Jones arrives in India, and is asked to find a mystical stone and stumbles upon the Kali Thuggee cult. This movie was originally to be set in China with a hidden valley inhabited by dinosaurs, while other cancelled plot devices included the Monkey King and a haunted castle in Scotland. The filmmakers were denied permission to film in India as the government found the script racist, and was then filmed in Sri Lanka.
The Last Crusade
This movie saw Harrison Ford teaming up with Sean Connery, playing his father to find the Holy Grail. They fight off the Nazi’s again, but this time in 1936, before the World War II. Last Crusade, interestingly shows the side of the younger Jones played by River Phoenix, growing into the archaeologist he becomes. This installation was a financial success, outdoing the other two with $474,171,806 at the worldwide box office.
Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Released 19 years after the third movie, it pays tribute to science fiction B-movies, pitting Jones against Soviet agents. This film, which was a development hell, was finally a financial success, grossing over $786 million worldwide, becoming the second highest grossing film of 2008.