Top 15 Movies filmed in Illinois by US Box Office

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The Lights, Camera, Adventure of Illinois Filming Locations

Lights, camera, action! Are you ready for a thrilling adventure through the movie magic of Illinois? Get your popcorn ready because we’re about to take you on a cinematic journey like no other.

From the hustle and bustle of Chicago to the charming small towns dotted across the state, Illinois has played host to blockbuster films that will leave you starstruck. So, grab your camera and your sense of adventure as we explore the exciting world of movie filming locations right here in the Land of Lincoln.

Key Takeaways:

  • Illinois has been the backdrop for a number of famous movies, and visiting these filming locations can add a touch of glamour and excitement to your travel itinerary.
  • Discovering movie filming locations allows you to see familiar places through a whole new lens and experience the magic of cinema up close.
  • Exploring these locations can be a fun way to dive deeper into the culture and history of the state, providing a unique and memorable travel experience.

Lights, camera, adventure! Imagine yourself strolling down the very streets where iconic movie scenes were shot. Picture yourself standing in the exact spot where larger-than-life characters once stood, capturing the hearts and imaginations of audiences worldwide.

Whether you’re a die-hard movie buff or simply looking for a unique and exciting travel experience, visiting movie filming locations in Illinois is the perfect way to inject some Hollywood magic into your trip.

From the stunning skyline of Chicago to charming small towns that exude movie-worthy charm, Illinois has it all. Walk in the footsteps of beloved characters and relive classic moments as you explore iconic filming locations.

Feel the nostalgia wash over you as you visit familiar spots from your favorite movies. And who knows? Maybe you’ll stumble upon a set for a future blockbuster, becoming part of cinematic history yourself.

But it’s not just about the movies themselves; it’s about experiencing the magic behind the scenes. Discover the world of movie-making as you explore the sets, props, and production secrets that make these films come alive. Who knows, you might even catch a glimpse of a star or witness a scene being filmed. Talk about a story to tell your friends!

Ready for your close-up? Grab your map and start planning your Illinois adventure today. Whether you’re standing tall at the Willis Tower, strolling along the picturesque riverfront, or getting lost in the charm of a small-town square, you’ll be living your very own cinematic moment. Lights, camera, action – it’s time to write your own movie-worthy story.

Now grab your camera, put on your favorite movie soundtrack, and let the adventure begin! Explore the movies filmed in Illinois and see the magic of cinema come to life in the very places you can visit.

From action-packed blockbusters to heartwarming dramas, these filming locations are waiting to welcome you into their world. Lights, camera, adventure – go make memories that even Hollywood would envy!

Home Alone – US Box Office: USD$285,761,243millions

Director: Chris Columbus

Main Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard

Release Date: February 27, 1991

Filming Locations: 671 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, Illinois, USA; Trinity United Methodist Church – 1024 W. Lake Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois, USA; 656 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka, Illinois, USA; Panera Bread Company–formerly Hubbard Woods Pharmacy – 940 Green Bay Rd., Winnetka, Illinois, USA; O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Main Plot:  As Christmas approaches, the McCallister family is preparing for a vacation in Paris, France. Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) was sent to his room on the third story of his home after a fight with his older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray). The following morning, while the rest of the family was rushing to the airport on time, they forgot about Kevin, who was now alone in the house. Kevin enjoyed being home alone, eating pizza by himself, jumping on his parent’s bed, and making a mess. Kevin then learns that two thieves, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), are planning to rob his home on Christmas Eve. Kevin immediately installs improvised booby traps in his own home to thwart the intruders and bring them to court.

Famous quotes:

Check-Out Woman: “Are you here all by yourself?”

Kevin McCallister: “Ma’am, I’m eight years old. You think I would be here alone? I don’t think so.”

Check-Out Woman: “Where’s your mom?”

Kevin McCallister: “My mom’s in the car.”

Check-Out Woman: “Where’s your father?”

Kevin McCallister: “He’s at work.”

