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Somerset House, London
Hatley Castle, British Columbia, Canada
Appearances: X-Men, Masterminds, Fierce People, The Changeling, Arrow TV series, Smallville TV series
Why It's So Popular: Apparently, if you want to find a setting for a rich comic-book character's luxurious home, this is the place to use. In what is the most brazen Marvel/DC crossover to date, Hatley House serves as Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters in all the X-Men films as well as the Queen family mansion in TV's Arrow AND it was Luther's home in Smallville .
The Ebell Of Los Angeles, Los Angeles
Appearances: Forrest Gump, Wedding Crashers, The Social Network, Catch Me If You Can, old School, Cruel Intentions, Air Force One, Ghost, Death Becomes Her
Why It's So Popular: The Ebell of Los Angeles is a women's club that contains a small theatre and is an incredibly versatile space. It has served as a wedding reception in Old School , the hospital where Forrest Gump recuperates and the university where Frank Abagnale recruits young air stewardesses.
Parkwood Estate, Ontario, Canada
Appearances: X-Men, Charlie Bartlett, Billy Madison, Chicago, Fever Pitch, Bulletproof Monk, The Tuxedo
Why It's So Popular: Parkwood Estate is a luxury house in a beautiful and serene location; perfect for doubling as hideaways for wealthy folk. Or as training grounds at a school for gifted children.
Grand Central Station, New York
Appearances: Arthur, Conspiracy Theory, Unbreakable, The Avengers, Cloverfield, I Am Legend, The Bone Collector, Carlito’s Way, Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Friends With Benefits, Hackers, Men In Black, The Taking Of Pelham 123, Superman, The Perfect Score, Midnight Run, North By Northwest, One Fine Day
Why It’s So Popular: It's a busy entry point for New York, where busy people can run for a train, lovers can greet each other or say goodbye, and danger can be afoot putting the general public at large at risk. It also contains some beautiful architecture, which is more easily seen in Russell Brand's Arthur when he has the station completely emptied so that he can enjoy a first date.
Times Square, New York
Appearances: Captain America: The First Avenger, Spider-Man, Tower Heist, The Smurfs, Enchanted, Hancock, Date Night, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Vanilla Sky, Jerry Maguire, Big, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, Midnight Cowboy, Fame
Why It’s So Popular: It possibly the flashiest, most media-billboard-saturated place on earth and is perfect for when you need a scene to convey the busy hubbub of modern life. Or, indeed, when you need Captain America to wake up and realise that times have really moved on from when he was last standing upright.
Battersea Power Station, London
Appearances: Children Of Men, 1984, The Dark Knight, Sabotage, The Meaning Of Life, High Treason, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, Full Metal Jacket, Happy-Go-Lucky, RocknRolla, The King's Speech.
Why It's So Popular: With its four huge, grimy chimney stacks, Battersea Power Station really helps to sell the idea of a heavily industrialised dystopia, as in 1984 or its use as the 'Ark Of Art' in Children Of Men . Meanwhile, the interior is perfect for use as an abandoned warehouse (where Batman would have found Rachel Dawes tied up in The Dark Knight ) and the techy control room doubled easily for the BBC's control room in The King's Speech . It really is the multi-purpose coal-fired power station.
Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles
Appearances: Chinatown, A Star is Born, Splash, Bachelor Party, Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Dave, True Lies, Independence Day, Heartbreakers, Blow, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Ocean's 11, The Nutty Professor, Bugsy, Blue Streak, In The Line Of Fire, Wedding Crashers, The Italian Job, Daredevil, National Treasure, Spider-Man, Alien Nation, Prom Night, Fight Club, Vertigo
Why It’s So Popular: It's a big, swanky hotel, which means the film gets to have a nice fancy location and, inevitably, gets to make fun of all the posh is that usually frequent there. Whether it's Axel Foley, Peter Venkman or Bachelor Party 's young Tom Hanks, there's nothing better than seeing a working class hero stick one to the rich hoi-polloi.
The Bradbury Building, Los Angeles
Appearances: The Artist, Chinatown, Blade Runner, (500) Days Of Summer, Disclosure, Wolf, Lethal Weapon 4, Pay It Forward
Why It's So Popular: The iconic architecture. From the lacework staircases where The Artist 's George and Peppy meet, to the climactic rooftop showdown in Blade Runner , this is a building that makes an impact on the eye.
Bronson Canyon, Los Angeles
Appearances: The Searchers, Star Trek VI: An Undiscovered Country, Army Of Darkness, Invason Of The Body Snatchers, Cabin Fever, George Of The Jungle, The Scorpion King, the original 60s Batman TV series
Why It's So Popular: Used for countless adventure serials throughout the 30s, this section of LA's Griffith Park is suitable for both westerns and sci-fi films thanks to looking like a craggy, undisclosed remote location (whereas it is actually just up the road for Hollywood filmmakers).
