Movies are engrossing and alluring in a way that many other art forms cannot quite capture. Films have the ability to transform an audience’s emotions from one scene to the next through whip-smart dialogue, superb acting, a well-written script, beautifully shot pictures, and fitting musical scores. These are all characteristics of filming a movie that are often not lost on the audience. Many of them are in your face as the audience gets lost in each scene.
But one part of moviemaking that might get overlooked is the film’s location. Where the movie is shot can have a great impact on the audience’s perception and how they receive the movie.
How often have we watched a movie and without even realizing it, the city in the background has made an impact on how we viewed the film? It happens all the time. A city’s unmistakable skyline, a famous landmark, or even the vibe of a location can all contribute to how we take in a movie. Their impact is undeniable and leaves a mark on the film itself. Where a production crew chooses to shoot is an important decision from the very start of the filmmaking process. For a variety of reasons, certain cities often become one of the stars of a movie more than others. Here are twenty of the most popular cities for filming movies.
20 San Francisco, California, USA
The most expensive U.S. city to live in is also one of its most filmed. With scenic hills and those distinctly Victorian homes lining the city’s undulating streets, San Francisco is a picturesque location to film in. Primarily chosen as a location to shoot lighthearted movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, Blue Jasmine and American Graffiti because of its beautiful backdrop, it has recently seen the action get cranked up over the Golden Gate Bridge in movies like Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
19 Rome, Italy
With so many historically significant landmarks throughout the city of Eternal Love, it’s easy to see why film producers and directors have opted to take their crews to Rome to make movies.
Home to globally famous attractions like the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica and a rich history, many movies set in ancient times have no choice but to film here.
Some of the more notable films shot in Rome are Gladiator, Spectre from the James Bond series, Angels and Demons and The Passion of the Christ.
18 Liverpool, England
Second only to London in the country of England when it comes to filmmaking, Liverpool doesn’t exactly scream “Hollywood”. The reality is that although not many movies are actually set in Liverpool, there are a great number of them that are shot in the city.
Because of its advanced architecture for a smaller city, filmmakers often use Liverpool as a double to stand in for much larger cities such as New York, Paris and of course, London, but do so at a much lower cost.
Famous movies filmed in Liverpool are Fast & Furious 6, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows.
17 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Because of the city’s penchant for gambling, partying and non-stop adult fun, any movie that is set out to make a raunchy comedy catering to adult humor can pick Las Vegas and win when it comes to film location. If a movie has any form of gambling, it’s almost a safe bet that it’s going to be set and filmed in Las Vegas. With a rich history in cinema, some pretty standout movies have been shot here including The Hangover series, 21, Iron Man, No Country for Old Men, and of course, Casino.
16 Ireland
Movies don’t immediately come to mind when you think of the small country of Ireland. You tend to think of leprechauns, green shamrocks and beer, but film should definitely be added to this list, especially with its major uptick into the movie foray recently.
Because of the country’s stunningly beautiful green landscapes, film crews are opting to use its green plains and islands to stand in for their settings.
Some huge box office hits have all taken to the country to shoot on location such as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Saving Private Ryan, Braveheart, and the most recent entry into the Star Wars universe.
15 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
The City of Brotherly Love is one of America’s most popular and arguably its most historic location, so it stands to reason a lot of movies are going to be set in Philadelphia.
With the country having so much of its origins start right in Philly, movies are bound to set up shop here including National Treasure which quite literally visited and filmed most of the city’s famous landmarks. Other notables are films like Rocky and Philadelphia couldn’t exist without the city because they are the essence of the city itself.
14 Vancouver, Canada
The large metropolitan city in Canada is starting to expand its presence in the film industry, especially in recent years for two major reasons – money and architecture. Because Vancouver is in Canada, filmmakers get some pretty big tax breaks and can film here for much cheaper than in the States. They get to use the city as a stand-in for pretty much any major city in the world because of its standout architecture.
Notable movies filmed here are the Percy Jackson series, Juno, and Fifty Shades of Grey.
13 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Joining many of the other cities on this list as the perfect setting to film in as a stand-in city, New Orleans has also risen to major prominence within the movie industry in recent times. Probably the city that has made the biggest strides in the industry out of any on this list, the Big Easy has been used to film more movies in recent memory than almost any other on this list with the exception of a couple.
Now ranked toward the top within the industry because of its low-cost rates, the city has stood in for movies such as Jurassic World, Django Unchained, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button while also being a major hub for TV series like American Horror Story and True Detective.
12 Tokyo, Japan
As the world’s largest city at well over 30 million residents, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that movies are going to be set and filmed in Tokyo.
With such a distinct cultural impact throughout the world, the people of Japan have so many stories to tell and filmmakers have flocked to Tokyo to film them.
Some major movies shot on location are Kill Bill, James Bond’s Skyfall, Last Samurai, Lost in Translation, and Memoirs of a Geisha.