Check-Out Woman: “What about your brothers and your sisters?”

Kevin McCallister: “I’m an only child.”

Check-Out Woman: “Where do you live?”

Kevin McCallister: “Uh, I can’t tell you that.”

Check-Out Woman: “Why not?”

Sequel: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Fun Fact about Home Alone:

  • Although John Hughes was highly protective of his screenplay and required that the actors recite their lines exactly as written, he permitted his friend John Candy to improvise. Hughes, the writer, and producer of The Breakfast Club (1985), had the five students devise when explaining why they were in detention. Almost all of Candy’s dialogue in the film is improvised.

The Fugitive – US Box Office: USD$183,875,760millions

Director: Andrew Davis 

Main Cast: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore

Release Date: September 16, 1993

Filming Locations: Bryson City, North Carolina, USA; Cheoah Dam, Tapoco, North Carolina, USA; Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina, USA; Dillsboro, North Carolina, USA; Dearborn Street, The Loop, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Main Plot: Dr. Richard Kimble, a well-respected surgeon in Chicago, recently learned that his wife, Helen, was brutally murdered in their home. When the police located Kimble, they arrested him on suspicion of having committed the murder. After that, Kimble was put on trial for no justifiable reason, convicted of his crime, and given a death sentence. Unfortunately for Kimble, his transportation crashed while he was on his way to prison. Kimble is now on the run after he was able to escape. The pursuit of Kimble is now in the hands of Deputy Samuel Gerard, who hails from Chicago. In the meantime, Kimble begins his investigation to discover the truth about who killed his wife and to draw Gerard and his team into the case.

Famous quotes:

Head Illinois State Trooper: “I don’t want to tell you how to do your job…”

Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard: [on his police radio] “Put the helicopter on the bridge!”

Head Illinois State Trooper: “…but only one man in a million can survive that fall. The guy is fish food.”

Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard: “Fine. Go get a cane pole, catch the fish that ate him.”

Fun Fact about The Fugitive:

  • The part where Kimble runs through the St. Patrick’s Day parade was improvised. That was something that Andrew Davis tacked on later. Davis, a local who had long wished to film the event, was granted permission by the mayor’s office to do so on parade day. Every one of these shots was taken using only a hand-held steady cam. Ford and Jones did their thing for the crowd unrehearsed while camera operators scurried about trying to keep up. Ford realized that, like his character, he could blend in with the public for a while before he was recognized because he was not particularly noticeable.

Halloween (2018) – US Box Office: USD$159,342,015millions

Director: David Gordon Green

Main Cast: Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, James Jude Courtney

Release Date: October 19, 2018

Filming Locations: Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Magnolia Cemetery Trust – 70 Cunnington Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina, USA; 40 Fenwick Drive, Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Military Magnet Academy – 2950 Carner Avenue, North Charleston, South Carolina, USA; 1256 Yeamans Hall Road, Hanahan, South Carolina, USA

Main Plot: Laurie Strode, the sole survivor of the murderous serial killer Michael Myers, has spent the past four decades preparing herself for the possibility that she will once again come face to face with her tormentor. She has never gotten over the fact that Michael was the one who took her life. And in 2018, four agonizing decades after the carnage in Haddonfield and the terrible events that transpired on Halloween (1978), she sees her worst nightmares realized when Myers breaks out from Dr. Sartain’s captivity in Smith’s Grove Sanitarium. Now that Michael’s butcher knife has the final say, Laurie is resolved to stand up for herself and rid the town of the nightmare. Even though no one seems to believe in the reality of pure evil, Laurie is determined to rid the city of the monster once and for all.

Famous quotes:

Dr. Sartain: [to Laurie] ‘Did you know our friend Hawkins here was the first responding deputy when Michael was apprehended in the 1978? He stopped Loomis from killing Michael that night.”

Laurie Strode: “Do you know that I pray every night that he would escape?”

Officer Hawkins: “What the hell do you do that for?”

