10 Film Locations in Chicago

East Upper Wacker Drive has stood in for Hong Kong in Transformers films, with reversed traffic and covered street signs. Michael Bay has a knack of blowing up stuff in his films, and Chicago has seen more than its fair share of on-screen destruction. Most of the on-screen mayhem and aftermaths of battling alien robots in Bay’s Transformers films were shot in and around Chicago, even for depictions not really set in the city.

Travel to West van Buren Street to see the Chicago Post Office building as the NEST headquarters from the third Transformers instalment. Relive the explosive sequences in front of The River Hotel on Wacker Drive, just south of DuSable Bridge.

O’Hare International Airport partly stood in as the Paris Orly Airport in the classic adventure comedy, Home Alone. It’s a great starting point if you want to tour this film's locations. The film starring Macaulay Culkin was shot entirely in the Greater Chicago area. To visit the young protagonist’s home where most of the hilarious burglar booby-trapping scenes take place, go to 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka, a short drive north from downtown Chicago.

A snowy Hubbard Woods Park with a skating rink was where Culkin’s character fled and slid away from a police officer. Why not snap a selfie? Though we don’t recommend unintentionally stealing a toothbrush from the local pharmacy across the road.

The Old Main Post Office on West Van Buren Street is one of Chicago’s most imposing historical landmarks. It was built in the 1920s and served as a base for postal business services until 2016.

The grand structure and classic Art Deco aesthetic of the building make it a backdrop of choice for several blockbusters. Its north-eastern corner stood in as the façade for the Gotham police station in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005) and its north-western corner was the set for the intense Gotham City heist opening sequence in the sequel, The Dark Knight (2008). While you’re here, head up to the building’s first floor for excellent dining at Here On Food Hall & Market.

The civic center of Daley Plaza features in one of Harrison Ford’s most memorable films, The Fugitive (1993). The main character goes cross-country to flee the law after a wrongful accusation. We’re shown the Chicago cityscape, as well as the streets below it, as he combs through the city’s neighborhoods and back alleys.

Among the few noteworthy sites depicted are Wells Street Bridge, where he uses a payphone to call his lawyer, and Daley Plaza, which he runs through before blending in with the St. Patrick’s Day Parade crowd on North Dearborn Street. Daley Plaza famously appeared in the classic Blues Brothers (1980). The Plaza boasts several events and festivities, like farmers’ markets and cultural performances.

The Chicago Board of Trade building is an iconic Art Deco skyscraper on West Jackson Boulevard. In film, it stood in as Bruce Wayne’s corporate HQ in Batman Begins 2005). One of its trading floors was shown in Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).

Autobots battled Decepticons there in Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). However, the building's arguably biggest role was in the classic crime drama, The Untouchables (1987), which showed it in many of its scenes. Take a specialised tour to see the spectacular Art Deco exterior and lobby in detail.

In John Landis’ whacky action flick, the Blues Brothers (1980), John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd crash through Daley Plaza and dash into the Chicago City Hall. They’re looking for the clerk office, cameoed by Steven Spielberg, to pay their taxes. In the climactic high-speed chase scenes, we see the paroled convict duo race through Chicago. They do crazy maneuvers in their loudspeaker-topped 1974 Dodge Monaco, nicknamed the “Bluesmobile,” with a dozen siren-blaring police on their tail.

Bring your camera to snap a photo of the impressive architecture before embarking on a self-guided walking tour of other important monuments in Chicago. 

In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), Matthew Broderick’s character calls in sick before graduation and takes on the streets of Chicago, with a drop-by at the Art Institute of Chicago. One of the artworks featured here is a pointillist painting by the French post-Impressionist artist, Georges Seurat.

Stare at the A Sunday on La Grande Jatte and see if it provokes the same feelings for you as it did for Cameron, then enjoy more of Seurat’s pieces and other artworks in one of the Institute’s many exhibitions. Don’t forget to check out the various tours and workshops.

The Hilton Chicago on South Michigan Avenue features prominently in comedy films with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. Little Fockers (2010), the hilarious sequel to Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004) by Paul Weitz. was shot entirely in Chicago. We get to see an overview of Chicago with its skyline in the opening, as well as some scenes around Lincoln Park, Grant Park and Hilton Chicago.

The hotel’s magnificent Beaux-Arts exterior and its majestic grand lobby shows up in other films, including Tom Hanks’ crime drama, Road to Perdition (2002). After you’ve marvelled at the beautiful interiors, why not visit the gift shop or the European Art Studio for memorable souvenirs?

As one of Chicago’s most iconic and historical landmarks, Union Station serves as backdrop to various scenes in cinema history. It’s the city's primary terminal for commuter trains, covering over 9 city blocks underneath Chicago’s network of streets and skyscrapers.

We can see the station’s vast and beautiful interiors in Michael Mann’s thriller, Public Enemies (2009), where Christian Bale’s FBI agent character meets up with other field agents, before starting their hunt for the bank-robber, played by Johnny Depp. There’s some stunning architecture to see here, as well as plenty of dining options, which make the Union Square a great pitstop when sightseeing.

If San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge is high up on the list of monumental damage film tropes, Chicago’s Willis Tower gets its fair share of catastrophic destruction in films too.

In the climax of Rampage (2018), we see the film's mutant beasts get lured to the top of Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower. The ensuing mayhem sees a plane crash, fight sequences, and the tower ultimately toppling over from the damage. Thankfully, it’s still standing tall in real life, and you can head up to the top for unrivaled city views, art installations and history exhibits, and incredible dining.