1 / 58
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- IMDb user rating: 8.3 (699K reviews)
- Runtime: 149 minutes
- Genres: Adventure and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, and William Sylvester
Which movies were filmed in Arizona?
The magic of Hollywood is that oftentimes movies aren't filmed anywhere near where they purport to be taking place. California may be home to Hollywood, but so many of your favorite films were set against backdrops far removed from the glitterati of the West Coast.
With huge studios like Warner Bros., MGM, and RKO Pictures churning out film after film during the heyday of the silver screen, California made a name for itself as the cornerstone for all things movies. As the industry has continued to shift, however, that has begun to change.
From the need for more rural settings to a director's desire to get everything as historically accurate as possible, not to mention the attractive tax incentives offered by states outside of California, crews are increasingly enticed to look elsewhere when filming. More and more, shoots take place in the most unexpected places in a quest to entertain, and sometimes, to make film history. Have you ever wondered where the Cullen house in the "Twilight" movies actually is? (The answer is Oregon.) How about the location of where the wasteland astronauts trekked in "Planet of the Apes" from 1968? (Answer: Arizona.)
With that in mind, Stacker compiled a list of movies filmed in Arizona using data from Movie Locations. Additional information about each film was collected from IMDb. Some films may have been omitted due to data dissimilarities and lack of corresponding information found on IMDb.
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2 / 58
Apache (1954)
- Director: Robert Aldrich
- IMDb user rating: 6.3 (4.8K reviews)
- Runtime: 91 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Drama
- Cast: Burt Lancaster, Jean Peters, and John McIntire
3 / 58
Back to the Future Part III (1990)
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (468K reviews)
- Runtime: 118 minutes
- Genres: Adventure, Comedy, and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and Mary Steenburgen
4 / 58
The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
- Director: Sam Peckinpah
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (10K reviews)
- Runtime: 121 minutes
- Genres: Comedy, Drama, and Romance
- Cast: Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, and David Warner
5 / 58
Billy the Kid (1941)
- Director: David Miller
- IMDb user rating: 5.7 (1K reviews)
- Runtime: 94 minutes
- Genres: Western
- Cast: Robert Taylor, Brian Donlevy, and Ian Hunter
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6 / 58
Broken Arrow (1996)
- Director: John Woo
- IMDb user rating: 6.1 (103K reviews)
- Runtime: 108 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Thriller
- Cast: John Travolta, Christian Slater, and Samantha Mathis
7 / 58
Bus Stop (1956)
- Director: Joshua Logan
- IMDb user rating: 6.3 (13K reviews)
- Runtime: 96 minutes
- Genres: Comedy, Drama, and Romance
- Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, and Arthur O'Connell
8 / 58
Contact (1997)
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- IMDb user rating: 7.5 (286K reviews)
- Runtime: 150 minutes
- Genres: Drama, Mystery, and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, and Tom Skerritt
9 / 58
Dead Man (1995)
- Director: Jim Jarmusch
- IMDb user rating: 7.5 (101K reviews)
- Runtime: 121 minutes
- Genres: Adventure, Drama, and Fantasy
- Cast: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, and Crispin Glover
10 / 58
Death Wish (2018)
- Director: Eli Roth
- IMDb user rating: 6.3 (75K reviews)
- Runtime: 107 minutes
- Genres: Action, Crime, and Drama
- Cast: Bruce Willis, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Elisabeth Shue
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11 / 58
Duel in the Sun (1946)
- Director: Directors
- IMDb user rating: 6.7 (9.2K reviews)
- Runtime: 129 minutes
- Genres: Drama, Romance, and Western
- Cast: Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, and Gregory Peck
12 / 58
Easy Rider (1969)
- Director: Dennis Hopper
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (115K reviews)
- Runtime: 95 minutes
- Genres: Adventure and Drama
- Cast: Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Jack Nicholson
13 / 58
El Dorado (1966)
- Director: Howard Hawks
- IMDb user rating: 7.5 (29K reviews)
- Runtime: 126 minutes
- Genres: Drama, Romance, and Western
- Cast: John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and James Caan
14 / 58
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
- Director: James William Guercio
- IMDb user rating: 7.0 (6.2K reviews)
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Genres: Crime, Drama, and Mystery
- Cast: Robert Blake, Billy Green Bush, and Mitchell Ryan
15 / 58
Evolution (2001)
- Director: Ivan Reitman
- IMDb user rating: 6.1 (134K reviews)
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Genres: Comedy and Sci-Fi
- Cast: David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, and Julianne Moore