Laurie Strode: “So I can kill him.”

Officer Hawkins: “Well, that was a dumb thing to pray for.”

Sequel: Halloween (1978); Halloween II (1981); Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988); Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989); Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995); Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998); Halloween: Resurrection (2002); Halloween (2018)

Fun Fact about Halloween:

  • The song plays as the child and his father detect that the bus has crashed, a western version of Laurie’s tune during the first movie. Additionally, it is audible after the credits have been rolled.

Cheaper by the Dozen – US Box Office: USD$138,614,544millions

Director: Shawn Levy

Main Cast: Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff, Piper Perabo

Release Date: December 25, 2003 

Filming Locations: 357 S. Lorraine Blvd., Los Angeles, California, USA; Petaluma, California, USA; Santa Rosa, California, USA; Culver Studios – 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA

Main Plot: After Tom Baker is offered his dream job as the head coach of the football team at his alma mater, the Baker family uproots and moves from the rural area to the metropolitan area so that Tom may take over the position. During this time, his wife, Kate, accomplishes her objective of publishing her book and living out her dream. While she is away promoting it, Tom has a hard time keeping the house in order while simultaneously coaching his football team, and as a result, the once-happy family begins to fall apart. While she is away promoting it, Tom has difficulty keeping the house in order while simultaneously coaching his football team.

Famous quotes:

Kate: “Sarah, your suspension from lacrosse for excessive force has been lifted, so you’re going today.”

Sarah Baker: “Yes!”

Kate: “Henry, you have band practice, all right? I cleaned your clarinet. Please don’t play with food in your mouth again. Kim and Jessica, your teacher called and has made a request that you do not correct her in front of the class. Mike, you have show-and-tell today. And please, honey, remember that body parts do not count. Kyle and Nigel, you have a dentist’s appointment at three o’clock, so you’re going to work with Dad.”

Nigel Baker, Kyle Baker: “Yeah!”

Sequel: Cheaper by the Dozen 2

Fun Fact about Cheaper by the Dozen:

  • Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt, who played the parents of 12 children in the “Cheaper by the Dozen” films, had never had children. Steve Martin became a father for the first time in February 2013, when Anne Stringfield gave birth to their first child.

Wayne’s World – US Box Office: USD$121,697,323millions

Director: Penelope Spheeris 

Main Cast: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere

Release Date: 14 February 1992

Filming Locations: Berwyn, Illinois, USA; Cerritos, California, USA; Citrus Avenue and College Street, Covina, California, USA; Covina, California, USA; West Covina, California, USA

Main Plot: Wayne Campbell is a heavy metal enthusiast in a Chicago suburb. On Friday nights, Wayne and his eccentric best buddy Garth Algar host “Wayne’s World,” a popular public cable network television program, in Wayne’s basement. “Wayne’s World” attracts the attention of gorgeous TV network CEO Ben Oliver. He wants “Wayne’s World” on his network in downtown Chicago, sponsored by billionaire Noah Vandahoff, one of the largest arcade business owners. Wayne finds himself falling in love with Cassandra Wong, the Chinese-American lead singer of a heavy metal band, now that “Wayne’s World” is airing on a prime-time television network. Ben, however, has an ulterior motive and intends to wreck their show; he threatens to kidnap Cassandra from Wayne if he and Garth fail to make “Wayne’s World” the most popular television show. Wayne and Garth discover that the show has changed, and Wayne intends to assist Cassandra in becoming stardom.

Famous quotes:

Wayne Campbell: “So, do you come to Milwaukee often?”

Alice Cooper: “Well, I’m a regular visitor here, but Milwaukee has certainly had its share of visitors. The French missionaries and explorers were coming here as early as the late 1600s to trade with the Native Americans.”

Pete: “In fact, isn’t “Milwaukee” an Indian name?”

Alice Cooper: “Yes, Pete, it is. Actually, it’s pronounced “mill-e-wah-que” which is Algonquin for “the good land.”

Wayne Campbell: “I was not aware of that.”

