List of films set in New York City

In the history of motion pictures in the United States, many films have been set in New York City, New York, or a fictionalized version thereof.

The following is a list of some of the more memorable films set in New York City, sorted by the year the film was released.

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

New York City devastated on film

This list includes films in which New York City is damaged, destroyed, or otherwise devastated.

Deluge (1933) – destroyed by an earthquake and a tsunami
King Kong (1933) – destroyed by a giant monster rampage
Five (1951) – destroyed by nuclear weapons
When Worlds Collide (1951) – destroyed by multiple natural disasters
Invasion U.S.A. (1952) – destroyed by a nuclear war
Captive Women (1952) – unknown cause of destruction of the city
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) – destroyed by a giant monster rampage
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) – destroyed by an alien invasion
The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959) – the city was not destroyed, but it was abandoned from a "radioactive disease"
The Day the Sky Exploded (1961) – destroyed by multiple natural disasters
Fail-Safe (1964) – destroyed by nuclear war and plane crashes
Destroy All Monsters (1968) – destroyed by Godzilla and a giant monster rampage
Planet of the Apes (1968) – unknown cause of destruction of the city
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – unknown cause of destruction of the city
End of the World (1977) – destroyed by multiple natural disasters
Meteor (1979) – destroyed by a meteor strike
Zombi 2 (1979) – destroyed by a zombie apocalypse
Escape from New York (1981) – the city was partially destroyed by prison riots, but it is converted to a large prison
Q (1982) – destroyed by a giant monster rampage
2019, After the Fall of New York (1983) – unknown cause of destruction of the city
Ghostbusters (1984) – parts of the city are destroyed by a giant monster known as the "Stay Pufft Marshmallow Man"
Solar Crisis (1990) – destroyed by a solar flare and a solar storm
A Troll in Central Park (1994) – parts of the city are destroyed by a tornado
The Stand (1994) – the city is overcome by mass anarchy and a worldwide plague before being abandoned.
Daylight (1996) – only the Holland Tunnel is destroyed by terrorists
Independence Day (1996) – destroyed by an alien invasion
Armageddon (1998) – destroyed by a meteor shower
Deep Impact (1998) – destroyed by a mega-tsunami resulting from an asteroid impact.
Godzilla (1998) – destroyed by a giant monster rampage
Aftershock: Earthquake in New York (1999) – destroyed by an earthquake
Tycus (2000) – destroyed by falling debris from the earth's moon
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) – destroyed by rising sea levels and global warming
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001) – destroyed by an alien invasion
The Time Machine (2002) – destroyed by pieces of the moon breaking up in 2037
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004) – destroyed by giant robots
The Day After Tomorrow (2004) – destroyed by a tsunami and an ice age
Devil Man (2004) – destroyed by a battle between Devilman and Satan
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) – destroyed by rodan in a giant monster rampage
Category 7: The End of the World (2004) – destroyed by a super storm
War of the Worlds (2005) – destroyed by an alien invasion
King Kong (2005) – destroyed by a giant monster rampage
Absolute Zero (2005) – destroyed by an ice age
Disaster Zone: Volcano in New York (2006) – destroyed by a volcanic eruption
Children of Men (2006) – mentioned
I Am Legend (2007) – destroyed by a zombie apocalypse
The Happening (2008) – epidemic
Aftermath: Population Zero (2008) – disintegration
Cloverfield (2008) – destroyed by a giant monster rampage
Disaster Movie (2008) – destroyed by multiple natural disasters
Life After People (2008) – disintegration
NYC: Tornado Terror (2008) – destroyed by a tornado
The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) – destroyed by an alien invasion
The Day the Earth Stopped (2008) – destroyed by giant alien robots
War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave (2008) – destroyed by an alien invasion
Watchmen (2009) – destroyed by a nuclear war
Knowing (2009) – destroyed by a solar storm
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) – the city gets smashed by a giant bagel at Times Square
Skyline (2010) – destroyed by an alien invasion
Battle: Los Angeles (2010) – mentioned
2012: Ice Age (2011) – destroyed by an ice age
The Divide (2011) – destroyed by nuclear explosions
The Avengers (2012) – devastated by a battle between superheroes and supervillans
Starlite Motel – destroyed with a whacking stick
Spiders 3D (2013) – destroyed by giant spiders
Oblivion (2013) – destroyed by an alien invasion

Future New York City in film

Captive Women (1952)
Planet of the Apes (1968) – set in 3978
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) – set in 3955
Soylent Green (1973) – set in 2022
2019, After the Fall of New York (1983) – set in 2019
The Fifth Element (1997) – set in 2263
Bicentennial Man (1999) – set from 2005 to 2205
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) – set from 2142 to 4142
The Time Machine (2002) – set in 2030, 2037, and 802,701
Click (2006) – set in the 2030s
Babylon A.D. (2008) – set in 2059
Oblivion (2013) set from 2017 to 2077

v t e Media in New York City
Media	Newspapers and magazines Television and film studios Music
Fiction	Books Television Films Video games

1900s

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960s

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970s

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980s

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990s

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000s

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010s

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

New York City devastated on film

Future New York City in film

See also