Utah attracts a huge number of filmmakers eager to show everything our state has to offer to the entire world.
Utah has a highly diversified economy, with major sectors including transportation, education, information technology and research, government services, mining; it is also a major tourist destination for outdoor recreation.
In 2013, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Utah had the second-fastest-growing population of any state. St. George was the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States from 2000 to 2005.
Utah also has the 14th-highest median average income and the least income inequality of any U.S. state. A 2012 Gallup national survey found Utah overall to be the "best state to live in the future" based on 13 forward-looking measurements including various economic, lifestyle, and health-related outlook metrics.
With that said, it is obvious that Utah is a great U.S. power, but it also has countless movie appearances, and the most important are:
1. Birds of Prey (1973)
Birds of Prey is a 1973 television film directed by William A. Graham and starring David Janssen, Ralph Meeker, and Elayne Heilveil. The screenplay was written by Robert Boris from a story by Boris and Rupert Hitzig.
It is a crime action film depicting a radio station helicopter traffic reporter who, witnessing an armored car robbery, engages in a chase when the suspects flee in a vehicle and then switch to their own get-away helicopter.
Birds of Prey was filmed in Salt Lake City, Utah, with final scenes shot at the recently closed Wendover Air Force Base, where the 509th Composite Group prepared for their atomic bomb missions in World War II with their Silverplate Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. Parts of the film were also shot in Canyonlands and Sevenmile Canyon in Utah.
- Wendover Airport - 345 S. Airport Apron, Wendover, Utah, USA
- Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Sevenmile Canyon, Utah, USA
- Canyonlands National Park, Utah, USA
2. Independece Day (1996)
Independence Day is a 1996 American science fiction action film directed and co-written by Roland Emmerich. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, James Rebhorn, and Harvey Fierstein.
The film focuses on disparate groups of people who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a worldwide attack by an extraterrestrial race of unknown origin. With the other people of the world, they launch an all-out counterattack on July 4—Independence Day in the United States.
Now considered a significant turning point in the history of the Hollywood blockbuster, Independence Day was at the forefront of the large-scale disaster film and sci-fi resurgence of the mid-late 1990s.
The film received mixed to positive reviews and grossed over $817.4 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1996 by surpassing Twister and Mission: Impossible. The film also became the second-highest-grossing film ever at the time, behind Jurassic Park (1993).
- Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, USA
- Wendover Airport - 345 S. Airport Apron, Wendover, Utah, USA
- Tooele, Utah, USA
- Lakepoint, Utah, USA
- Skull Valley, Utah, USA
3. Dumb and Dumber (1994)
Dumb and Dumber is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who co-wrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin.
Starring Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, it tells the story of Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Daniels), two dumb but well-meaning friends from Providence, Rhode Island, who set out on a cross-country trip to Aspen, Colorado, to return a briefcase full of money to its owner, thinking it was abandoned as a mistake though it was actually left as ransom money. Lauren Holly, Karen Duffy, Mike Starr, Charles Rocket, and Teri Garr play supporting roles.
The film was released on December 16, 1994. It grossed $247 million at the box office and has developed a cult following in the years after its release. The success of Dumb and Dumber launched the career of the Farrelly brothers and solidified Carrey's reputation as one of the most prominent actors of the 1990s. The film also spawned an animated TV series, a 2003 prequel, and a 2014 sequel.
- Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
- Park City, Utah, USA
- Sandy, Utah, USA
- Orem, Utah, USA
- 845 W 24th St, Ogden, Utah, USA
- Bear Mountain Chalet - 425 S. Main Street, Heber City, Utah, USA
- Provo, Utah, USA
- Lakepoint, Utah, USA
- Smith Apartments - 228 S 300 E, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
What other great movies do you know that were shot in Utah? Comment below!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birds_of_Prey_(1973_film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069787/locations?ref_=tt_dt_loc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(1996_film)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116629/locations?ref_=tt_dt_loc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumb_and_Dumber
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109686/locations?ref_=tt_dt_loc