Movies Filmed in Chicago

While visiting the Windy City, it is essential that you participate in a sightseeing tour that encompasses all of Chicago’s most significant attractions, such as The Bean and The Skydeck atop the Willis Tower. Another fun way to see the city is by stopping by the locations in which many of your favorite movies were filmed. We’ve compiled a list of some of the most notable movies that were shot in Chicago - some of which might surprise you! 

 

• The Blues Brothers (1980)

 

(Photo via @cinema.magic / Instagram)

Let’s start with the movie that is credited for popularizing Chicago as a major filmmaking destination - The Blues Brothers. This film follows brothers Jake and Elwood Blues as they attempt to reunite their old R&B band while on the run from the Chicago police. This movie highlights many destinations in Chicago, such as the Soul Food Cafe and Ray’s Music Exchange. If you want to feel as though you’ve truly stepped inside of the film, follow this location guide that includes a list of the movie’s Chicago filming locations.

 

• Batman Begins (2005)

 

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You’d be right in assuming that Gotham City is a fictional location. However, it may look familiar. Batman Begins utilizes locations in Chicago, such as Lower Wacker Drive and the Franklin-Orleans Street Bridge, as backdrops for scenes that are meant to take place in Gotham. Chicago serves as the face of Gotham in a multitude of movies following Batman Begins, including The Dark Knight (2008), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and The Batman (2022). 

 

• My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)

 

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This feel good Rom-Com features a star-studded cast, including Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, and Cameron Diaz, and showcases Roberts’ character attempting to break up the marriage of her best friend (Mulroney) and his fiancée’s (Diaz) impending marriage, due to her newly realized love for Mulroney’s character. My Best Friend’s Wedding showcases many different locations within Chicago, including the Drake Hotel, O’Hare International Airport, Union Station, Guaranteed Rate Field, and more! Check out the filming locations for this movie and be sure to sing “I Say a Little Prayer” along the way in honour of Rupert Everett’s iconic musical number in the movie. 

 

• Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

 

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Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a John Hughes classic that follows a day in Bueller’s life as he ditches school and enjoys a fun-filled day in the streets of Chicago with his best friend and girlfriend. There are many notable places in Chicago featured in this film, such as The Art Institute of Chicago, the Sears Tower, Wrigley Field, and many more locations amongst the city streets. Have your own day of fun and visit the filming spots from this movie. 

 

• Divergent (2014)

 

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Similarly to Gotham City in Batman Begins, Divergent employs Chicago as the backdrop for a city that does not exist - well, sort of. This film is about a young girl navigating her life in a futuristic, dystopian Chicago which is divided into five “factions” categorized based on virtues. While the movie’s version of Chicago doesn’t exist, it does look eerily similar to the Chicago we know and love since they utilized many recognizable locations in Chicago during filming. Such locations include Navy Pier, Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist, and many other locations in the streets of Chicago.

 

• Sixteen Candles (1984)

 

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Sixteen Candles is another classic John Hughes film, which features Molly Ringwald and is about her character’s disastrous sixteenth birthday. This movie includes set locations throughout some parts of Chicago, but mainly takes place within the Illinois suburbs just outside of the city, such as New Trier High School in Winnetka, Highland Park, and Glencoe Union Church. Take a short drive from Chicago to check out some of the locations that can be seen throughout this iconic coming-of-age film.

 

• Child’s Play (1988)

 

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Child’s Play is a slasher horror film that centers around a mother and her son as they are terrorized by a doll that is possessed by the soul of a serial killer. Much of this film takes place in Chicago locations, such as the Brewster Building Apartments and the Town Hall District Police Station. Make sure to watch the movie just before visiting the locations to make them feel extra eerie!

 

• Home Alone (1990)

 

(Photo via @cinemartistry / Instagram)

Did I mention John Hughes loves Illinois? Home Alone is another of his films that highlights locations in Chicago and, like Sixteen Candles, the suburbs of Illinois. This beloved Christmas movie follows Kevin McCallister attempting to outwit two burglars after his family accidentally leaves him at home during their holiday vacation. This film includes shots in the O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, as well as many of the same, if not similar, locations featured in Sixteen Candles, such as New Trier West High School and the suburbs of Winnetka. 

 

• Candyman (1992) / Candyman (2021)

 

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Candyman (1992) is about a grad student who accidentally summons the murderous soul of The Candyman while researching the urban legend. This movie is very Chicago-centric, including filming locations such as the Cabrini-Green Public Housing Projects, the University of Illinois, and the Penn Central Freight Yards. The 2021 sequel by the same name takes place in the now-gentrified Chicago neighbourhood where the legend began, and features a very similar plot to the original. Like the 1992 film, this movie takes place in the Cabrini-Green Public Housing Projects, as well as other Chicago locations such as the Museum Of Contemporary Art and North Park.

 

• The Sting (1973)

 

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Set in 1936, The Sting centers around two grifters played by Robert Redford and Paul Newman as they attempt to con a mob boss. This film showcases many noteworthy locations throughout Chicago, including Union Station, LaSalle Street Station, the Penn Central Freight Yards, 43rd Street El Station, and more. Feel free to visit these filming locations, but do us a favour and hold off on performing any con artistry while you’re there.

 

• While You Were Sleeping (1995)

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While You Were Sleeping follows a lonely, hopeless romantic Chicago Transit worker (Sandra Bullock) who is mistaken for the fiancée of her longtime crush while he is in a coma. The filming of this movie took place in multiple recognizable Chicago locations, including Lake Point Tower, Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Portage Park, Randolph/Wabash El Station, and many more. Stop by the spots in which this movie was filmed to feel like you’re the main character of your own Rom-Com!