Film locations are of course not limited only to the United States and neither are we! Several sequences in Marvel’s “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” were shot in Seoul, South Korea.
Ultron tries to force Dr. Helen Cho to make him a new body at U-Gin Genetics Research Lab, where Captain America later shows up. The research lab is in fact a cultural building used for restaurants, exhibitions, conferences and performances on the Some Sevit Floating Islands. The islands were man-made on the banks of the Han River, in an effort to bring more cultural activity to the area. There are three islands there, which are all interconnected. The research lab building is on the largest of the three islands; Some Gavit. The building was designed to resemble a flower in full bloom. All three islands can be easily accessed by foot, don’t be mislead by the “island” distinction.
LOCATION: 683 Olympic-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06500, South Korea
Later in the film, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow are in pursuit of Ultron in an action piece that takes place all over the streets of Seoul. It would be exhaustive trying to cover every street piece, so instead we’ll highlight one key area. Hawkeye and Black Widow soar in a jet over this sculpture in front of the MBC building. MBC is one of the major broadcast stations of South Korea. Several other broadcast stations’ headquarters can also be found in this area.
LOCATION: 267 Seongram-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul, 121-904, South Korea
They even commemorated the shooting of the film by placing a Captain America shield and Avengers plaque in the ground at the base of the sculpture.
There is also a video monitor at the location, which plays the Seoul action sequences from the film on repeated rotation. Below the video screen is information (in Korean) about the shooting of the film at this location. It’s always a pleasure to see locations embrace and commemorate films in this manor.
The house of Patrick Fugit’s character, where he lives with Francis McDormand and Zooey Deschanel in Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical film “Almost Famous,” is set in San Diego, California. However, the real home used in the film is actually located in Santa Monica, California.
Jake, played by Ethan Hawke, first meets Alonzo, played by Denzel Washington, at the Quality Cafe in Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 film “Training Day.” The diner was a one-time staple of films, appearing in “Seven,” “Ghost World,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Another Day In Paradise,” “(500) Days Of Summer” “Million Dollar Baby,” “The Rules Of Attraction,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “The Heartbreak Kid” and dozens more. However, it was not an actual restaurant open to the public. Instead it was used solely for filming. Sadly, it ceased to function as a filming location and was completely renovated in 2014. The interior of the property no longer bears any resemblance inside to how it appeared in so many films.
LOCATION: 1238 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017 (since closed and remodeled)
Later in the film, Jake finds himself set up inside this drug dealer’s house. The house can be found perched on a hill in the Everett Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The home was used again in the 2009 Sam Raimi film, “Drag Me To Hell,” as the residence of Alison Lohman’s character.
Ben Stone, played by Seth Rogan in the 2007 comedy “Knocked Up,” lives with his buddies at this house in Northridge, California. Unfortunately, the house has somewhat limited visibility from the road. You can see this view from the driveway. The rest of the property is obscured by a large wall covered by plants. Another Seth Rogen comedy, “Superbad,” filmed scenes of a party house on the same street.
LOCATION: 17800 Community St, Northridge, CA 91325
Alison visits her sister Debbie, played by Leslie Mann at this Brentwood home. Debbie and her husband Pete, played by Paul Rudd, would become the subject of their own spin-off to this film, “This Is 40.” The same house was used in both films. This property is also gated, with a wall running along the street, so while it’s likewise not easily visible, it too can still be seen from a couple angles.
LOCATION: 531 N Bristol Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90049
To promote the release of the film “It,” Warner Bros. built a a haunted house on the corner of Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood, California, in which visitors could go inside the Neibolt house, where actors and haunted house theatrics would do their best to scare you.
The real house seen in the film was also a creation of the production. It was built in the town of Oshowa, Ontario, Canada, on the corner of Eulalie Ave and James St.
“The IT Experience: Neibolt House Hollywood” pop-up exhibition was on display for one month, during August and September, 2017. It has since closed. In 2019, the studio built a pop-up for “It Chapter Two” at the same location.
The 1995 film “The Usual Suspects” was filmed mostly in Southern California, with a few scenes shot in New York City.
