Famous Filming Locations in Chicago
Chicago – with its beautiful skylines, iconic neighborhoods, lake views, and Art Deco skyscrapers – has been the setting of more than 250 movies over the past hundred years.
Chicago and the surrounding areas have been featured in movies such as Home Alone, The Blues Brothers, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and many more. Besides the city skyline itself, Chicago also has some iconic filming locations that you’ll recognize in your favorite movies.
To celebrate the Giggster launch in Chicago, we decided to list some of the city’s most iconic filming locations. Check out these iconic movie spots, or follow this link to view our catalog of filming locations you can rent in Chicago.
1) “The L” Train
The L (or El) Train in Chicago has featured in shots in some very prominent films, including Risky Business, The Blues Brothers and Divergent. It even gets some solid screen time in The Dark Knight. The L Train even features in an American remake of LOL, a French film.
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2) O’Hare International Airport
O’Hare Airport has been featured in multiple blockbuster films – remember that scene from Home Alone in which the family was rushing through the airport to get to their flight, forgetting their little kid? That was shot here. Scenes from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York were also shot here.
3) E 95th Street Bridge
This was where the famous The Blues Brothers scene where they jump their car over a bridge was shot. Some of you who’ve played the original Midtown Madness will recognize this one as well.
4) Biograph Theater
The facades of this theater, as well as adjoining businesses, were redressed to appear as they did in the 1930s for the film Public Enemies in 2009. It also featured in the 2000 film High Fidelity.
5) Wrigley Field
The most famous movie to have been shot inside the Wrigley Field is probably Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Another movie featuring this location is The Break Up with Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, and Jon Favreau.
6) The Chicago Board of Trade
This building, built in 1929 and finished in 1930, is located at 141 W. Jackson Blvd, and has been featured in several feature films, including Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Batman Begins, as well as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
7) Chicago Post Office Building
The opening scene in The Dark Knight in which The Joker and his band of clowns robs the Gotham National Bank is set in the old Chicago Post Office building. The same building also stood in for the exterior of the Gotham Police Department.
8) Daley Plaza
The Fugitive from 1993 features the Daley Plaza, through which Harrison Ford runs, before blending in with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade crowd.
9) Art Institute of Chicago
This is yet another location that is featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off from 1986. It is inside the Art Institute that Ferris stares at a painting by French painter Georges Seurat, whose works you can still observe at the Institute today.
10) The Chicago Hilton
Scenes from the hilarious Little Fockers were shot at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago, located at 720 S. Michigan Avenue. The building was opened in 1927 and was built by architectural firm Holabird & Root.
11) Willis Tower
Willis Tower, formerly Sears Tower, is where Batman stood and listened to the police radio after Joker’s attack on his party. It also featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off during Ferris’ visit to the observation deck.
So there you go, our list of some of the best and most iconic filming locations in Chicago. Hopefully this inspires you to move along in your location search for your project! Even if any of these locations are out of your budget, we've got an exhaustive list of photo and film location rentals in Chicago for you to choose from.