Not only is NYC the backdrop to our every day lives, it also serves as the backdrop on the big screen time and time again. Rightfully so, it’s certainly an iconic city. But when it comes down to it, some landmarks are shown love more than others.
Filming location expert Giggster recently published their Movie Locations Report, which uncovers the states and cities with the most movie presence as well as the most filmed landmarks around the world. And because New York City is that girl, four of its landmarks have been named in the top ten most popular U.S. film locations! Before we tell you which ones they are though, let’s look more into New York’s role in the film industry.
According to the report, the U.S. is considered the capital of the movie industry and the birthplace of several genres, and New York has been named the second most “cinematic” state, with 294,885 movies filmed here. It makes sense why more and more film studios keep opening here, from Robert De Niro’s Wildflower Studios to Long Island City’s Borden Studios! Fun fact: the first movie ever shot in New York was a silent movie released in 1901, titled What Happened on 23rd Street, New York City.
As for which specific city is the most cinematic, that title went to New York City, which is featured in more movies–273,569, to be exact–than anywhere else in the U.S. New York City’s most famous movies include American Psycho, Goodfellas, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, according to the study.
Okay, now back to the landmarks. According to the numbers, four NYC landmarks are in the top ten most popular U.S. film locations. These landmarks include:
- Central Park – #3 with 1,065 movies
- Times Square – #5 with 644 movies
- Coney Island – #8 with 464 movies
- Greenwich Village – #9 with 411 movies
To conduct the study, Giggster used data from IMDb’s advanced search to find the number of movies with scenes at a chosen set of locations. Using World Population Review, Giggster considered the 30 most populated U.S. cities to get their seeding list for U.S. cities.
So, next time you find yourself wandering the streets of NYC, be aware–you may just see yourself in the background on the big screen one day!
And because we’re supporters of the fact that spooky season should be year-round, check out these locations in NYC where scary movies were filmed.