Keaton, played by Gabriel Byrne, needs to catch a flight from New York to California. At the Flatiron Building in Manhattan, he wants to tell his attorney girlfriend goodbye, but Verbal Kint, played by Kevin Spacey, pushes him to leave without doing so, as they are running late. The building has appeared in countless films, such as “Spider-Man,” “As Good As It Gets,” “I Am Legend” and many more.
LOCATION: 175 5th Ave, New York, NY 10010
The suspects meet up with Redfoot at the Korean Bell of Friendship in San Pedro, California. Perched right in front of a spectacular ocean view, it’s a great place to visit, even if you’re not a fan of the film. The bell was given as a gift by South Korea to celebrate the U.S. bicentennial in 1978. It has also appeared in the films “It’s Pat: The Movie,” “Brink!” and the 2023 remake of “White Men Can’t Jump,” as well such TV shows as “Alias,” “Wonder Woman” and “Street Hawk.”
LOCATION: 3601 Gaffey St, San Pedro, CA 90731
The flashback scenes of Keyser Söze’s Turkish home, where his family is attacked, were actually filmed at the McNally House in Altadena. The home has been featured in such films as “Elizabethtown,” “Beautiful Boy” and “Kingdom Come,” as well as such TV shows as “Entourage,” “Hacks,” “Ghost Whisperer” and more. The house is only seen from interior views in the film. The home was destroyed by wildfires in 2025.
LOCATION: 654 E Mariposa St, Altadena, CA 91001
The police station seen in the film is the San Pedro Municipal Building. The same building appeared in the film “C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud.”
LOCATION: 638 S Beacon St, San Pedro, CA 90731
Near the end of the film, after he posts bail, Verbal Kint walks down this sidewalk out front.
Dave Kujan, played by Chazz Palminteri, just misses a vehicle as it turns down W 6th St in San Pedro.
David Lynch’s “Lost Highway” shot around Southern California, Death Valley and the Nevada desert. Early in the film, Fred and Renee, played by Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette respectively, receive a mysterious video tape at their doorstep. David Lynch used his own home as the location.
LOCATION: 7035 Senalda Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90068
Fred plays his saxophone at the Luna Lounge. This was filmed at the Lankershim Arts Center in North Hollywood.
LOCATION: 5108 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91601
Fred ends up on death row for the murder of his wife. The cell block wasn’t a prison at all, rather a creative re-purposing of a decommissioned fire station in downtown Los Angeles. The same station was used for interior scenes for the original “Ghostbusters” firehouse, as well as “The Mask,” “Flatliners,” “Set It Off,” “Big Trouble In Little China” and more. Only the interiors were used in the film, but here is a view of the exterior. Today, the surrounding area has become run down and it isn’t the safest of places.
LOCATION: 225 E 5th St, Los Angeles, CA 90013
After some mysterious events, Pete, played by Balthazar Getty, awakens in Fred’s jail cell. Baffled by this phenomenon, the police decide to release him. Pete returns to his home, located in Northridge.
LOCATION: 16706 Citronia St, Northridge, CA 91343
Pete’s girlfriend Sheila, played by Natasha Gregson Wagner, lives at this house, located just a few blocks away from Pete’s place.
LOCATION: 9532 McLennan Ave, Northridge, CA 91343
Pete works as a mechanic at Arnie’s, which was filmed at the Firestone building in Los Angeles. No longer in service, the building, built in 1937, is designated as an historical monument by the city.
LOCATION: 800 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
The place where Mr. Eddy becomes enraged at a tailgating driver requires a bit of effort if you want to visit the location. It was filmed on Mt Hollywood Dr, near the Griffith Observatory. Contrary to what is seen in the film, the road is actually completely inaccessible to the public by vehicle. It is found along a fully paved road, but the road is gated off in all directions from motor vehicles. Aside from park rangers, the road is primarily used by hikers and bicyclists.
The easiest way to visit is by parking at the Griffith Observatory. The lot at the Observatory itself is almost always full. You’re unlikely to find a spot in the actual lot. However, you can park along East or West Observatory Road. Unfortunately, these are now paid parking spaces and somewhat expensive. There are a few free auxiliary lots, but those fill up quickly as well, plus they put you pretty far away from where you need to be to get to the location. You shouldn’t have a difficult time finding a paid parking space on Observatory Road, unless you’re arriving at peak evening hours. Your best bet is to arrive early.