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16 / 58
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
- Director: John Boorman
- IMDb user rating: 3.8 (27K reviews)
- Runtime: 117 minutes
- Genres: Horror
- Cast: Richard Burton, Linda Blair, and Louise Fletcher
17 / 58
Forrest Gump (1994)
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- IMDb user rating: 8.8 (2.2M reviews)
- Runtime: 142 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Romance
- Cast: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, and Gary Sinise
18 / 58
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
- Director: John Ford
- IMDb user rating: 8.1 (98K reviews)
- Runtime: 129 minutes
- Genres: Drama
- Cast: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, and John Carradine
19 / 58
The Grifters (1990)
- Director: Stephen Frears
- IMDb user rating: 6.9 (30K reviews)
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- Genres: Crime, Drama, and Thriller
- Cast: Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, and Annette Bening
20 / 58
Hulk (2003)
- Director: Ang Lee
- IMDb user rating: 5.6 (275K reviews)
- Runtime: 138 minutes
- Genres: Action and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly, and Sam Elliott
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21 / 58
Into the Wild (2007)
- Director: Sean Penn
- IMDb user rating: 8.1 (643K reviews)
- Runtime: 148 minutes
- Genres: Adventure, Biography, and Drama
- Cast: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, and Catherine Keener
22 / 58
Jerry Maguire (1996)
- Director: Cameron Crowe
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (280K reviews)
- Runtime: 139 minutes
- Genres: Comedy, Drama, and Romance
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renée Zellweger
23 / 58
Johnny Guitar (1954)
- Director: Nicholas Ray
- IMDb user rating: 7.6 (19K reviews)
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Cast: Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden, and Mercedes McCambridge
24 / 58
Junior Bonner (1972)
- Director: Sam Peckinpah
- IMDb user rating: 6.7 (6.7K reviews)
- Runtime: 100 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Cast: Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, and Ida Lupino
25 / 58
The Karate Kid (1984)
- Director: John G. Avildsen
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (238K reviews)
- Runtime: 126 minutes
- Genres: Action, Drama, and Family
- Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, and Elisabeth Shue
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26 / 58
The Lost Patrol (1934)
- Director: John Ford
- IMDb user rating: 6.8 (3.5K reviews)
- Runtime: 73 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Drama
- Cast: Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, and Wallace Ford
27 / 58
Mars Attacks! (1996)
- Director: Tim Burton
- IMDb user rating: 6.4 (237K reviews)
- Runtime: 106 minutes
- Genres: Comedy and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, and Sarah Jessica Parker
28 / 58
Midnight Run (1988)
- Director: Martin Brest
- IMDb user rating: 7.5 (91K reviews)
- Runtime: 126 minutes
- Genres: Action, Comedy, and Crime
- Cast: Robert De Niro, Charles Grodin, and Yaphet Kotto
29 / 58
My Darling Clementine (1946)
- Director: John Ford
- IMDb user rating: 7.7 (25K reviews)
- Runtime: 97 minutes
- Genres: Drama, Romance, and Western
- Cast: Henry Fonda, Linda Darnell, and Victor Mature
30 / 58
Natural Born Killers (1994)
- Director: Oliver Stone
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (245K reviews)
- Runtime: 119 minutes
- Genres: Action, Crime, and Romance
- Cast: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, and Tom Sizemore
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31 / 58
The Nutty Professor (1963)
- Director: Jerry Lewis
- IMDb user rating: 6.6 (19K reviews)
- Runtime: 107 minutes
- Genres: Comedy, Romance, and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens, and Del Moore
32 / 58
Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
- IMDb user rating: 8.0 (188K reviews)
- Runtime: 112 minutes
- Genres: Adventure and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, and Kim Hunter
33 / 58
Psycho (1960)
- Director: Alfred Hitchcock
- IMDb user rating: 8.5 (699K reviews)
- Runtime: 109 minutes
- Genres: Horror, Mystery, and Thriller
- Cast: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, and Vera Miles
34 / 58
Psycho (1998)
- Director: Gus Van Sant
- IMDb user rating: 4.6 (50K reviews)
- Runtime: 105 minutes
- Genres: Horror, Mystery, and Thriller
- Cast: Vince Vaughn, Anne Heche, and Julianne Moore
35 / 58
Raising Arizona (1987)
- Director: Joel Coen
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (146K reviews)
- Runtime: 94 minutes
- Genres: Comedy and Crime
- Cast: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, and Trey Wilson
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36 / 58
Red River (1948)
- Director: Howard Hawks
- IMDb user rating: 7.8 (33K reviews)
- Runtime: 133 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Cast: John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, and Joanne Dru
37 / 58
Rio Bravo (1959)
- Director: Howard Hawks
