New York City’s Central Park is the world’s #1 filming location. 532 movies have been filmed here. Trafalgar Square in London, England is also a popular location. Spain’s Cabo de Gata national park with its dusty deserts is also popular. Lawrence of Arabia, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade have all been filmed here. Over the years, Canada’s Toronto has also come up as a top favorite among many directors and producers. There is a long list of movies filmed in Toronto.
Why Are a Lot of Movies Filmed in Toronto
Hundreds of movies have been shot in the city in recent times. In fact, in the last two decades, television and film production has become a major economic activity in the city and contributed to its growth. In 1997, for example, it was just worth $600 million. But in 2017, it has grown to an impressive $1.8 billion. By 2021, this has crossed $2.5 billion. This trend has continued since then. According to estimates, the industry has given Toronto more than 30,000 jobs only last year. If you visit the city, you are likely to see many film crews around Toronto. There are many filming locations too.
But what is the reason behind this? There are several reasons for this.
Both federal and provincial laws have been promoting Toronto as a filming destination for many years. The city can also stand in for many US places like Chicago and NYC. Toronto’s authorities are keen to accommodate film crews. They provide parking space for the vehicles, provide police support, and block off roads, which means, all forms of help are offered.
The technical help is also available, like lighting and sound equipment, folie work, sound recording, and such others. There is a large talent pool to select from. There are other facilities too like body med in Toronto, which many actors and others like. The exchange rate is also favorable for US-based movie companies.
Here are some of the top movies that have been filmed in the city –
What Movies Were Filmed In Toronto
Film Name – My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Year of Release – 2002
Main Actors – Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan
Director – Joel Zwick
A romantic comedy, this film became a sleeper hit and collected more than $368.7 million. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was praised by many reviewers and spawned a franchisee. You can see many Toronto locations in the movie like the Greektown neighborhood, Harbourfront Centre, Ryerson University’s Rogers Communication Centre, Jarvis Collegiate, Enoch Turner schoolhouse, and the Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church.
Film Name – Pacific Rim
Year of Release – 2013
Main Actors – Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi
Director – Guillermo del Toro
The list of films shot in Toronto is extensive. Pacific Rim ranks as the most expensive movie ever shot in the city. Toronto was selected as the location, probably because the director, Guillermo del Toro, has a home here. He used the facilities at the Pinewood Toronto Studio to film this action-packed movie with special effects. You can see Scarborough Bluffs, Hearn Generating Station, and Elizabeth Street. If you haven’t seen Pacific Rim, you can see it on Amazon Prime Video.
Film Name – American Psycho
Year of Release – 2000
Main Actors – Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto
Director – Mary Harron
Debuting at the Sundance International Film Festival, American Psycho received great reviews immediately. Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, is a misogynistic and sociopathic murderer in the movie, but it doesn’t feel like that when you first see the character. It shows many locations of Toronto and NYC.
Film Name – The Time Traveler’s Wife
Year of Release – 2009
Main Actors – Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, Arliss Howard
Director – Robert Schwentke
Developed from the book written by Audrey Niffenegger, this movie tells the story of Henry DeTamble, who spends a lot of time traveling between different times in his life. The primary location was Chicago, but many scenes were filmed in Toronto, such as the University of Toronto and the Osgoode Hall Library.
Film Name – Good Will Hunting
Year of Release – 1997
Main Actors – Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck
Director – Gus Van Sant
A wonderful psychological drama, Good Will Hunting received nine nominations at the 70th Academy Awards and won two for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. It is a story of a working class mathematical genius. The University of Toronto campus, Harbord Sts., and Central Technical School at Bathurst are shown in this film.
Film Name – Resident Evil: Afterlife
Year of Release – 2010
Main Actors – Jeremy Bolt, Paul W. S. Anderson, Robert Kulzer
Director – Paul W. S. Anderson
Many of the Residential Evil movies have been filmed in Toronto. In the film, a helicopter lands on the Toronto City Hall. Afterlife has been extensively shot in the Cinespace Film Studios. It also shows Pharmacy building and the Scarborough campus of the University of Toronto.
Film Name – Mean Girls
Year of Release – 2004
Main Actors – Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows
Director – Mark Waters
A cult movie, Mean Girls is also based at Chicago. However, a majority of the scenes were filmed in Toronto. It shows the Convocation Hall of the University of Toronto and the Sherway Gardens mall. It is a comedy, but deals with many serious issues.
Film Name – The Incredible Hulk
Year of Release – 2008
Main Actors – Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth
Director – Louis Leterrier
The Incredible Hulk was filmed at various downtown Toronto locations. The Financial District and Yonge Street were both blocked during its filming. The Toronto filming locations of this action-packed adventure also includes the Morningside Park and the University of Toronto.
Film Name – Robocop
Year of Release – 2014
Main Actors – Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton
Director – José Padilha
The exterior scenes were shot in College Street. It also shows the Hearn Generating Station in the Port Lands. The high-tech body armor suit of Joel Kinnaman received immediate attention.
Film Name – Chloe
Year of Release – 2009
Main Actors – Joe Medjuck, Jeffrey Clifford, Ivan Reitman
Director – Atom Egoyan
An erotic thriller, Chloe tells the story of a call girl, who was hired by the wife to seduce her husband. However, it all goes wrong. You can see many of the city’s landmarks here, including Café Diplomatico, The Rivoli, the Royal Ontario Museum, The Art Gallery of Ontario, and the CN Tower.
Next time, when you see them, try to identify these movie locations.
