4 Pennsylvania Towns Where Famous Movies Were Filmed

Pennsylvania's starring roles in American movies go back over a century. In fact, the Warner Brothers (yes, those Warner Brothers!) cut their teeth in the industry with their Cascade Theatre in New Castle in the early 1900s, transitioning to film production and distribution in the 1920s.

Thanks in part to those early connections with groups like Warner Brothers, Pennsylvania has been used as a backdrop for some of cinema's most memorable movie moments. From Philadelphia's gritty urban streets to Pittsburgh's industrial skyline and the state’s rural farmlands, filmmakers choosing to film in the Keystone State have a smorgasbord of options. All of which means that film fans, too, have plenty of excuses to visit. Find out more about some of our favorite Pennsylvania towns to visit, where famous movies were filmed.

Philadelphia Film #1 - Tom Hanks and Philadelphia (The Movie)

When it comes to movies in Pennsylvania, you can't forget about the 1993 legal drama, Philadelphia. Starring Tom Hanks in his first Academy Award-winning role, this film was shot almost entirely on location throughout Philadelphia, including the climactic courtroom scenes. These were shot in Courtroom 243 at Philadelphia City Hall on Penn Square, with the building's ornate gold-gilded interiors providing an authentic backdrop for Hanks' superb acting.

In an interesting side note, the law firm where Hanks' character works was filmed in actual law offices in the BNY Mellon Center, with the firm in question donating their location fee to AIDS charities. A refreshingly positive anecdote for so serious an issue, for sure.

Additional filming locations included the Fisher Fine Arts Library at the University of Pennsylvania, Rittenhouse Square, and the Spectrum arena. The movie’s opening was also a glorious moment in Pennsylvania cinema history. This wonderful montage includes landmarks such as Liberty Place, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and the Liberty Bell. Meanwhile, rocker Bruce Springsteen's Oscar-winning song, Streets of Philadelphia, added a little heartfelt magic of its own in what was (and still is) a poignant poke at workplace and societal discrimination.

Philadelphia Film #2 - Sylvester Stallone and Rocky

Few films ever reach the legendary heights of the hit Rocky. And no American city is more closely associated with a single film franchise than Philadelphia is with Sylvester Stallone's underdog boxing story. Released in 1976, the movie’s remarkable success instantly turned the City of Brotherly Love into a place of pilgrimage for film and boxing fans.

One of the most famous sequences involves Rocky Balboa running through the streets of Philadelphia, then climbing the stone steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Now known as the Rocky Steps, millions of visitors tackle those same 72 steps every year, planting their feet on the bronze footprints at the top and pumping their fists Rocky style.

Visitors are also here for selfies, with the famous Rocky statue, a nine-foot-tall bronze sculpture donated to the city by Stallone, being another great spot. The Italian Market, located on 9th Street and featured in Rocky's training montage, remains open and is well worth visiting. It’s one of the country’s oldest outdoor markets. Several tour operators offer guided tours of these and other Rocky locations. One of the best, the Yo, Philly! A Stallone-endorsed impersonator even leads the Film Tour.

Philadelphia Film #3 - Silver Linings Playbook

Philadelphia earned kudos for yet another major film with 2012's Silver Linings Playbook. Starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, it was the turn of the city's Delaware County suburbs to shine, with locations like Llanerch Diner becoming one of the film's most recognizable locations.

It was here that the two lead characters had their first, rather tense dinner together, a scene that propelled this already popular 80-year-old diner to international stardom. Visit today, and you’ll still find fans of the movie lining up to claim the exact table the actors sat at. The stone-walled Solitano family home was filmed in Upper Darby, while the climactic dance competition took place at The Franklin Residences, an elegant apartment complex in Center City. Silver Linings Playbook went on to earn eight Academy Award nominations, with Lawrence winning the award for Best Actress.

Pittsburgh Film #1 - The Dark Knight Rises

When you think of the Batman film franchise, Pittsburgh immediately springs to mind as a stand-in for the fabled Gotham City. The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises, was filmed throughout the city, with its industrial architecture, distinctive bridges, and urban streetscapes proving the perfect dupe for Gotham City under siege.