Sequel: Wayne’s World 2

Fun Fact about Wayne’s World:

  • Alice Cooper was under the notion that he would play musically and have one line in the film when he arrived on set. He was astonished to be given a lengthy monologue to learn and film in a short amount of time upon his arrival. In addition to his musical profession, Cooper is known to be a history enthusiast.

Bad Teacher – US Box Office: USD$100,292,856millions

Director: Jake Kasdan

Main Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Justin Timberlake, Lucy Punch

Release Date: August 31, 2011

Filming Locations: Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles City Hall – 200 North Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA; Springfield, Illinois, USA; Plummer St & Oakdale Av, Los Angeles, California, USA; Lawndale, Illinois, USA

Main Plot: Elizabeth Halsey, a gold digger, returns to middle school when her affluent fiancé breaks up. She is a terrible teacher but wants to save money for breast-implant surgery. Scott, a new instructor, turns out to be wealthy, and when she learns there is a bonus for the teacher whose class scores highest on the state exam, she stops screening videos and sleeping in class. Amy, her rival for Scott and the bonus, is upbeat and tightly wound. Amy looks for dirt on Elizabeth, who uses deception to access Scott’s bed and money. It appears that her only ability is honesty with students. She disregards Russell, a humorous gym instructor who observes.

Famous quotes:

Russell Gettis: “That was a nice thing you did for him.”

Elizabeth Halsey: “He was going through a difficult time.”

Russell Gettis: “I am going through a difficult time. May I have your panties?”

Elizabeth Halsey: “I’m not wearing any.”

Fun Fact about Bad Teacher:

  • Cameron Diaz wears predominantly Christian Louboutin shoes throughout the film. This results from a contract between the film’s producers and Louboutin to promote his company’s red-soled shoes.

Mean Girls – US Box Office: USD$86,058,055millions

Director: Mark Waters

Main Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Bennett, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey

Release Date: July 7, 2004

Filming Locations: Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Convocation Hall, University of Toronto-St.George Campus, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Etobicoke Collegiate Institute, Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Front Campus, University of Toronto-St.George Campus, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Main Plot: Cady Heron, whose zoologist parents raised her in the African wilderness, believes she is an expert on “survival of the fittest.” When the home-schooled 16-year-old reaches public high school for the first time, however, the rule of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning. Cady encounters the most vicious species while attempting to find her place among jocks, mathletes, and other subcultures: the Queen Bee, aka the cool and calculating Regina George, leader of the school’s most stylish clique, the Plastics. However, the Queen Bee gets stung when Cady falls for Regina’s ex-boyfriend Aaron Samuels, and she plots to undermine Cady’s social future. Cady quickly unleashes her claws, launching herself into a hilarious “Girl World” conflict that sends the entire school scrambling for shelter.

Famous quotes:

Shane Oman: “Why are you eating a Kalteen bar?”

Regina: “I’m starving.”

Shane Oman: “Man, I hate those things. Coach Carr makes us eat those when we want to move up a weight class.”

Regina: “What?”

Shane Oman: “They make you gain weight like crazy.”

Sequel: Mean Girls 2

Fun Fact about Mean Girls:

  • Lindsay Lohan was originally cast as Regina, but she decided to portray the “good girl” (Cady Heron) to prevent the audience from mistaking her behavior for Regina’s. Regina George cast Rachel McAdams as the “mean girl” because, according to the producer, “only nice girls can play mean girls.”