11 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Like other North American cities on this list, Atlanta gets some pretty significant business in the film industry because of its healthy tax credits that incentivize filmmakers to shoot there. It gives it a major competitive advantage, resulting in it being the third most used filming location in the country.
Major movies shot here include Baby Driver, Black Panther and most of The Hunger Games series with the exception of the first installment.
10 Barcelona, Spain
Taking a trip across the ocean over to Spain, Barcelona has been the backdrop of many movies, especially those set in the native language. Used because of its landmark locations, unique street designs and distinct architecture, it’s easy to see why it would be chosen for its beauty.
Beyond the aesthetics of Barcelona, its rich culture has always been a draw which includes Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Biutiful.
9 Chicago, Illinois, USA
The third largest city in America and one of its most popular, Chicago has been used for decades within the film industry. Although its presence as a movie city has come down some since its height in the 80’s and 90’s, it is still featured in a great number of movies.
With some truly standout classics, Chicago’s repertoire includes movies such as Sixteen Candles, The Untouchables, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Dark Knight which gave the Caped Crusader one last epic battle with Heath Ledger’s Joker.
8 Iceland
When Iceland comes to mind, people probably think of ice and cold. The truth is that the country is cold, but it’s also home to some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes. With incredible mountains, glaciers, green fields and cold beaches, any number of films looking to use impressive natural settings can use Iceland.
Notable movies that have had the country fill in for some of their epic settings are Thor: The Dark World, Batman Begins, some of the Star Wars films, and Interstellar’s out of this world planetary systems. Don’t forget the biggest of them all, Game of Thrones.
7 Hong Kong, China
Becoming one of the biggest markets in the film industry, China will one day pass the United States as the highest grossing country at the box office. With a population of over one billion people, the country is not only used for filming, but has branched off and delved into a majorly successful cinema industry of its own.
Hong Kong in particular has been home to some of Hollywood’s biggest films including the Rush Hour series, The Departed, and Blade Runner.
6 Toronto, Canada
Like Vancouver, Toronto has ramped up its presence in the movie industry, standing in as a major city and sometimes even being the setting of some movies, considering its one of the largest metropolises in North America.
Home to more movies than many would imagine, its notable films include American Psycho, Cruel Intentions, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Mean Girls, and ironically, Chicago. On top of that, the TV drama, Suits, set in Manhattan, is actually filmed mostly in Toronto.
5 Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Boston is one of America’s greatest cities, rich in both culture and history. With so many of Hollywood’s A-Listers coming from Boston, many of them choose to film their projects in the city they love so dearly. The city is often shot on location, but also has the designation of also serving as the setting as well since so many stories opt to take place there.
Notable movies include The Departed, The Social Network, Good Will Hunting, and just about any Ben Affleck-directed movie including The Town.
4 London, England
The largest movie industry city outside of the United States resides in London. Second only to two cities on our list, London is home to many films, both US and UK.
With England having such a significant pop cultural impact on US art, London is one of the world’s premier shooting locations, not only as a stand-in, but as the setting of many films.
Some of its most notable movies are A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, 28 Days Later, V for Vendetta, Love Actually, a number of Harry Potter films, and so many more.
3 Paris, France
Europe’s most beloved city, Paris, is almost always chosen as a film location because of its grand allure. With its storied culture, iconic landmarks and the simple fact that it’s Paris, there’s never a shortage of reasons to shoot in the city.
Home to many of cinema’s romantic movies because after all, it is Paris, as well as a number of other genres, Paris will always be a part of movie lore.
Its filmography includes standouts such as Midnight in Paris, Last Tango in Paris, Inception, Les Miserables, Amelie, and Leon The Professional.
2 Los Angeles, California, USA
It’s home to Hollywood. It even has a big sign overlooking the city announcing that it’s home to the stars and all of the cinema world. Long known as the king of the movie industry for nearly a century, Los Angeles is home to more movies than any other city in the world.
That status as king has since dwindled as it has in fact been passed by other cities as far as the number of set locations goes. Either way, L.A. will always be the city of glamour and glitz and home to more actors and actresses than anywhere else.
With too many movies to list in its storied past, Hollywood is synonymous with the word movie, itself.
1 New York City, New York, USA
It has long been film’s most beloved city. Although it can’t boast that it is home to more set productions than any other city, it can claim that it’s America’s go to city as a film’s setting.
The city’s allure, iconic standing in the world, unmatched architecture, storied past and world-famous landmarks are all reasons why New York City is the world’s favorite filming location.
Outside of production studios with green screens, NYC can tout that it has more set locations than any other city in the world with Central Park being number one followed by other iconic sites like the Empire State Building, Little Italy, the Brooklyn Bridge and Coney Island.
Long considered the obvious choice for destroying a city, it has also joined the ranks as a rom-com favorite as well as any other genre one can think of.
References: Destiny Connect, Huffington Post, We Go To Pop, IMDB