Toronto doubles for New York, Chicago, and Gotham City in hundreds of films annually. King West, the Financial District, and the Distillery are film location central. Self-guided walking maps of film locations are available free from the Toronto Film & Television Office.
Neighbourhood: King West · Address: King St W and Financial District, Toronto, ON · Hours: Mon: Closed | Tue–Sun 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Phone: (416) 599-2033
Why Visit
Explore how Toronto appears on the big screen by tracing real movie scenes shot across King West and the Financial District. The self-guided route is free, accessible, and turns familiar streets into a hunt for Hollywood moments.
What Makes It Unique
Unlike guided bus tours, this is a free, self-paced walk where you can snap photos at spots featured in blockbusters and indie films alike. The official maps are produced by the City, regularly updated, and include lesser-known filming locations other paid tours skip.
Toronto's role as a major film production hub — often called 'Hollywood North' — is one of the city's best-kept secrets for visitors, and a self-guided film location walk through the King West, Financial District, and Distillery neighbourhoods reveals just how many iconic film and television scenes have been shot on streets that Torontonians walk every day. The city doubles for New York, Chicago, and Gotham City so consistently and convincingly that films set in those cities rarely feel the need to explain why the fire hydrants look Canadian or the streetcars occasionally appear in the background.
The King Street West corridor is the most concentrated film location zone. The financial district blocks along King have doubled for Wall Street and lower Manhattan in dozens of productions — the long canyons of glass and stone office towers reading precisely as New York when shot from the right angle and with the right signage additions. The Second City Toronto building, the TIFF Bell Lightbox, and the area around Roy Thomson Hall have all hosted productions. The 2008 film Chicago (despite being set in 1920s Chicago) was shot extensively in Toronto. Superman, Suicide Squad (featuring several downtown Toronto buildings as Midway City), Chicago Fire, Hannibal, and dozens of other series use the city regularly.
The Distillery District doubles for any number of European or historic American settings — its Victorian red-brick buildings and cobblestone streets are convincingly period-neutral. Old Town Toronto's streets around the St. Lawrence Market area have played Colonial New England, Victorian London, and 19th-century New York at various points.
No tickets, guides, or organized tour infrastructure is necessary — simply walking the neighbourhoods with a mental list of what was filmed where creates a pleasingly uncanny experience of overlaying cinematic memory onto familiar geography. The Toronto Public Library maintains film location resources, and various enthusiast sites document specific filming addresses.