The easiest way to spot the trail head to reach the location is to look for the tunnel when approaching Griffith Observatory. Most traffic to reach the Observatory passes through it. The tunnel was famously seen in Back To The Future Part 2, when Biff and Marty McFly (riding a hoverboard) fight over a sports almanac. The very first road on your right, once you pass through the tunnel, is where you will need to hike. It will either be gated off, or if the gates are open, a guard will be parked there, making sure no motorists attempt to drive up it. The road is freely accessible to pedestrians on foot or bike, however, and you’ll likely see a lot of both. You simply take that road for about 0.5 miles to reach the location. At least you can take photographs in relative safely here, without concern for traffic on the road.
LOCATION: Mt Hollywood Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027 (GPS coordinates: 34.126026, -118.306921)
It is a moderate hike. Much of it is uphill, but considering you can walk a paved road the entire way, as well as the fact that there are resting spots, it’s certainly manageable for most. A bottle of water should suffice, unless it’s an extremely hot day.
If you want to get the most out of your money for paying for a parking space near Griffith Observatory, we recommend continuing along the same path to the location of the dance scene in “La La Land.” That location is another 1.5 miles up the same road.
After Alice meets Pete at the mechanic’s, the pair begin an affair. Alice is waiting at the Palm Tree Inn in North Hills, calling down to him from the second floor to say that she already got them a room.
LOCATION: 8424 Sepulveda Blvd, North Hills, CA 91343
Pete pulls up to this spot in the parking lot, where he talks to Alice.
The cops watch from the parking lot as the two go into the hotel room. The same motel has also been seen in the TV series “My Name Is Earl.”
Near the end of the film, Fred arrives at the Lost Highway Hotel. This was actually a composite of two separate buildings. The exterior, seen below, is an abandoned building located at Death Valley Junction, near the California / Nevada border. The same building was seen in the 1986 film “The Hitcher.” The interior corridors were actually filmed across the street at the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel (608 Death Valley Jct, Death Valley, CA 92328). This area is very much in the middle of nowhere.
LOCATION: Near the intersection of State Line Rd / CA-127, Death Valley Junction, CA 92328 (nearest address is 608 CA-127, Death Valley Junction, CA 92328)
A deleted scene with Pete and Sheila was was filmed at the former Johnie’s Broiler in Downey. Some footage can be seen in the film “Pretty as a Picture: The Art of David Lynch.” The restaurant has a unique history, having appeared in many other films, such as “Heat,” “Short Cuts,” “License To Drive,” “The Game,” “My Stepmother Is An Alien,” “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” “One Hour Photo” and many more. In 2007, the building was demolished. However, Bob’s Big Boy purchased the property years later and rebuilt it based on the original blueprints and even some of the same materials. So what stands now closely resembles what was there before.
LOCATION: 7447 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA 90241
To see our “Lost Highway” location page, click here.
The 1980s classic “The Karate Kid” shot mostly around the San Fernando Valley in California. Surprisingly, many of the film locations are not only still standing, but still closely resemble how they appear in the film. The major exception is Mr. Miyagi’s house, which was torn down.
Daniel Larusso’s apartment still exists in Reseda, California. The apartment looks identical to how it appeared in 1984. However, the neighborhood it’s located in isn’t the safest of areas.
LOCATION: 19223 Saticoy St, Reseda, CA 91335
Daniel embarrassingly arrives in his mom’s run-down car to pick up Ali at her house for a date. This house has since been remodeled.
LOCATION: 4072 Alonzo Ave, Encino, CA 91316
The two go on a date to Golf N’ Stuff, which is a real place and still open to visitors. It’s located further south, down in Norwalk, California.
LOCATION: 10555 Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, CA 90650
The location of the Cobra Kai dojo can be found in North Hollywood. The same location was featured in the film “Say Anything…“
LOCATION: 5223 Lankershim Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91601
The house where Tom Cruise famously danced in his underwear for the 1983 film “Risky Business” can be found in the city of Highland Park, Illinois, just north of Chicago.
LOCATION: 1258 Linden Ave, Highland Park, IL 60035
The house from “Father of the Bride” can be find in a quiet neighborhood in Pasadena, California. The house still looks nearly identical to how it appeared in the film.
Right around the corner in this same neighborhood is the house from Mad Men.