The 1991 film “Judgment Night,” starring Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr., Stephen Dorff and Denis Leary, was shot around Southern California and Chicago. The home of Frank Wyatt, played by Estevez, can be found in South Pasadena.
LOCATION: 1922 La France Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030
The 1993 action film “Demolition Man,” starring Sylvester Stallone as John Spartan and Wesley Snipes as Simon Phoenix, is set in the futuristic “San Angeles,” where San Diego and Los Angeles have become one giant metropolis. The production likewise filmed scenes in both cities.
The opening shot depicts a burning Hollywood sign from behind. There is a public hiking trail that goes up to and behind the sign. The sign itself is heavily monitored by security.
LOCATION: Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, CA 90068 (GPS coordinates: 34.134118, -118.321540)
The SAPD police headquarters can be found in Westlake Village, near Thousand Oaks. The same building was featured in the 1980s comedy “My Stepmother Is An Alien.”
LOCATION: 1 Baxter Way, Westlake Village, CA 91362
The Los Angeles Convention Center was composited into a futuristic view of Cocteau’s office. This particular view is at the corner of S Figueroa St and Pico Blvd.
LOCATION: 1201 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90015 (seen from intersection of S Figueroa St and Pico Blvd)
As John Spartan and Lenina Huxley, played by Sandra Bullock, drive to an upscale Taco Bell restaurant, they drive past this building, which is actually the San Diego Convention Center. The Convention Center famously hosts the annual San Diego Comic-Con. In 2018, as part of the Comic-Con there was a pop-up Taco Bell celebrating the film by recreating the set, as well as featuring props from the film.
LOCATION: 111 W Harbor Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
After a brief encounter with Egdar Friendly, played by Dennis Leary, Spartan and Huxley drive down the The America Plaza Trolley Station, located at the intersection of Kettner Blvd and W Broadway in San Diego. Spartan apologizes to Huxley as they drive.
LOCATION: America Plaza Trolley Station, San Diego, CA 92101
The Pacific Design Center served as the apartment of Huxley. Many films have shot here, including “Bowfinger” and “Her.” The interiors were also featured in the TV series “Westworld.”
LOCATION: 8687 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069
Spartan, Huxley and Garcia, played by Benjamin Bratt, go looking for Phoenix in the underground by entering through a manhole at this business park. Despite being a common business area with many pedestrians, located on one of the busiest roads in Los Angeles, security has very alarmist reactions to even casual photography. There are no “private property” or “no trespassing” signs anywhere to be seen, but they are confrontational if you attempt to take a photo.
LOCATION: 5750 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Simon Phoenix later emerges from the underground in the same area.
John Spartan and Huxley emerge from the San Diego Innovation Center, driving past the pyramid in front.
LOCATION: 620 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (facing S Figueroa St)
The car chase continues down Grand Lower in Downtown L.A. This is another popular area for both filming and photography. It has been featured in countless films, including “The Terminator,” “Robocop,” “Cobra,” “Batman Forever,” “Repo Man,” “Double Dragon,” “The Hidden” and many more. It was also featured in the TV series “Westworld.”
LOCATION: Grand Lower, Los Angeles, CA 90071
The Cryo-Penitentiary where the final confrontation takes place was filmed at a real jail in Downtown Los Angeles; the Metropolitan Detention Center. This courtyard area seen in the film sits between several buildings on the block and is open to the public.
LOCATION: 535 Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Here is another angle seen in the film of the same building, this time facing Alameda St.
The fully automated police cruiser driven by Spartan and Huxley in the film was featured on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, as part of an exhibit entitled “Hollywood Dream Machines: Vehicles Of Science Fiction and Fantasy” from May 2019 through May 2020. The vehicle was a 1992 General Motors Ultralite.
LOCATION: Peterson Automotive Museum, 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
In the 1998 Joe Dante film “Small Soldiers,” Alan’s house was not actually a real house, rather a set constructed on the Warner Bros. Ranch in Burbank, California. The set was built specifically for the film, but remained standing until 2023 and had been used for other productions, including “Pleasantville,” “The Curse Of La Llorona” and the TV series “Pushing Daisies.” The ranch was demolished in 2023 to make way for new sound stages and this set no longer exists there.
LOCATION: 411 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505 (demolished)
Another set from the film, The Inner Child toy store, is located over on the main studio lot of Warner Bros. and can in fact be seen on their studio tour. The building was famously later used as the coffee shop where Emma Stone works in “La La Land.”
LOCATION: 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank, CA 91505
Some of the establishing shots of the town were filmed at Orange Circle. A popular filming spot, Orange Circle has also been featured in such films as “That Thing You Do!,” “Big Momma’s House,” “Frailty” and many more.