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – US Box Office: USD$74,363,591 millions

Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik

Main Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki

Release Date: December 1, 1989

Filming Locations: Marshall Field & Co. Department Store – 111 N. State Street, The Loop, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Breckenridge, Colorado, USA;  Blondie Street, Columbia/Warner Bros. Ranch – 411 North Hollywood Way, Burbank, California, USA; John Hancock Center – 875 N. Michigan Avenue, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Mattison Boyd Jones House – 727 West Kenneth Road, Glendale, California, USA

Main Plot: Clark Griswold, the well-intentioned but utterly incompetent patriarch of the Griswold family, wants nothing more than to have a traditional Christmas and plan the ideal family vacation after the disastrous events depicted in National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) and National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985). The Griswold family goes through a series of hilarious misadventures in both films. He wants this now more than anything else in the world, more than anything else in the world. However, this year, Clark’s admirable goal of creating the greatest Christmas Eve celebration is hampered by ignorant relatives, monumentally malfunctioning gadgets, and an unexpected run-in with the entirely cinematic law.

Famous quotes:

Todd: “Hey Griswold. Where do you think you’re gonna put a tree that big?”

Clark: “Bend over and I’ll show you.”

Todd: “You’ve got a lot of nerve talking to me like that Griswold.”

Clark: ‘I wasn’t talking to you.”

Sequel: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989); Vegas Vacation (1997); National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation 2 (2003); Vacation (2015)

Fun Fact about National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation:

  • After failing to get the Christmas lights to work one final time, Clark Griswold takes out his aggravation on the plastic yard decorations. In hitting Santa Claus, Chevy Chase fractured his pinky finger. After that, he resorts to kicking and clubbing the ornaments. The camera continued to roll, and the shot was utilized.

Uncle Buck – US Box Office: USD$66,758,538 millions

Director: John Hughes 

Main Cast: John Candy, Macaulay Culkin, Jean Louisa Kelly, Gaby Hoffmann

Release Date: August 16, 1989

Filming Locations: 2602 Lincoln Street, Evanston, Illinois, USA; New Trier High School – 385 Winnetka Avenue, Winnetka, Illinois, USA; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Wheeling, Illinois, USA; Northbrook, Illinois, USA

Main Plot: Buck Russell is the last person you would think of asking to watch his brother Bob’s three children because he is a bachelor who enjoys his leisure time and has a decent disposition. However, he finds himself unexpectedly in charge of his family as they are going through a difficult time. Even though he was unprepared for suburban living, he quickly won over Miles and Maizy with his hearty cooking and innovative approach to doing the laundry. However, his laid-back manner does not win over everyone, particularly his defiant teenage niece Tia and his impatient partner Chanice. In this uplifting comedy about families, he surprises everyone by combining a little luck and a lot of love.

Famous quotes:

Bug: [sarcastic] “Ever hear of a tune up? Hee hee hee hee hee.”

Buck: [also sarcastic] “Ah, heh heh heh. Ever hear of a ritual killing? Ah, heh heh heh heh heh!”

Bug: “I don’t get it.”

Buck: [serious tone] “You gnaw on her face in public like that again and you’ll be one. Ah, heh heh heh heh!”

Fun Fact about Uncle Buck:

  • During filming, John Candy and the Music Supervisor, Tarquin Gotch, went to a bar together and spent most of the night talking to the establishment’s patrons. John Hughes listened the following day to a caller on a radio talk show who was enthusiastically describing his evening with Candy. Hughes was irritated with Candy, and even though Candy insisted that Buck was supposed to have a disheveled appearance, Hughes canceled Buck’s scenes for the day. He instructed Buck to pull himself together and get some sleep. Hughes was unhappy with Candy.

National Lampoon’s Vacation – US Box Office: USD$61,418,063 millions

Director: Harold Ramis

Main Cast: Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid

Release Date: July 29, 1983

Filming Locations: Six Flags Magic Mountain – 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway, Valencia, California, USA; Saddleback Inn, 12500 Firestone Blvd, Norwalk, California, USA; Schnebly Hill Road Overlook, Sedona, Arizona, USA; 2310 North Vermont Avenue, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California, USA; Chicago, Illinois, USA

Main Plot: The Griswold family such as Clark W as father., wife Ellen, daughter Audrey, and son Rusty set out in high spirits to spend their vacation driving all the way across the country, from Chicago to the West Coast’s glorious Walley World. The journey would take them from Chicago to Los Angeles. The trip that Clark meticulously planned down to the minute starts to become increasingly bumpy when the first grain of sand is allowed to enter. As a result of the Griswold family’s encounter with their simple-minded and perpetually in debt cousin Eddie, Aunt Edna’s grouchy cousins offer to drive her to Phoenix for free. It should be no surprise that the Griswolds endure one string of misfortune after another. But Clark assured his cherished family that they would have the trip of a lifetime.

