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The Best Movie Filmed In Your State and D.C.

The Best Movie Filmed In Your State and D.C.

Until a few decades ago, Hollywood studios and surrounding areas were the filming locations for many classic movies. Southern California is the home base of many of the country’s largest production companies. The sunny weather and proximity to a variety of geographical features make the region an easy filming location.

If the movies aren’t filmed on the West Coast, studios tend to go to New York City to take advantage of some of America’s enduring images, such as Central Park and the Statue of Liberty.

Still, each state has unique characteristics that make it attractive to filmmakers, and with that in mind, 24/7 Tempo has tapped critic and audience ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb to find the best movie filmed in every state.

The film-going public, as well as the motion picture artistic community, often demands authenticity. While traveling to different states and setting up filming locations is expensive, there is no substitute for the screen-filling landscapes that make some movies, for example, especially westerns, such as “The Searchers,” unforgettable. These are the 25 best westerns of the 21st century.

The film industry’s need for genuine locations also means more states can benefit financially. A movie shoot can create jobs and create other economic advantages for the state. For this reason, states welcome and promote film shoots, setting up film commissions or offices with robust websites touting the advantages of filming in their state.

Some of the most popular, top grossing films may also draw tourism to their shooting locations as fans seek out memorable locations seen in their favorite movies. These are the top grossing films of all time.

To determine the best movie filmed in every state, 24/7 Tempo created an index of three measures from the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes: IMDb rating, Rotten Tomatoes audience score, and Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score. All ratings were weighted equally. 

Only films with at least 25,000 reviews on IMDb, 5,000 audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and 10 Tomatometer critics reviews were considered. Film locations were based on IMDb data. Only films that were primarily filmed within a given state — based on the total number of filming locations — were considered for that state. The only exception to this rule is North Dakota, which was not the primary filming state for any film that meets our criteria — but rather was the secondary filming location for “Fargo.” 

Supplemental data on domestic box office and production budgets by movie came from industry data site the Numbers. Data was collected mid-March 2021.

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Alabama
> Best movie filmed in state: Get Out (2017)
> IMDb rating: 7.7 / 10 (497,908 votes)
> RT rating: 98 / 100 (392 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $176.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Alabama: Just Mercy (2019), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

“Get Out,” the critically acclaimed movie about a Black man meeting his white girlfriend’s parents, was filmed mostly in the cities of Fairhope and Mobile in Alabama. The movie won Jordan Peele an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, making him the first African American to win the award. He was also the first Black American to be nominated for producing, writing, and directing in the same year.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Alaska
> Best movie filmed in state: Insomnia (2002)
> IMDb rating: 7.2 / 10 (276,666 votes)
> RT rating: 92 / 100 (202 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $67.3 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Alaska: Runaway Train (1985), The Frozen Ground (2013)

“Insomnia” was mostly filmed in British Columbia, Canada, but several scenes were shot in Valdez and Hyder, Alaska. The movie, directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight franchise), follows a veteran detective (Al Pacino) who is sent to a small town in Alaska to investigate the murder of a teenage girl.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Arizona
> Best movie filmed in state: Psycho (1960)
> IMDb rating: 8.5 / 10 (608,198 votes)
> RT rating: 96 / 100 (102 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $32.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Arizona: Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Rio Bravo (1959)

Much of the horror classic “Psycho” was filmed in a studio in California, but some scenes were also shot in various locations in Arizona, including downtown Phoenix, Gila Bend, and Buckeye. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, the film was nominated for four Oscars. Despite the fact that it was shot in black and white after the advent of color, “Psycho” remains a masterwork of the horror genre and retains the power to keep audiences on the edge of their seats to this day.

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

Arkansas
> Best movie filmed in state: Sling Blade (1996)
> IMDb rating: 8.0 / 10 (87,216 votes)
> RT rating: 96 / 100 (56 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $24.5 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Arkansas: Mud (2012)

Billy Bob Thornton, who won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay, filmed his indie hit “Sling Blade” in Benton, Arkansas, for a reported budget of $1 million. Many of the filming locations within Benton are no longer there or have changed significantly since the 1996 production. The movie follows a man recently released from a mental hospital who starts a new life in a small town.