- IMDb user rating: 8.0 (66K reviews)
- Runtime: 141 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Cast: John Wayne, Dean Martin, and Ricky Nelson
38 / 58
The Searchers (1956)
- Director: John Ford
- IMDb user rating: 7.8 (94K reviews)
- Runtime: 119 minutes
- Genres: Adventure, Drama, and Western
- Cast: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, and Vera Miles
39 / 58
She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
- Director: John Ford
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (19K reviews)
- Runtime: 104 minutes
- Genres: Western
- Cast: John Wayne, Joanne Dru, and John Agar
40 / 58
Stagecoach (1966)
- Director: Gordon Douglas
- IMDb user rating: 6.1 (2.1K reviews)
- Runtime: 115 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Western
- Cast: Ann-Margret, Alex Cord, and Red Buttons
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41 / 58
A Star Is Born (1976)
- Director: Frank Pierson
- IMDb user rating: 6.1 (13K reviews)
- Runtime: 139 minutes
- Genres: Drama, Music, and Romance
- Cast: Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, and Gary Busey
42 / 58
Star Trek: First Contact (1996)
- Director: Jonathan Frakes
- IMDb user rating: 7.6 (130K reviews)
- Runtime: 111 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Drama
- Cast: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Brent Spiner
43 / 58
Stargate (1994)
- Director: Roland Emmerich
- IMDb user rating: 7.0 (200K reviews)
- Runtime: 116 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Kurt Russell, James Spader, and Jaye Davidson
44 / 58
Starman (1984)
- Director: John Carpenter
- IMDb user rating: 7.0 (50K reviews)
- Runtime: 115 minutes
- Genres: Romance and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, and Charles Martin Smith
45 / 58
Stir Crazy (1980)
- Director: Sidney Poitier
- IMDb user rating: 6.7 (30K reviews)
- Runtime: 111 minutes
- Genres: Comedy and Crime
- Cast: Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, and Georg Stanford Brown
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46 / 58
Superman III (1983)
- Director: Richard Lester
- IMDb user rating: 5.0 (73K reviews)
- Runtime: 125 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Comedy
- Cast: Christopher Reeve, Richard Pryor, and Margot Kidder
47 / 58
The Thief of Bagdad (1940)
- Director: Directors
- IMDb user rating: 7.4 (14K reviews)
- Runtime: 106 minutes
- Genres: Adventure, Family, and Fantasy
- Cast: Conrad Veidt, Sabu, and June Duprez
48 / 58
Three Kings (1999)
- Director: David O. Russell
- IMDb user rating: 7.1 (178K reviews)
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Comedy
- Cast: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube
49 / 58
Tombstone (1993)
- Director: George P. Cosmatos
- IMDb user rating: 7.8 (160K reviews)
- Runtime: 130 minutes
- Genres: Biography, Drama, and History
- Cast: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, and Sam Elliott
50 / 58
Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014)
- Director: Michael Bay
- IMDb user rating: 5.6 (327K reviews)
- Runtime: 165 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz Beckham, and Jack Reynor
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51 / 58
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
- Director: Michael Bay
- IMDb user rating: 5.9 (422K reviews)
- Runtime: 149 minutes
- Genres: Action, Adventure, and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, and Josh Duhamel
52 / 58
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
- Director: Monte Hellman
- IMDb user rating: 7.2 (13K reviews)
- Runtime: 102 minutes
- Genres: Drama
- Cast: James Taylor, Warren Oates, and Laurie Bird
53 / 58
U Turn (1997)
- Director: Oliver Stone
- IMDb user rating: 6.7 (54K reviews)
- Runtime: 125 minutes
- Genres: Crime, Drama, and Thriller
- Cast: Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, and Nick Nolte
54 / 58
Unforgiven (1992)
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- IMDb user rating: 8.2 (427K reviews)
- Runtime: 130 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, and Morgan Freeman
55 / 58
The Vanishing American (1925)
- Director: George B. Seitz
- IMDb user rating: 6.9 (355 reviews)
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Cast: Richard Dix, Lois Wilson, and Noah Beery
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56 / 58
The Westerner (1940)
- Director: William Wyler
- IMDb user rating: 7.3 (6.6K reviews)
- Runtime: 100 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Cast: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, and Doris Davenport
57 / 58
Wild Wild West (1999)
- Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
- IMDb user rating: 4.9 (165K reviews)
- Runtime: 106 minutes
- Genres: Action, Comedy, and Sci-Fi
- Cast: Will Smith, Kevin Kline, and Kenneth Branagh
58 / 58
Zabriskie Point (1970)
- Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
- IMDb user rating: 6.9 (17K reviews)
- Runtime: 113 minutes
- Genres: Drama
- Cast: Mark Frechette, Daria Halprin, and Paul Fix
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Olivia Monahan, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 48 states.