Famous quotes:

Clark Griswald: “I think you’re all fucked in the head. We’re ten hours from the fucking fun park and you want to bail out. Well I’ll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation. It’s a quest. It’s a quest for fun. You’re gonna have fun, and I’m gonna have fun… We’re all gonna have so much fucking fun we’re gonna need plastic surgery to remove our goddamn smiles! You’ll be whistling ‘Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah’ out of your assholes! I must be crazy! I’m on a pilgrimage to see a moose. Praise Marty Moose! Holy Shit!”

Rusty Griswold: [Grabs Clark’s shoulder] “Dad, you want an aspirin?”

Clark Griswald: “Don’t touch!”

Sequel: National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985); National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989); Vegas Vacation (1997)

Fun Fact about National Lampoon’s Vacation::

  • The Griswold family is mistakenly staring at the Santa Anita Racetrack when they stand in the parking lot and stare at Walley World. According to Harold Ramis, the frame’s racetrack was snipped out and replaced with a hand-painted image of Walley World.

Halloween 2007 – US Box Office: USD$$57.23millions

Director: Rob Zombie 

Main Cast: Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Brad Dourif

Release Date: August 31, 2007

Filming Locations: 1110 Glendon Way, South Pasadena, California, USA; Griffith Park – 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles City College – 855 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA; Building 4, Veterans Hospital – 1611 Plummer Street, North Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA; Camino Theater, Los Angeles City College – 855 North Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, California, USA

Main Plot: Nine-year-old Michael Meyers lives in Haddonfield, Illinois, with his mother, Deborah (a nightclub stripper) and stepfather Ronnie (an alcoholic bum), his sister Judith (an easy girl), and his younger sibling. After being tormented by a classmate on October 31st, Michael overhears his mother’s meeting with the school principal and Dr. Samuel Loomis, a renowned psychiatrist. Dr. Loomis is certain that Michael is mentally ill after discovering images of him hurting animals in his rucksack. This news causes Michael to snap, and he murders Ronnie, Judith’s boyfriend, Steve Haley, and Judith herself. Dr. Loomis currently cares for Michael while serving in the Smith’s Grove Sanatorium. Eleven months later, Michael kills his nurse while his mother is visiting. Michael’s worried mother then kills herself. Fifteen years later, on the night of Halloween, Michael sneaks out of the asylum, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, and makes his way to Haddonfield.

Famous quotes:

Michael Myers, age 10: [crying] “I wanna go home.”

Dr. Samuel Loomis: “You can’t go home.”

Michael Myers, age 10: “Why?”

Dr. Samuel Loomis: “Because you’ve done terrible things.”

Sequel: Halloween: Resurrection (2002); Halloween (2018)

Fun Fact about  Halloween 2007:

  • References to Michael Myers’ time spent in a mental institution under Sam Loomis’ care are an homage to a subplot introduced by Carpenter for television broadcasts of the original Halloween (1978). According to Carpenter, when the picture was sold to television, the network insisted on additional footage to make up for the omitted murders. Thus, Carpenter called upon Donald Pleasence, the original Sam Loomis, to reprise his role to shoot hospital sequences with Michael.