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

California
> Best movie filmed in state: Modern Times (1936)
> IMDb rating: 8.5 / 10 (219,560 votes)
> RT rating: 100 / 100 (61 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $163,245
> Other top rated movies filmed in California: City Lights (1931), Casablanca (1942)

Home to Hollywood, California is perhaps the most popular shooting location for American movies. And the best one is a silent classic. “Modern Times” is a 1936 Charlie Chaplin comedy about Little Tramp (Chaplin) who struggles to adapt to life in an industrial town. The movie, which was shot in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, has a perfect Freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Colorado
> Best movie filmed in state: Badlands (1973)
> IMDb rating: 7.8 / 10 (66,531 votes)
> RT rating: 98 / 100 (58 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: Not available
> Other top rated movies filmed in Colorado: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Terrence Malick’s 1973 debut film established the director as a major cinematic talent. Among the movie’s exceptional traits is its showing of America’s wilderness — intended to be South Dakota and Montana. The movie was actually shot in Colorado, primarily the southeast region of the state.

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Connecticut
> Best movie filmed in state: The Ice Storm (1997)
> IMDb rating: 7.4 / 10 (53,666 votes)
> RT rating: 85 / 100 (68 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $8.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Connecticut: We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), Revolutionary Road (2008)

Acclaimed director Ang Lee directed this movie about the strained relationship among the members of a wealthy suburban family and how they fix it. The plot is set in New Canaan, Connecticut, and most of the movie is filmed there.

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Delaware
> Best movie filmed in state: Dead Poets Society (1989)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (429,548 votes)
> RT rating: 84 / 100 (57 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $95.9 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Delaware: Blue Ruin (2013)

“Dead Poets Society” stars Robin Williams as an English teacher who inspires students at an exclusive preparatory school in Vermont. The movie was actually filmed in Delaware and used the St. Andrew’s School in Middletown as the prep school.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

District of Columbia
> Best movie filmed in state: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (107,536 votes)
> RT rating: 96 / 100 (45 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $9.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in District of Columbia: All the President’s Men (1976), The Exorcist (1973)

“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” follows an idealistic man (James Stewart) who is going to Washington, D.C., to fill up a vacancy in the Senate. Most of the filming locations are in D.C., including the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Capitol.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Florida
> Best movie filmed in state: The Truman Show (1998)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (947,438 votes)
> RT rating: 95 / 100 (132 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $125.6 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Florida: Edward Scissorhands (1990), Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

“The Truman Show” tells the story of an insurance salesman (Jim Carrey) who begins to suspect and eventually finds out his whole life is a reality TV show. In addition to Los Angeles, the Oscar-nominated film was filmed at several locations in Florida, including in Panama City and Seaside.

Source: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Georgia
> Best movie filmed in state: Avengers: Endgame (2019)
> IMDb rating: 8.4 / 10 (828,089 votes)
> RT rating: 94 / 100 (538 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $858.4 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Georgia: The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019), Hidden Figures (2016)

“Avengers: Endgame” is the top grossing film in the hugely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. The movie, which runs for more than three hours, once again finds the Avengers teaming up to restore order to the universe in the wake of Thanos’s destructive actions. The film was shot in Atlanta, with a few scenes shot in the Durham Cathedral in London.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Hawaii
> Best movie filmed in state: From Here to Eternity (1953)
> IMDb rating: 7.6 / 10 (43,653 votes)
> RT rating: 92 / 100 (61 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $30.5 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Hawaii: Papillon (1973), The Descendants (2011)

“From Here to Eternity” tells the story of several people, including a former boxer, a sergeant, a captain, and his wife, whose lives intertwine during World War II. The plot is set in the days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie was filmed at various locations on Oahu, Hawaii.

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Idaho
> Best movie filmed in state: Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
> IMDb rating: 6.9 / 10 (198,869)
> RT rating: 72 / 100 (175 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $44.5 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Idaho: None

“Napoleon Dynamite” is a cult classic about an awkward teenager (Jon Heder) in a small high school who tries to help his friend win the class presidency. The comedy was largely shot in the cities of Preston and Franklin in Idaho.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Illinois
> Best movie filmed in state: The Dark Knight (2008)
> IMDb rating: 9.0 / 10 (2,318,471 votes)
> RT rating: 94 / 100 (344 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $533.7 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Illinois: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), In the Heat of the Night (1967)

Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” holds a 94% positive rating from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Though the fictional Gotham City in the Batman comics has been associated with New York City, Nolan’s film was shot in Chicago, which the director referred to as “a really cinematic city” in 2008.

