Lights. Camera. Detroit? Once upon a time, Michigan had a magic golden ticket of sorts by way of a tax incentive that made it cheap and easy for filmmakers like Michael Bay, Ryan Gosling, and Drew Barrymore to utilize all the beauty, blight, and splendor Michigan has to offer. Though the film incentive was stripped from us by Gov. Rick “Flint Water Crisis” Snyder in 2015, the films created before and during that time will last forever (which, in the case of some of the films on this list, is an unfortunate fact). While some movies are set in and around Detroit, not all of those films actually set foot in the Detroit area (we're looking at you, Grosse Pointe Blank). Meanwhile, some films that are set in places like Washington, D.C., Hong Kong, or fictional battlegrounds like Metropolis transformed our familiar landscape with some major movie magic, making it all the more special when we catch a glimpse of a Detroit building, landmark, or notable vacant lot on the silver screen. Though we're still only slightly offended that no one asked moi for a closeup (Gos, what gives?), we're just happy Detroit has been given many memorable moments to shine. Detroit: You're a star, baby.
15 movies filmed in and around Detroit — and their locations
By Metro Times editorial staff on Fri, Apr 23, 2021 at 6:09 pm
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Transformers: Last Knight (2017)
Fisher Building3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit
Sadly, the Autobots and Mark Wahlberg moved on from Transformers in 2017, when the five-film series concluded, which sadly means that Detroit would no longer be the disguised backdrop for CGI robots to destroy. Before wrapping the series, they tore up the city one last time, including a return to Detroit's Packard Plant as well as some chase and battle scenes in a recognizable downtown Detroit.
Photo via YouTube
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Transformers: Last Knight (2017)
Fisher Building3011 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit
Sadly, the Autobots and Mark Wahlberg moved on from Transformers in 2017, when the five-film series concluded, which sadly means that Detroit would no longer be the disguised backdrop for CGI robots to destroy. Before wrapping the series, they tore up the city one last time, including a return to Detroit's Packard Plant as well as some chase and battle scenes in a recognizable downtown Detroit.
Photo via GoogleMaps
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BONUS: Transformers: Last Knight (2017)
Pontiac SilverdomeOK — we know that A) the Silverdome isn't in Detroit and B) it is no longer even standing. However, we wanted to give the fallen arena a moment since it's featured in the final Transformers entry — and we totally know why. The 82,000+ capacity former home of the Detroit Lions, the Silverdome was erected in 1975 and closed in 2003. The massive arena was demolished in 2018.
Photo via YouTube
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BONUS: Transformers: Last Knight (2017)
Pontiac SilverdomeOK — we know that A) the Silverdome isn't in Detroit and B) it is no longer even standing. However, we wanted to give the fallen arena a moment since it's featured in the final Transformers entry — and we totally know why. The 82,000+ capacity former home of the Detroit Lions, the Silverdome was erected in 1975 and closed in 2003. The massive arena was demolished in 2018.
Photo via ashleydiener/Flickr
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8 Mile (2002)
A&L Mobile Home Park20787 Schultes Ave., Warren
If you had one movie, would you shoot it in your hometown? Or would you go full Hollywood? Well, we think Eminem's knees may be weak and his arms may be heavy for carrying the city of Detroit at a time where people were scared to cross the film's namesake street. This thinly veiled quasi-autobiography about Eminem's rise in Detroit’s hip-hop scene was shot in the place where it all went down. (“Filmed on location in the 313” as the ending credits proudly proclaim.) Not only does the movie feature a number of notable Motor City locations but it also brought local performers like Miz Korona, Proof (R.I.P.), and Obie Trice to the big screen. Among the locations near Detroit is the A&L Mobile Home Park where Rabbit aka Eminem lives with his troubled mother. The trailer park exists in Warren but was given the fictional name of 8 Mile Mobile Park because, 8 Mile, baby. (Fun fact: The rap battle scenes at the Shelter were not shot at the real Shelter, but rather a re-created set elsewhere in Detroit.)
Photo via GoogleMaps
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8 Mile (2002)
The Michigan Building220 Bagley St., Detroit
The Michigan Building, which is now a parking garage and remains attached to what once was the Michigan Theater, made an appearance in 8 Mile when two rivaling rap crews, including Eminem's, take advantage of the vast abandoned space as a popular hangout place where they smoke, spit rhymes, and start shit.
Photo via YouTube
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8 Mile (2002)
The Michigan Building220 Bagley St., Detroit
The Michigan Building, which is now a parking garage and remains attached to what once was the Michigan Theater, made an appearance in 8 Mile when two rivaling rap crews, including Eminem's, take advantage of the vast abandoned space as a popular hangout place where they smoke, spit rhymes, and start shit.