The Blues Brothers – US Box Office: USD$57,229,890millions

Director: John Landis

Main Cast: John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Cab Calloway, John Candy

Release Date: June 20, 1980

Filming Locations: Dixie Square Mall – 151st Street & Dixie Highway, Harvey, Illinois, USA; 807 West Maxwell Street, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pilgrim Baptist Church – 9114 S. Burley Avenue, South Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA; 22 W. Van Buren Street, The Loop, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Calumet River, South Deering, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Main Plot: Jake Blues and his brother Elwood pay a visit to the Catholic family home, where they both spent their formative years after being released from prison. They learned that it would be closing its doors shortly due to a lack of funding and support. After receiving an erroneous insight into the spiritual realm, they reunite with their previous blues band to gather the necessary $5,000 to pay off the back taxes on their house. While they are on their way to performing in the ideal high-paying gig for the band, their journey involves numerous unanticipated detours and run-ins with strange characters, law enforcement, vengeance-seeking militant groups, furious country singers, and insane ex-girlfriends.

Famous quotes:

[Elwood Blues Jake Blues has a fight over the police car Elwood Blues got after he traded away the original bluesmobile for a microphone]

Elwood: “You don’t like it?”

Jake: “No I don’t like it…”

[Elwood Blues floors the pedal and jumps over an open drawbridge]

Jake: “Car’s got a lot of pickup.”

Elwood: “It’s got a cop motor, a 440 cubic inch plant, it’s got cop tires, cop suspensions, cop shocks. It’s a model made before catalytic converters so it’ll run good on regular gas. What do you say, is it the new Bluesmobile or what?”

[a brief thinking pause while Jake attempts to light a cigarette]

Jake: “Fix the cigarette lighter.”

Sequel: Blues Brothers 2000

Fun Fact about The Blues Brothers:

  • Some actors were not accustomed to lip-syncing to pre-recorded songs, which is common for film musicals. James Brown ultimately performed his music live with a recorded backdrop (the rest of his choir was lip-syncing). John Lee Hooker’s live rendition of “Boom Boom” was captured at Maxwell Street Market in Chicago. Aretha Franklin’s performance is compiled from numerous takes, using only those in which her lip-syncing was in sync.

Ordinary People – US Box Office: USD$54,766,923millions

Director: Robert Redford

Main Cast:  Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch, Timothy Hutton

Release Date: September 19, 1980 

Filming Locations: Lake Forest High School – 1285 N. McKinley Road, Lake Forest, Illinois, USA; Walker Brothers Original Pancake House – 153 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, Illinois, USA; Lake Forest, Illinois, USA; Northbrook, Illinois, USA; Fort Sheridan, Illinois, USA

Main Plot: Buck and Conrad Jarrett, best friends and brothers in their teens, lost Buck in a boating accident. Conrad attempted suicide not long after. Conrad is back at home with his parents, Calvin and Beth Jarrett, in the affluent western suburbia of Chicago after being hospitalized for four months. Conrad is back in high school for his senior year, actively participating in extracurriculars like swimming and singing that he had previously abandoned. Things aren’t great at the Jarrett house, though. Conrad restarts his psychiatric therapy outside of the hospital with Dr. Berger, though he doesn’t know why he’s doing it. The Jarretts’ therapy encourages them to look at the family dynamic as a whole and their relationships with the other two members, which may help them figure out what’s making them so unhappy.

Famous quotes:

Conrad “Con” Jarrett: [Berger is pretending to be Buck, Con’s older brother] “Bucky, I didn’t mean it! Bucky, I didn’t mean it!”

Dr. Berger: “What?”

Conrad “Con” Jarrett: “I said put the sail down, but you said keep it starboard, and then we go over! And you say “Hang on, Hang on!”, but then you let go! Why’d you let go?”

Dr. Berger: “Because I was tired!”

Conrad “Con” Jarrett: “Oh yeah? Well, screw you, you jerk!”

Dr. Berger: [Back in reality] “It hurts to be mad at him, doesn’t it?”

Conrad “Con” Jarrett: “God, I loved him. It’s not fair. You just do one wrong thing, and…”

Dr. Berger: “And what was the one wrong thing you did? You know. You know.”

Conrad “Con” Jarrett: “I hung on. I stayed with the boat.”

Dr. Berger: “Exactly.”