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Indiana
> Best movie filmed in state: Hoosiers (1986)
> IMDb rating: 7.5 / 10 (43,163 votes)
> RT rating: 89 / 100 (46 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $28.6 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Indiana: Rudy (1993), A League of Their Own (1992)

“Hoosiers” tells the story of a longshot Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. “The Hoosier State” is the state’s official nickname, so it makes sense the movie would be shot in Indiana. Filming locations included places in Knightstown, Indianapolis, Danville, Elizaville, and Brownsburg.

Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures

Iowa
> Best movie filmed in state: The Straight Story (1999)
> IMDb rating: 8.0 / 10 (82,561 votes)
> RT rating: 95 / 100 (103 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $6.2 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Iowa: The Bridges of Madison County (1995), Field of Dreams (1989)

David Lynch stepped away from his trademark dreamlike filmmaking style to create 1999’s “The Straight Story” — a Disney-distributed movie about a 73-year-old Iowan who travels across state lines on a lawnmower to visit his ill and estranged brother. Lynch filmed in numerous areas of Iowa — in line with the nomadic nature of the film — including in Laurens, Clermont, and Lansing.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Kansas
> Best movie filmed in state: Paper Moon (1973)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (42,510 votes)
> RT rating: 93 / 100 (40 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $30.9 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Kansas: Mars Attacks! (1996)

“Paper Moon” tells the story of a Depression era conman who teams up with a young girl to trick residents of the Midwest out of their money. The film’s production was based in Hays, Kansas, with some scenes filmed in McCracken and Wilson.

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

Kentucky
> Best movie filmed in state: Goldfinger (1964)
> IMDb rating: 7.7 / 10 (175,012 votes)
> RT rating: 99 / 100 (68 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $51.1 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Kentucky: Stripes (1981), The Art of Self-Defense (2019)

“Goldfinger” is one of the best Bond movies. In it, Bond has to stop Goldfinger, who plans to contaminate the gold at Fort Knox to boost the value of his own gold supply. It is in “Goldfinger” that Bond first uses his catchphrase: “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.” Most of the filming took place in locations in Switzerland and England. In the U.S., the movie was shot mainly in Kentucky.

Source: Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

Louisiana
> Best movie filmed in state: 12 Years a Slave (2013)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (644,864 votes)
> RT rating: 95 / 100 (371 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $56.7 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Louisiana: Logan (2017), Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

“Twelve Years a Slave” is based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The entire movie was filmed throughout Louisiana. Even scenes meant to appear as taking place in areas such as Saratoga, New York, or Washington D.C. were shot in Louisiana.

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

Maine
> Best movie filmed in state: In the Bedroom (2001)
> IMDb rating: 7.4 / 10 (37,506 votes)
> RT rating: 93 / 100 (139 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $35.9 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Maine: It (2017), The Man Without a Face (1993)

Nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, “In the Bedroom” follows two parents whose son is dating an older woman with two children and a jealous ex-husband. The story takes place on the coast of Maine, and the whole movie has been shot at various locations in the state.

Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Maryland
> Best movie filmed in state: Philomena (2013)
> IMDb rating: 7.6 / 10 (94,506 votes)
> RT rating: 91 / 100 (200 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $37.7 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Maryland: The Barbarian Invasions (2003), Hairspray (2007)

“Philomena” tells the true story of a woman who searches for the son she had when she was a teenager and who was given for adoption against her will. The main character, Philomena, is Irish, and the part of the movie that takes place in Ireland was shot in Northern Ireland and England, and the part that takes place in the U.S. was filmed in Maryland.

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

Massachusetts
> Best movie filmed in state: Good Will Hunting (1997)
> IMDb rating: 8.3 / 10 (867,691 votes)
> RT rating: 98 / 100 (80 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $138.4 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Massachusetts: Spotlight (2015), The Departed (2006)

The movie follows Will Hunting, an underachieving genius played by Matt Damon, as he attends therapy sessions and navigates life with the woman he’s falling in love with. Most of the movie was shot in Toronto, Canada, as well as in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Michigan
> Best movie filmed in state: Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
> IMDb rating: 8.0 / 10 (60,149 votes)
> RT rating: 100 / 100 (48 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $11.9 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Michigan: Vishwaroopam (2013), Deadpool (2016)

Otto Preminger’s 1959 courtroom drama was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. The movie was filmed in Marquette County, Michigan, and even used local residents as extras.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Minnesota
> Best movie filmed in state: A Simple Plan (1998)
> IMDb rating: 7.5 / 10 (64,035 votes)
> RT rating: 91 / 100 (74 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $16.3 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Minnesota: Beautiful Girls (1996)

Director Sam Raimi directed this 1998 crime drama after his cult classic “Army of Darkness” and before he tackled “Spider-Man.” The film is set in Minnesota, and that is also where much of it was shot. Shooting locations include Delano, St. Paul, and Golden Valley.