Photo via GoogleMaps
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8 Mile (2002)
Ira Wilson & Sons Dairy13037 Mack Ave., Detroit
Remember when Rabbit and his crew roll around the city with a paintball gun, including a cop car? Well, one of the notable locations they pummel with paint fire is none other than that abandoned cow head place, er, the former Ira Wilson & Sons Dairy shop. The store, which used the giant cow head as a marketing gimmick, was only open for less than a decade and closed in 1960 before becoming Dairy Ann, C&P Ice Cream, and, its final incarnation, a barbecue joint. The property hit the market in 2016 for $89,000, which is more than the sale of the Michigan Central Station in the 1990s.
Photo via YouTube
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8 Mile (2002)
Ira Wilson & Sons Dairy13037 Mack Ave., Detroit
Remember when Rabbit and his crew roll around the city with a paintball gun, including a cop car? Well, one of the notable locations they pummel with paint fire is none other than that abandoned cow head place, er, the former Ira Wilson & Sons Dairy shop. The store, which used the giant cow head as a marketing gimmick, was only open for less than a decade and closed in 1960 before becoming Dairy Ann, C&P Ice Cream, and, its final incarnation, a barbecue joint. The property hit the market in 2016 for $89,000, which is more than the sale of the Michigan Central Station in the 1990s.
Photo via GoogleMaps
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BONUS: 8 Mile (2002)
Chin Tiki/Parking lot2121 Cass Ave., Detroit
While you may not be able to visit Chin Tiki, the once-hot tiki-themed nightclub and restaurant which was featured in 8 Mile, you can park on it, thanks to our favorite purveyors of parking lots, the Illitch family! That's right, Chin Tiki was torn down in 2009, nearly three decades after it shuttered. R.I.P. Chin Tiki, may you live on forever in our hearts and in 8 Mile.
Photo via YouTube
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BONUS: 8 Mile (2002)
Chin Tiki/Parking lot2121 Cass Ave., Detroit
While you may not be able to visit Chin Tiki, the once-hot tiki-themed nightclub and restaurant which was featured in 8 Mile, you can park on it, thanks to our favorite purveyors of parking lots, the Illitch family! That's right, Chin Tiki was torn down in 2009, nearly three decades after it shuttered. R.I.P. Chin Tiki, may you live on forever in our hearts and in 8 Mile.
Photo by Jim Reese/Flickr
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BONUS: 8 Mile (2002)
Chin Tiki/Parking lot2121 Cass Ave., Detroit
While you may not be able to visit Chin Tiki, the once-hot tiki-themed nightclub and restaurant which was featured in 8 Mile, you can park on it, thanks to our favorite purveyors of parking lots, the Illitch family! That's right, Chin Tiki was torn down in 2009, nearly three decades after it shuttered. R.I.P. Chin Tiki, may you live on forever in our hearts and in 8 Mile.
Photo via GoogleMaps/i>
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Gran Torino (2008)
Private home238 Rhode Island St., Highland Park
In the same vein as Green Book or Crash and, you know, other movies where white dudes prove that racism is dead after overcoming racism, Gran Torino follows silver screen legend (and the film's director) Clint Eastwood as a Korean War veteran and neighborhood curmudgeon who lives next door to a Hmong family and, if you haven't guessed, stops being angry at Asian Americans. OK — so the movie is a bit more complex and it's not nearly as egregiously bad as the aforementioned films, but, unlike those films, Gran Torino was not nominated for a single Academy Award. The crew spent over $10 million while shooting throughout metro Detroit, which found production setting up shop in a neighborhood in Highland Park where Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) and the Vang Lor family reside — and where a majority of the film takes place. (Fun fact: The dinner scene features food from Dearborn's Bangkok 96, after restaurateur Genevieve Vang was enlisted to provide authentic Hmong/Thai food for cast/crew.)
Photo via YouTube
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Gran Torino (2008)
Private home238 Rhode Island St., Highland Park
In the same vein as Green Book or Crash and, you know, other movies where white dudes prove that racism is dead after overcoming racism, Gran Torino follows silver screen legend (and the film's director) Clint Eastwood as a Korean War veteran and neighborhood curmudgeon who lives next door to a Hmong family and, if you haven't guessed, stops being angry at Asian Americans. OK — so the movie is a bit more complex and it's not nearly as egregiously bad as the aforementioned films, but, unlike those films, Gran Torino was not nominated for a single Academy Award. The crew spent over $10 million while shooting throughout metro Detroit, which found production setting up shop in a neighborhood in Highland Park where Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) and the Vang Lor family reside — and where a majority of the film takes place. (Fun fact: The dinner scene features food from Dearborn's Bangkok 96, after restaurateur Genevieve Vang was enlisted to provide authentic Hmong/Thai food for cast/crew.)
