<P> Our philosophy has always been that we think up what we need in our life, choose something creative that will make that life fulfilling, and then follow that road . With Romeo and Juliet what I wanted to do was to look at the way in which Shakespeare might make a movie of one of his plays if he was a director . How would he make it? We don't know a lot about Shakespeare, but we do know he would make a' movie' movie . He was a player . We know about the Elizabethan stage and that he was playing for 3000 drunken punters, from the street sweeper to the Queen of England - and his competition was bear - baiting and prostitution . So he was a relentless entertainer and a user of incredible devices and theatrical tricks to ultimately create something of meaning and convey a story . That was what we wanted to do . </P> <P> Luhrmann obtained some funds from Fox to do a workshop and shoot some teaser footage in Sydney . Leonardo DiCaprio agreed to pay his own expenses to fly to Sydney and be part of it . Once Fox saw footage of the fight scene, they agreed to support it . </P> <P> All of the development was done in Australia, with pre-production in Australia and Canada and post-production in Australia . While some parts of the film were shot in Miami, most of the film was shot in Mexico City and Boca del Rio, Veracruz . For instance, the Capulet mansion was set at Chapultepec Castle while the ballroom was built on Stage One of Churubusco Studios; and the church is Immaculate Heart of Mary in the Del Valle neighborhood . </P> <P> The film premiered on November 1, 1996 in the United States and Canada, in 1,276 theaters, and grossed $11.1 million its opening weekend, ranking #1 at the box office . It went on to gross $46.3 million in the United States and Canada, with a worldwide total of USD $147,554,998 . </P>

Where was baz luhrmann's romeo and juliet filmed