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Mississippi
> Best movie filmed in state: Mississippi Burning (1988)
> IMDb rating: 7.8 / 10 (88,946 votes)
> RT rating: 84 / 100 (25 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $34.6 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Mississippi: The Help (2011), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Two FBI agents (Willem Defoe and Gene Hackman), who have very different investigative methods, are sent to Mississippi to find civil rights activists who have recently disappeared. The movie was shot throughout the state, including in Jackson, Braxton, and Canton.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Missouri
> Best movie filmed in state: Up in the Air (2009)
> IMDb rating: 7.4 / 10 (319,619 votes)
> RT rating: 90 / 100 (288 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $83.8 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Missouri: Winter’s Bone (2010), You’re Next (2011)

“Up in the Air” is centered on a corporate downsizer (George Clooney) who enjoys his lifestyle of constant traveling but begins to question it after meeting a woman (Vera Farmiga). Nominated for six Oscars, the movie was filmed largely in Missouri. Filming locations include the Lambert International Airport in St. Louis.

Source: Courtesy of National General Pictures

Montana
> Best movie filmed in state: Little Big Man (1970)
> IMDb rating: 7.6 / 10 (32,976 votes)
> RT rating: 96 / 100 (26 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $31.6 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Montana: A River Runs Through It (1992)

“Little Big Man” is the story of Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) who was raised by Native Americans and who fought with General Custer as a cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. While several scenes were shot in Alberta, Canada, and California, most of the movie was filmed at various locations throughout Montana.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Vantage

Nebraska
> Best movie filmed in state: Nebraska (2013)
> IMDb rating: 7.7 / 10 (112,761 votes)
> RT rating: 91 / 100 (251 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $17.7 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Nebraska: Election (1999), About Schmidt (2002)

While Nebraska is far from the most popular location for filmmaking, it would have been foolish for the team behind the 2013 Oscar-nominated black and white flick “Nebraska” to shoot anywhere else. Among the various cities and towns used as film locations are Lincoln, Hooper, Osmond, Stanton, and Plainview.

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Nevada
> Best movie filmed in state: Casino (1995)
> IMDb rating: 8.2 / 10 (469,791 votes)
> RT rating: 80 / 100 (65 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $42.4 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Nevada: Leaving Las Vegas (1995), Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

“Casino,” starring Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, and Joe Pesci, is a story about money, power and the fight for both. Like many movies involving the gambling industry, the film was shot in Las Vegas, with a few locations in California.

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

New Hampshire
> Best movie filmed in state: On Golden Pond (1981)
> IMDb rating: 7.6 / 10 (27,808 votes)
> RT rating: 93 / 100 (30 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $119.3 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in New Hampshire: In Your Eyes (2014), Heist (2001)

“On Golden Pond” — which earned Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda Oscars — was filmed on New Hampshire’s Squam Lake. Visitors to the lake can still view from the water the original house that appears in the movie.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

New Jersey
> Best movie filmed in state: On the Waterfront (1954)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (142,962 votes)
> RT rating: 99 / 100 (73 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $9.6 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in New Jersey: The Wrestler (2008), Zelig (1983)

Director Elia Kazan’s gritty drama “On the Waterfront” is about corruption on the New Jersey waterfront in the 1950s. The movie was shot in Hoboken, where screenwriter Budd Schulberg walked the streets to get a feel for the longshoremen’s lives.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

New Mexico
> Best movie filmed in state: Ace in the Hole (1951)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (31,805 votes)
> RT rating: 92 / 100 (37 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $4.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in New Mexico: No Country for Old Men (2007), Hell or High Water (2016)

Billy Wilder’s “Ace in the Hole” about a journalist who takes a job writing for an Albuquerque newspaper was partially filmed in Los Angeles and partially in New Mexico. Albuquerque can be seen in the film, as well as the New Mexican desert.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

New York
> Best movie filmed in state: The Godfather (1972)
> IMDb rating: 9.2 / 10 (1,632,710 votes)
> RT rating: 98 / 100 (102 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $135.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in New York: The Godfather: Part II (1974), Goodfellas (1990)

Much of Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” — considered one of the greatest films of all time — was shot in locations around New York City and Long Island. IN the film, the Corleone home, where the famous wedding scene was filmed, is in Long Island. In real life, the house was on Staten Island.

