Which movies were filmed in Arizona?

The wasteland astronauts trekked in 1968’s “Planet of the Apes” is located 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.

RELATED: Locally made: Have you seen all 9 of these movies filmed in Arizona?

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.