When choosing which neighborhood to buy your home in, you could end up living on a street that made it to the silver screen. That’s why American Home Shield has analyzed location data from IMDb to uncover the most filmed streets in the United States.
America has sold itself to the world through the cinema screen. And, for half a century, location shooting has been the common way of doing so, even in the big studio world of Hollywood. But, while a powerful location can turn a pedestrian movie into a runaway classic, many of the same places get used again and again.
In fact, our study found that nine out of the ten most filmed streets are in NYC or LA. And 44 out of the top 50 are in the states of California or New York. However, we also found that many other cities have their own superstar streets.
Whether you’re wondering how screen-friendly is your street or you’re in the process of researching a neighborhood before buying a house, make sure to explore our interactive map to guide you through the America you see in the movies – without make-up.
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles
Featured in: 133 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Lethal Weapon (1987), Borat (2006), Mulholland Drive (2001)
The fortunes of Hollywood Boulevard have risen, fallen, and re-risen with those of the big Hollywood studios. Today, the street has the storied patina of an aged character actor. Renamed from ‘Prospect Avenue’ at the dawn of Hollywood history, the boulevard was soon lined with picture palaces and glamorous stores, becoming ‘seedy’ and ‘funky’ in the 1970s – right as New Hollywood drew filmmakers out of the studio and into the real world.
So, across the years, the Boulevard has offered not just convenience for location scouts but a ripening charisma. And that’s to say nothing of its secret alleys.
Image Credit: SeanPavonePhoto/iStock.
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles
Featured in: 64 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Hollywood filmmaking can be something of a closed-loop ring road. The movies make the glamour that warps or fades until it becomes interesting enough to be worth its own movie. Two of cinema’s most celebrated Hollywood-themed pictures borrow the names of their real-life locations. In Sunset Boulevard (1950), a faded starlet plots her triumphant return to the screen from her mansion on the eponymous street – known for its tinsel-town glamour since the early days of Hollywood.
Image Credit: felixmizioznikov/iStock.
Park Avenue, New York City
Featured in: 61 Movies
Most Notable Credits: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), The Avengers (2012), Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Like LA, some of New York City’s most used locations have also had movies named after them. Park Avenue is overall the most used location in New York City, with 61 IMDb credits.
Image Credit: tarabird/iStock.
Broadway Manhattan, New York City
Featured in: 51 Movies
Most Notable Credits: The Godfather (1972), You’ve Got Mail (1998), Taxi Driver (1976)
While Sunset Boulevard instantly conjures the glamour of filmmaking in LA, Broadway is shorthand for the drama, duplicity, and egos of east coast theater. Michael Keaton’s jittery turn as a faded star/director in Birdman drags the viewer on an actor’s tour of New York in what appears to be a single long take, with his Broadway production as its hub.
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5th Avenue, New York City
Featured in: 46 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Goodfellas (1990) ,American Psycho (2000), Ghostbusters (1984)
Image Credit: AlexandreFagundes/iStock.
Wall Street, New York City
Featured in: 45 Movies
Most Notable Credits: The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), The Devil’s Advocate (1997), Wall Street (1987) .
Wall Street, as the hub of the New York Stock Exchange, has headline films including Wall Street (1987) and The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). It has also symbolized wealth, greed, or corruption in pictures such as Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986) and The Devil’s Advocate (1997).
Image Credit: lucky-photographer/iStock.
Vine Street, Los Angeles
Featured in: 35 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Inland Empire (2006),The Italian Job (2003),The Muppet Movie (1979)
Image Credit: Ali Çobanoğlu/iStock.
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles
Featured in: 31 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Forrest Gump (1994),Blow (2001),Seven (1995)
Image Credit: vesperstock/iStock.
Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles
Featured in: 28 Movies
Most Notable Credits: (Mulholland Drive 2001), Nightcrawler (2014), Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Mulholland Drive is the location of the car crash that kickstarts the splitting plot of David Lynch’s 2001 movie of the same name. The film tells the tale of a hopeful young actress’s arrival on the Hollywood scene, and her descent into the community’s dark underbelly.
Image Credit: mixmotive/iStock.
Market Street, San Francisco
Featured in: 22 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Basic Instinct (1992),Zodiac (2007),Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
Image Credit: batuhanozdel/iStock.
Bourbon Street, New Orleans
Featured in: 16 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Live and Let Die (1973) Point of No Return (1993) Tightrope (1984)
Image Credit: SeanPavonePhoto/iStock.
East Fremont Street, Las Vegas
Featured in: 10 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Natural Born Killers (1994)
Image Credit: Sean Pavone/ iStock.
Lower Wacker Drive, Chicago
Featured in: 7 Movies
Most Notable Credits: The Dark Knight (2008),Batman Begins (2005), The Blues Brothers (1980)
Image Credit: Shelly Bychowski/iStock.
Boardwalk Atlantic City, New Jersey
Featured in: 6 Movies
Most Notable Credits: Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Warrior (2011),The Bounty Hunter (I) (2010)
Image Credit: littleny/iStock.
Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC
Featured in: 5 Movies
Most Notable Credits: The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Body of Lies (2008), Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016)
Image Credit: Tim Brown/iStock.
METHODOLOGY & SOURCES
Using IMDb Advanced Search, we selected the movies from 01.01.1900 to 31.12.2020 that had data about filming locations. Then using Google Geocoding API, we cleaned the locations and kept only routes (streets, avenues, etc.) and intersections (for which we counted both crossing roads).
Finally, we collated the total number of combined movie and TV credits for each street. We only looked at instances where the street was filmed, rather than a landmark or location located on a specific street.
We merged Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood with the same streets in Los Angeles.
AHS assumes no responsibility, and specifically disclaims all liability, for your use of any and all information contained herein.
This article originally appeared on ahs.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
Image Credit: EvgeniyShkolenko / istockphoto.
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