Source: Courtesy of Rosebud Releasing Corporation

North Carolina
> Best movie filmed in state: Evil Dead II (1987)
> IMDb rating: 7.8 / 10 (148,976 votes)
> RT rating: 95 / 100 (59 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $5.9 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in North Carolina: Blue Velvet (1986), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

The sequel to “The Evil Dead” follows the lone survivor from the first movie, who finds himself hidden in a cabin again with a group of strangers. Some of the movie was shot in a studio in Wilmington, North Carolina. A few filming locations were in Detroit.

Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures

North Dakota
> Best movie filmed in state: Fargo (1996)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (621,308 votes)
> RT rating: 94 / 100 (97 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $24.6 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in North Dakota: None

Filming for “Fargo” took place in locations in both North Dakota and Minnesota. Fans of the Coen Brothers movie may be disappointed to learn that many of the movie’s prominent locations are no longer around, including the “Welcome to Brainerd” Paul Bunyan statue, which was built for the film and dismantled right after.

Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Ohio
> Best movie filmed in state: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
> IMDb rating: 9.3 / 10 (2,359,180 votes)
> RT rating: 91 / 100 (75 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $28.2 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Ohio: The Deer Hunter (1978), Dark Waters (2019)

“The Shawshank Redemption” is a fan favorite, with 98% of audiences giving it a positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie — much of which takes place within a prison — was primarily filmed in Ohio, specifically in the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield. A 25-year anniversary celebration was held at that site in 2019.

Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures

Oklahoma
> Best movie filmed in state: Rumble Fish (1983)
> IMDb rating: 7.2 / 10 (31,959 votes)
> RT rating: 74 / 100 (34 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $2.5 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Oklahoma: The Outsiders (1983), UHF (1989)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (“The Godfather”), “Rumble Fish” follows a low-level street thug (Matt Dillon) who is trying to live up to his older brother’s (Mickey Rourke) reputation. The movie was shot at various locations throughout Oklahoma, but mostly in Tulsa.

Source: Courtesy of United Artists

Oregon
> Best movie filmed in state: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
> IMDb rating: 8.7 / 10 (923,445 votes)
> RT rating: 94 / 100 (81 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $109.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Oregon: Stand by Me (1986), The General (1926)

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” based on the novel of the same name by Ken Kesey, is about a criminal who encourages rebellion against an oppressive nurse in a mental hospital. The MiloÅ¡ Forman-directed drama was filmed at the Oregon State Mental Hospital in Salem.

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

Pennsylvania
> Best movie filmed in state: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
> IMDb rating: 8.6 / 10 (1,280,829 votes)
> RT rating: 96 / 100 (103 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $130.7 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Pennsylvania: Night of the Living Dead (1968), Creed (2015)

“The Silence of the Lambs” was shot in multiple states, with most of the filming taking place around Pittsburgh. Notable Pennsylvania locations in the film include the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and Allegheny County Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum. The house that in the movie is portrayed as the torture house of serial killer Buffalo Bill is located in Layton, Pennsylvania.

Source: Courtesy of Focus Features

Rhode Island
> Best movie filmed in state: Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
> IMDb rating: 7.8 / 10 (320,822 votes)
> RT rating: 93 / 100 (263 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $45.5 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Rhode Island: Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009), Amistad (1997)

Filming of Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” — which boasts a cast of Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, and Francis McDormand among others — took place in different locations across Rhode Island. The movie follows two kids who run away together, prompting a local search.

Source: Courtesy of Miramax

South Carolina
> Best movie filmed in state: Cold Mountain (2003)
> IMDb rating: 7.2 / 10 (140,460 votes)
> RT rating: 70 / 100 (232 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $95.6 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in South Carolina: The Big Chill (1983)

“Cold Mountain” follows a wounded Confederate soldier (Jude Law) who tries to come home to his wife (Nicole Kidman). The historic drama, based on a book by Charles Frazier, was filmed in multiple states, including South Carolina. All mountain scenes, however, were filmed in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania.