Fun Fact about Ordinary People:

  • Actor Jim Hutton, Timothy Hutton’s dad, died before production began. But Hutton claimed he didn’t base Conrad’s melancholy on his loss. The only son of actress Mary Tyler Moore, Richie Meeker, committed himself by shooting himself a month after the film’s premiere. Moore and her husband, producer Grant Tinker, were also apart throughout production.

The Lake House – US Box Office: USD$52,330,111millions

Director: Alejandro Agresti

Main Cast: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, Christopher Plummer, Ebon Moss-Bachrach

Release Date: June 21, 2006

Filming Locations: Maple Lake, Palos Hills, Illinois, USA; Green Mill – 4802 N. Broadway Avenue, Uptown, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Riverside, Illinois, USA; Roosevelt University – 430 S. Michigan Avenue, Downtown, Chicago, Illinois, USA; 1620 N Racine St, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Main Plot: Alex Wyler, a solitary architect in Chicago, has a strained relationship with his father, Simon Wyler. In 2004, he purchased an old glass house by a lake designed and constructed by his father. In his mailbox, he discovers a note from the former tenant, the also-lonely Dr. Kate Forster, asking him to deliver her mail to an address in the city. Alex meets his brother Henry in Chicago, and when they go to the address on Dr. Forster’s correspondence, they find a building under construction that will be completed 18 months later. Alex and Kate realize after exchanging messages that she resided in 2006 and Alex in 2004. They fall in love and attempt to determine how they may meet in person.

Famous quotes:

Kate: “He’s not my boyfriend.”

Alex: “What is he, then? Your brother?”

Kate: “Oh, we have a comedian! What, did you eat clown for breakfast?”

Alex: “Wonderful. Our first fight.”

Fun Fact about The Lake House:

  • In the film, the name of the upscale restaurant is “Il Mare.” “Il Mare” is also the house’s name, and the international title of the Korean film “The Lake House” is Il Mare (2000).

Wayne’s World 2 – US Box Office: USD$48,197,805millions

Director: Stephen Surjik 

Main Cast: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Christopher Walken, Tia Carrere

Release Date: December 10, 1993

Filming Locations: United Methodist Church – 3205 D Street, La Verne, California, USA;  Chicago, Illinois, USA; Imperial County, California, USA; Malibu, California, USA; Monrovia, California, USA

Main Plot: Garth Algar (Dana Carvey), who also plays a late-night TV host, and Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers), who plays a late-night TV host, try their hand at promoting a rock concert after Wayne has a dream in which Jim Morrison tells him to put on a rock concert. The two individuals are unsure of whether or not they will be able to put on a show that will be successful because several musical acts have shown that they are not interested in performing there. During this time, Wayne’s rockstar girlfriend Cassandra (played by Tia Carrere) is being pursued by a new manager (Christopher Walken), and Wayne’s antics only make the situation more difficult.

Famous quotes:

Wayne: [enters gas station] “Where’s the First Presbyterian Church on Gordon Street?”

Bad Actor: “Uh…”

Wayne: “Gordon Street, Gordon Street!”

Bad Actor: “Uh, Gordon Street! Oh yeah, Gordon Street! Uh, I once knew a girl who lived on Gordon Street. But that was a long time ago. When I was young.”

Wayne: [looks at camera] “Do we have to put up with this? I mean, can’t we get a better actor? I know it’s a small part, but I think we can do better than this.”

[person from set crew comes in and replaces actor with another one]

Good Actor: “Gordon Street? Ah, yes, Gordon Street. I once knew a girl who lived on Gordon Street. Long time ago, when I was a young man. Not a day passes I don’t think her and the promise that I made which I will always keep. That one perfect day on Gordon Street. That’s uh, five blocks up, two over.”

Wayne: [choking back tears] “Thank you.”

[jumps in car and drives away]

Fun Fact about Wayne’s World 2:

  • The members of Nirvana—Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic—were offered roles in the film as performers at Waynestock but ultimately turned down the offer.

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