Photo via YouTube
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Gran Torino (2008)
Private home238 Rhode Island St., Highland Park
In the same vein as Green Book or Crash and, you know, other movies where white dudes prove that racism is dead after overcoming racism, Gran Torino follows silver screen legend (and the film's director) Clint Eastwood as a Korean War veteran and neighborhood curmudgeon who lives next door to a Hmong family and, if you haven't guessed, stops being angry at Asian Americans. OK — so the movie is a bit more complex and it's not nearly as egregiously bad as the aforementioned films, but, unlike those films, Gran Torino was not nominated for a single Academy Award. The crew spent over $10 million while shooting throughout metro Detroit, which found production setting up shop in a neighborhood in Highland Park where Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) and the Vang Lor family reside — and where a majority of the film takes place. (Fun fact: The dinner scene features food from Dearborn's Bangkok 96, after restaurateur Genevieve Vang was enlisted to provide authentic Hmong/Thai food for cast/crew.)
Photo via GoogleMaps
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Gran Torino (2008)
Saint Ambrose Roman Catholic Church15020 Hampton St., Grosse Pointe Park
In the same vein as Green Book or Crash and, you know, other movies where white dudes prove that racism is dead after overcoming racism, Gran Torino follows silver screen legend (and the film's director) Clint Eastwood as a Korean War veteran and neighborhood curmudgeon who lives next door to a Hmong family and, if you haven't guessed, stops being angry at Asian Americans. OK — so the movie is a bit more complex and it's not nearly as egregiously bad as the aforementioned films, but, unlike those films, Gran Torino was not nominated for a single Academy Award. The crew spent over $10 million while shooting throughout metro Detroit, which included the film's opening funeral scene. Shot at Saint Ambrose Roman Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe, it is during this scene where Walt says goodbye to his wife, while hating the rest of his shitty family, thus setting a tone for the rest of the movie.
Photo via YouTube
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Gran Torino (2008)
Saint Ambrose Roman Catholic Church15020 Hampton St., Grosse Pointe Park
In the same vein as Green Book or Crash and, you know, other movies where white dudes prove that racism is dead after overcoming racism, Gran Torino follows silver screen legend (and the film's director) Clint Eastwood as a Korean War veteran and neighborhood curmudgeon who lives next door to a Hmong family and, if you haven't guessed, stops being angry at Asian Americans. OK — so the movie is a bit more complex and it's not nearly as egregiously bad as the aforementioned films, but, unlike those films, Gran Torino was not nominated for a single Academy Award. The crew spent over $10 million while shooting throughout metro Detroit, which included the film's opening funeral scene. Shot at Saint Ambrose Roman Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe, it is during this scene where Walt says goodbye to his wife, while hating the rest of his shitty family, thus setting a tone for the rest of the movie.
Photo via GoogleMaps
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It Follows (2014)
Packard Plant1560 E Grand Blvd., Detroit
We've all seen the spring break slasher flick or the cabin in the woods hill person killer thriller, but we have three very spooky words for you: Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Ah, yes. One of the most original horror/thriller movies to date, It Follows centers around metro Detroit, a group of teens, and a mysterious killer… which is believed to be a parable for STDs amid young people's sexual exploration. The film, written and directed by Clawson native David Robert Mitchell, was shot throughout the metro Detroit area and included some recognizable locations including every filmmaker's favorite abandoned factory, the Packard Plant.
Photo via YouTube
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It Follows (2014)
Packard Plant1560 E Grand Blvd., Detroit
We've all seen the spring break slasher flick or the cabin in the woods hill person killer thriller, but we have three very spooky words for you: Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Ah, yes. One of the most original horror/thriller movies to date, It Follows centers around metro Detroit, a group of teens, and a mysterious killer… which is believed to be a parable for STDs amid young people's sexual exploration. The film, written and directed by Clawson native David Robert Mitchell, was shot throughout the metro Detroit area and included some recognizable locations including every filmmaker's favorite abandoned factory, the Packard Plant.
Photo via GoogleMaps
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It Follows (2014)
Redford Theatre17360 Lahser Rd., Detroit
Date night! Everyone loves a date night, right? Well, for It Follows, filmmakers place main characters Jaimie and Hugh at the very photogenic and very historic Redford Theater for a little date night action and a screening of the 1963 classic romantic thriller Charade.
Photo via YouTube
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