Film locations outside Hollywood you should know about
Central Park has appeared in close to 350 films, cementing its status as the most filmed landmark on the planet. From The Devil’s Advocate and Men in Black II to Spider-Man 3 and John Wick, the park keeps turning up on screen whenever a production needs an instantly recognizable stretch of New York green.
Other domestic standbys such as Venice Beach, Greenwich Village, and Astoria still pull their weight, yet the bigger story now stretches across borders. Studios chase incentives, crews, and fresh backdrops that simply do not exist inside the old studio gates.
India now leads annual film output with more than 2,500 titles, while the United States remains prominent even as overseas production climbs. The United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Australia, and Italy round out the current top tier. Locations that once served as occasional pit stops have become regular stops on the production calendar.
Emerging Film Hubs in the US and Beyond
Nevada and New Mexico have moved from supporting players to serious contenders. Warner Bros. has locked in commitments in Nevada, drawn by tax credits and vast desert terrain that doubles for everything from Mars to the American West. New Mexico expanded its incentive package and now hosts a growing Netflix hub, capitalizing on the same 30-plus percent drop in Los Angeles on-location work that has sent crews elsewhere. These states prove the renaissance is not only international; domestic markets outside Southern California are claiming their share.
Sustainability in Global Film Locations
Overseas filming surged for cost reasons, yet many productions now weigh environmental logistics as well. Gold Coast crews coordinate with local land managers to limit foot traffic on dunes and rainforest edges during Aquaman follow-ups. UK studios at Elstree and Leavesden run closed-loop waste systems and schedule night shoots to protect nearby wildlife corridors. The same locations that once sold pure scenery now market themselves as partners that can balance volume with measurable low-impact practices.
Virtual Production and Its Impact on Traditional Locations
LED volume stages let directors capture interior car chases or alien planets without leaving the lot, but they have not erased the appetite for real places. Major facilities in London, Atlanta, and Sydney keep expanding their virtual walls while still booking weeks at Hatfield House or Iguaçu Falls when the script demands daylight and weather that cannot be faked. The technology reduces some travel days, yet the most iconic exteriors retain their draw precisely because they cannot be replicated inside a soundstage.
Post-Pandemic Recovery of International Film Tourism
Travel tied to film locations rebounded faster than expected. Gardens by the Bay in Singapore still sees steady queues from fans retracing Crazy Rich Asians scenes, and the Supertree Grove remains a default photo stop for visitors who first met the skyline on screen. Coachella Valley festivals continue to draw the same motorcycle-riding energy that A Star Is Born captured, turning the desert into both a concert destination and a pilgrimage site. The locations that survived the pause are now cashing in on the pent-up demand.
Coachella Valley, Palm Springs
The valley floor and surrounding hills served as the concert backdrops for A Star Is Born, where the real-life music festivals already supplied the lights and crowds. Motorcycle rides across the open desert gave the film its sun-bleached romance, and the same roads still host festival-goers who recognize the landscape from the movie.
Hertfordshire, UK
Elstree Studios and the Rickmansworth Masonic School hosted key sequences in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Skybreak House in Radlett stood in for the brutalist home in A Clockwork Orange, while Hatfield House supplied the stately interiors for Shakespeare in Love and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. More recently, Hatfield House appeared in the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte, and ongoing investment at the county’s studios keeps the pipeline active.
Iguaçu Waterfalls, Argentina
The 275 falls on the Argentina-Brazil border supplied the Warrior Falls setting for Black Panther and earlier served the jungle sequences in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The sheer scale of water and mist still draws second-unit crews whenever a script calls for an untamed natural arena.
Singapore
Gardens by the Bay and its twelve Supertrees formed the futuristic skyline for Crazy Rich Asians. The vertical gardens remain a signature visual that continues to sell the city-state as both a modern business hub and a photogenic destination.
Gold Coast, Australia
Aquaman filmed at Hastings Point, Amity Point, and Currumbin Beach, where rainforest backs right up to the sand. The same studios have since hosted Godzilla x Kong and other large-scale productions, confirming the Gold Coast’s continued role as a Pacific hub for water and jungle work.
India
India produces the most films globally, and its landmark sites remain in constant rotation. Udaipur palaces, Darjeeling tea estates, Kashmir valleys, and Varanasi ghats supply the backdrops for countless productions. Chapora Fort in Goa is now widely known as the “Dil Chahta Hai Fort” after the 2001 hit, while Hidimba Devi Mandir in Manali continues to appear in hill-station sequences. Bollywood Parks in Dubai packages replicas of these sites for visitors who want the tour without the long-haul flight.
Los Angeles production volume dropped sharply through 2024 and 2025 as incentives pulled work to the UK, Canada, and select U.S. states. The shift has not erased Hollywood’s influence, but it has spread the work across a wider map. The locations once considered supporting players now carry entire schedules, and the films keep arriving.