Source: Courtesy of Orion Pictures

South Dakota
> Best movie filmed in state: Dances with Wolves (1990)
> IMDb rating: 8.0 / 10 (241,805 votes)
> RT rating: 83 / 100 (76 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $184.2 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in South Dakota: Nomadland (2020)

Kevin Costner won the Best Director Oscar and also starred in this movie about a soldier in the American West who makes peace with wolves and Native Americans and is eventually shunned by his peers. “Dances with Wolves,” which won seven Oscars, was filmed in South Dakota, with a few scenes being shot in Kansas, Wyoming, and Nebraska.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Tennessee
> Best movie filmed in state: The Green Mile (1999)
> IMDb rating: 8.6 / 10 (1,156,829 votes)
> RT rating: 78 / 100 (134 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $136.8 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Tennessee: October Sky (1999), Mystery Train (1989)

Despite its more than three-hour runtime, audiences love “The Green Mile,” which is based on a novel by horror maestro Stephen King. It received positive reviews from 94% of users. The movie tells the story of a death row inmate convicted of murder who appears to have miraculous gifts. Most of the movie scenes, including those at the prison, were shot in Tennessee.

Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Texas
> Best movie filmed in state: Paris, Texas (1984)
> IMDb rating: 8.1 / 10 (92,486 votes)
> RT rating: 97 / 100 (33 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $2.2 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Texas: The Last Picture Show (1971), Dazed and Confused (1993)

You would think that a movie named after a specific city will be filmed in that city. “Paris, Texas” follows a drifter who struggles to adapt to society and his family after missing for four years. The movie was shot throughout Texas — El Paso, Marathon, Terlingua, even Houston — but not in Paris.

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Utah
> Best movie filmed in state: Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
> IMDb rating: 7.6 / 10 (28,817 votes)
> RT rating: 95 / 100 (20 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $47.7 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Utah: Wind River (2017)

Sydney Pollack’s western, starring Robert Redford as Jeremiah Johnson, was filmed at multiple locations in Utah, including a national park, national forests, a state park, and the famous Sundance Ski Resort (which Redford has owned since 1969).

Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Vermont
> Best movie filmed in state: Beetlejuice (1988)
> IMDb rating: 7.5 / 10 (265,122 votes)
> RT rating: 85 / 100 (59 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $73.8 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Vermont: The Trouble with Harry (1955), What Lies Beneath (2000)

Exterior shots for Tim Burton’s late ’80s comedy “Beetlejuice” were filmed in the village of East Corinth, Vermont. The house seen in the movie was a fake residence, though the town’s school that is shown at the end of the movie was actually East Corinth’s Mason Hall.

Source: Courtesy of Touchstone Pictures

Virginia
> Best movie filmed in state: Lincoln (2012)
> IMDb rating: 7.3 / 10 (246,036 votes)
> RT rating: 89 / 100 (284 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $182.2 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Virginia: Loving (2016), What About Bob? (1991)

Steven Spileberg’s Oscar-winning drama about Abraham Lincoln’s decision to abolish slavery was filmed throughout Virginia, including in Richmond and Petersburg. Filming locations included the State Capitol and the Executive Mansion.

Source: Courtesy of Bleecker Street Media

Washington
> Best movie filmed in state: Captain Fantastic (2016)
> IMDb rating: 7.9 / 10 (191,782 votes)
> RT rating: 82 / 100 (227 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $5.9 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Washington: Dancer in the Dark (2000), Safety Not Guaranteed (2012)

“Captain Fantastic” follows a father and his six children who live in the wilderness of Washington state. The main filming location of the movie was the Deception Pass State Park in Washington. Some scenes were filmed in New Mexico as well.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

West Virginia
> Best movie filmed in state: Super 8 (2011)
> IMDb rating: 7.0 / 10 (339,389 votes)
> RT rating: 81 / 100 (290 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $127.0 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in West Virginia: We Are Marshall (2006), The Glass Castle (2017)

“Super 8” is a science fiction thriller that tells the story of a group of friends who witness a train crash and decide to find out what happened. J. J. Abrams filmed at several locations in West Virginia, though the train crash scene was filmed at a ranch in California.

Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Wisconsin
> Best movie filmed in state: Major League (1989)
> IMDb rating: 7.2 / 10 (62,389 votes)
> RT rating: 83 / 100 (40 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $49.8 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Wisconsin: The Last Kiss (2006)

The 1989 baseball comedy was primarily shot in Wisconsin, where filmmakers made use of Milwaukee County Stadium as a stand-in for Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium. Milwaukee native Bob Uecker also appears in the movie, though the story is about the Cleveland Indians.

Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Wyoming
> Best movie filmed in state: Django Unchained (2012)
> IMDb rating: 8.4 / 10 (1,372,769 votes)
> RT rating: 87 / 100 (291 critic votes)
> Domestic box office: $162.8 million
> Other top rated movies filmed in Wyoming: None

Director Quentin Tarantino was drawn to Wyoming for its snowy vistas located near Jackson Hole. Other filming locations for “Django Unchained” include California and Louisiana.

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