Known as the Crescent City, New Orleans is a unique urban environment known for French and Spanish origins that result in beautiful Creole cuisine. So what movies filmed in New Orleans show off this exciting, bustling town?
While located in the southeast state of Louisiana, New Orleans really is a party town with a rich history and diverse culture. The spirit of the town can be felt through a screen, especially when it comes to these movies filmed in New Orleans.
6. Now You See Me, Tubi (2013)
First on the list of best movies filmed in New Orleans is Now You See Me, a 2013 heist film directed by Louis Leterrier. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Melanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Common, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman.
The plot follows an FBI agent and an Interpol detective who track and attempt to bring to justice a team of magicians who pull off bank heists and robberies during their performances and reward their audiences with the money they steal. Filming took place in four major metropolitan cities across the globe, with New Orleans being one of them. You can see the magicians causing chaos at the famous Cafe du Monde near Jackson Square.
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5. Girls Trip, Prime Video (2017)
Next on the list of best movies filmed in New Orleans is Girls Trip, a 2017 comedy film starring Regina Hall, Tiffany Haddish, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Queen Latifah. The story has based the script on the experiences of writers Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver.
The film follows a group of four friends who go to New Orleans to attend the Essence Music Festival to reconnect after a long time. And since it’s based around the Crescent City, it’s only right that the filming took place in New Orleans. Viewers can see famous landmarks as well as lively clubs like Club Maison and the House of Blues.
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4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Prime Video (2008)
The romantic fantasy drama directed by David Fincher is next on the list of best movies filmed in New Orleans. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett and is loosely based on the 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The plot focuses on Button who was born in 1819 with the physical state of an elderly man, ages in reverse. He experiences love and break-ups, sorrow, and timelessness by the time he dies in 2003 as a baby. Several scenes feature the beauty of New Orleans, like seeing the Garden District, making a reservation at Arnaud’s to get oysters and more.
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3. 12 Years a Slave, Prime Video (2013)
12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical drama directed by Steve McQueen and stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, based on the 1853 slave memoir by Solomon Northup. The memoir focuses on Northup who was kidnapped in Washington D.C. by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery. He was put to work on plantations in the state of Louisiana for 12 years before being released.
This movie features the Columns Hotel on St. Charles Avenue, which is part of the National Register of Historic Places and is also the set for the movie. There are also streets of the French Quarter that were transformed into Saratoga, New York.
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2. Interview with the Vampire, Prime Video (1994)
Interview with the Vampire is a 1994 gothic horror film based on Anne Rice’s 1976 novel and stars Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. The movie focuses on Lestat and Louis, beginning with Louis’ transformation into a vampire by Lestat in 1791.
The film follows their time together, and their turning of young Claudia into a vampire as well. The movie has several shots throughout New Orleans’ French Quarter, with much of the movie filmed ease of New Orleans at Oak Valley Plantation.
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1. Green Book, Prime Video (2018)
Last but certainly not least on the list of best movies filmed in New Orleans we have Green Book, a 2018 biographical comedy-drama starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. The film is inspired by the true story of a 1962 tour of the Deep South by African American pianist Don Shirley and Italian American bouncer and later actor Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga, who served as Shirley’s driver and bodyguard.
The film is based on interviews with Lip and Shirley, as well as letters Lip wrote to his wife. While the film showed the two traveling across the Deep South, the film was pretty stationary, with most of the time being shot in Louisiana, especially New Orleans. Several shots include the International House Hotel, The Roosevelt Hotel, Clover’s Grill, the Orpheum, and the Saegner.