The production's centerpiece was filmed at Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here, more than 11,000 unpaid extras gathered to watch real explosions on the field during the filming of bad guy Bane's attack on the fictional Gotham Rogues football team. Even legit Steelers players made appearances in the scene. Other notable locations for what was to become one of the highest-grossing films in moviemaking history included Carnegie Mellon University's Mellon Institute, which stood in for Gotham City Hall, and the Software Engineering Institute, which was transformed into the entrance of the prison from which hundreds of criminals are released.

Pittsburgh Film #2 - Jack Reacher

In the very same year that The Dark Knight Rises brought Batman to Pittsburgh, Tom Cruise arrived to film Jack Reacher. Based on Lee Child's novel, One Shot, the action is set in the real Pittsburgh and shows many of the city’s best bits. Filming took place in late 2011, with the opening sniper attack shot (pardon the pun) along the North Shore Riverfront Trail near PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

You can visit Mario's South Side Saloon, where Cruise's character is challenged to a bar fight. The car chase, with Cruise actually driving, winds through downtown streets before the star navigates through the Armstrong Tunnel. And the film's climactic shootout? That was filmed at Hoover Stone Quarry in Saltsburg, about 30 miles east of the city.

Johnstown - Slap Shot and All the Right Moves

Just two hours east of Pittsburgh, the former steel town of Johnstown has made big-screen history as the backdrop not just to one, but two beloved sports films that captured the spirit of working-class Pennsylvania. First up is the 1977 hockey comedy Slap Shot, starring Paul Newman, which has achieved cult classic status and remains one of the most quoted sports movies ever made.

Set in fictional Charlestown, Pennsylvania, Johnstown’s Cambria County War Memorial Arena (now 1st Summit Arena) was the primary filming location. The arena served as home ice for the fictional minor league Charlestown Chiefs, while Slap Shot's downtown parade scenes were filmed on Johnstown's Main Street.

Six years after Slap Shot wrapped, Johnstown welcomed another Hollywood production when the crew of All the Right Moves arrived in the spring of 1983. The football drama starred a young Tom Cruise as a high school player desperate to earn a college scholarship to escape a declining mill town. Sargent's Stadium at the Point, situated where the Stony Creek and Little Conemaugh rivers converge, was utilized for the film's football sequences and remains a vital community fixture.

Lancaster - Witness

Unarguably one of the most iconic thrillers of the 80s, Witness introduced Americans to the Amish community of Lancaster. It also earned its lead, Harrison Ford, his only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. This 1985 film follows a Philadelphia detective who goes into hiding on an Amish farm after a young boy witnesses a brutal murder at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station.

Paramount Pictures had scouted hundreds of Pennsylvania farms before deciding upon the Krantz Farm in Strasburg, a property owned by a family that provided the perfectly secluded setting the production required. The village of Intercourse hosted the confrontation scene between Ford's character and local troublemakers, and Lancaster County's rolling farmland provided the backdrop for the film's famous barn-raising sequence. Expanded from a brief script mention, it became a central motif highlighting the Amish community's cooperation.

If you’re interested in a deep dive into Witness film locations, The Amish Experience at Plain & Fancy Farm provides tours that include a visit to Intercourse, regional historic covered bridges, and a close look at Amish culture. The Lancaster County Courthouse also gets in on the action, with its underground garage acting as the local police station. The film even premiered at the Fulton Opera House, forever cementing a tie with the town’s big screen moment in the spotlight.

The Bottom Line

From the dark lair of Batman’s most violent villain to the rolling Amish countryside of Pennsylvania, the state has served the American movie industry well for decades. One of America's most filmed states, movie enthusiasts can enjoy several unique film experiences. Whether it’s standing on the famous Rocky Steps like Sylvester Stallone so famously did or paying a visit to the small-town ice hockey arena where Paul Newman laced up, these locations continue to provide a reminder of the special magic that movies provide.