It has somewhat become cliché for films set in New York City to say it’s a character of its own. But it’s true – shooting on location in the Big Apple helps to advance the texture and world for dozens of filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee, and Noah Baumbach.

Many modern blockbusters use the eye-catching landmarks of Manhattan to their advantage when crafting action set pieces. Avengers Tower is located in Manhattan. The Statue of Liberty was home to the climaxes in both Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) and X-Men (2000). Peter Parker also found himself swinging through Times Square in 2002’s Spider-Man.

But no building, or location alone, is more iconic than Midtown’s Empire State Building and the bevy of films that have featured it prominently.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

11 King Kong (1930)

     RKO Radio Pictures

Where else would we start? Perhaps not just the most iconic use of The Empire State Building, but one of the most beloved and remarkable images in all cinema, is from the original King Kong.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

Spoiler alert for a 90 year old movie – at the end of the film after the magnificent ape has been transported from Skull Island to New York City, he makes an escape and climbs to the top of the Empire State Building with Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) in his clutches. The film concludes with several airplanes circling him until he falls from the top of the building to his death.

The film left such a cultural impact that upon Fay Wray’s death in 2004, they lowered the lights of the Empire State Building as a tribute to her.

10 King Kong (2005)

     Universal

Peter Jackson’s follow-up to the mega successful The Lord of the Rings trilogy brought us back to the Empire State Building, but things looked a little different than in 1930. Rather than using stop-motion animation, Jackson used motion capture technology to bring the massive ape to life. Andy Serkis, who Jackson had previously worked with as Gollum, performed all the capture footage for King Kong. Including his ascent to the top of the Empire State Building.

For their work on King Kong, the team at Weta Digital took home the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in creating the Eighth Wonder of the World.

9 Sleepless in Seattle (1993)

     Tri-Star Pictures

Nora Ephron’s classic romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle actually does not take place in New York City for most of the film! It centers on Seattle-based single-father, and recent widow, Sam (Tom Hanks) whose son, Jonah, calls a talk radio program. In Baltimore, Annie (Meg Ryan) hears the call and is so enamored by the story, she falls head over heels in love.

So how do they end up in New York? In the final act, Jonah hops a plane to New York City to find Annie. Sam quickly follows in search for his son. Where does he find Jonah? The Observation Deck of the Empire State Building. In the heartwarming scene, Annie arrives too late but finds Jonah’s backpack and teddy bear. When it seems all hope is lost, the elevator dings, and she finally meets Sam face to face. Talk about a high stakes, and high altitude, meet cute.

8 An Affair to Remember (1955)

     20th Century Fox

Starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, An Affair to Remember was nominated for several Academy Awards upon its release and has garnered even more acclaim over the years. The American Film institute even named it one of the most romantic films of all time.

The plot revolves around Grant and Kerr falling in love with each other while being entangled in other relationships. They make a pact – if they still feel they are in love, they will meet at the top of the Empire State Building on Christmas Eve. Sound familiar? That’s because Nora Ephron used An Affair to Remember as a major inspiration while working on Sleepless in Seattle.

7 Escape From New York (1981)

     AVCO Embassy Pictures

Escape From New York is John Carpenter’s dystopian re-imagining of a future where Manhattan has been turned into a maximum security prison and famously features the head of the Statue of Liberty in the streets of the city.

Though the film was actually shot in St. Louis, the Empire State Building makes an appearance in digital form as Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) enters the city via glider to rescue the President, he uses the ship’s navigational system which features the Manhattan skyline in wire frame.

6 Superman II (1980)

     Warner Bros.

Long before James Gunn was in charge of DC Studios and there was any dispute over the future of Superman, Christopher Reeve donned the iconic red cape for a second time in Superman II. While normally set in Metropolis, Superman II features a plot where a group of rouge Kryptonians break out of the Phantom Zone and come to Earth. Superman confronts and during an epic battle at the Empire State Building where the recognizable antenna is knocked off. Don’t worry though, Superman returns it to its home before it can land on any law-abiding citizens.

5 Elf (2003)

     New Line Cinema

This Christmas classic centers on Buddy the Elf (Will Ferrell) leaving home from the North Pole in search for his real parents in New York City. His only clue? A snow globe featuring the Empire State Building. He is able to track down his father Walter (James Caan) at his office, which is located inside the Empire State Building. In his search for his father, Buddy enters the lobby, in all of its art deco glory and takes the elevator (being sure to press every single button to every single floor).

Director Jon Favreau (who would go on to make Iron Man and The Mandalorian) reflected on shooting Elf at the Empire State Building saying that at that time in New York City, post 9/11, being able to shoot on location was like a “reclaiming of Manhattan”.

4 Sharknado 2 (2014)

     The Asylum

After the massive success of the first Sharknado film, Sharknado 2 naturally asked the question: What if there was a Sharknado in New York? It even managed cameos from several New York based TV personalities including Al Roker, Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.

The film features the titular sharknado decimating several iconic New York City landmarks including Citi Field and the Statue of Liberty, but the Empire State Building is the site at which not one, but two, sharknado (sharknadoes?) threaten to join forces into one massive sharknado. Lucky for us, our heroes are able to go to the Observatory Deck and electrify the building to deter the super sharknado.

3 Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

     Filmauro

Starring Jude Law and Angelina Jolie, this ambitious, science fiction epic re-imagines a deiselpunk world. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow’s opening set piece takes place on a zeppelin named Hindenburg III which is docked on, you guessed it, the tip of the Empire State Building.

The film, which drew from several architectural influences, mainly focused on that of the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and 1939 New York World’s Fair – where art deco reined supreme. Director Kerry Conran said “We tried to approach it almost as though we lived in that era and were just another group of artists trying to make a work out of those pieces and inspirations. We wanted the film to feel like a lost film of that era.”

And what better place embodies that than the Empire State Building?

2 Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)

     Henson Associates

Jim Henson and company serve up another bonafide classic with everyone’s favorite Muppets – Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie and the gang head to the Big Apple to take their show to Broadway. And as always – antics occur. On the day of the show Kermit goes missing. The Muppets scatter throughout the city – including a shot of Miss Piggy walking in front of the Empire State Building in search for Kermit. After several mishaps, and a forgotten identity, Kermit finds himself on the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building proclaiming his dedication to staying in New York and to the rest of the Muppets.

1 Ready Player One (2018)

How can a building have an exciting cameo in Steven Spielberg’s virtual reality ode to video games? We circle back to our old friend…King Kong. Who is seen several times throughout Ready Player One atop the Empire State Building within the virtual Oasis. Ready Player One featured a lot of iconic characters from films past, so both Kong and the building were worthy inclusions.