A new study reveals the most iconic filming locations in the world and though Canada did not make the list, its scenic mountain views called for an honourable mention.
To reach its findings, online casino company Spin Genie used Instagram and TikTok to uncover how many times a location’s hashtag was used in August of this year, as well as Google Keyword Planner to discover how many times each location was searched for worldwide between August 2022 and July 2023.
Lastly, Spin Genie used Kayak data from September 2023 to find the average price of a hotel either near or in each location per night. Spin Genie combined all four factors to come to a normalized score out of 10, before totalling the overall score as an average.
Coming out on top as the most iconic film location in the world is Petra, a historic city in Jordan’s Southwestern desert. The famous archaeological site is well-known for its appearance in the third Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The study says it is featured in over 1.7 million Instagram posts and has a total score of 9.17 in terms of social media popularity.
“Petra has also been viewed on TikTok over 1.1 billion times and received over 10.4 million searches on Google between August 2022 and July 2023,” the study read.
The second most popular film location is none other than Notting Hill in West London. This cheeky and vibrant enclave is known for being in Love Actually and the self-titled Notting Hill.
“Notting Hill is featured in almost 1.7 million Instagram posts and has been viewed on TikTok over 400.5 million times, as well as garnering over 7.8 million Google searches between August 2022 and July 2023,” the study said.
Tied for second place is Salzburg, Austria, where the classic musical The Sound of Music was filmed. The study says Salzburg has been featured in over 3.6 million Instagram posts, viewed on TikTok over 1.6 billion times, and garnered almost 9.2 million Google searches between August 2022 and July 2023.
MOST POPULAR FILM LOCATIONS IN CANADA
When it comes to famous Canadian film locations, the study acknowledges two scenic areas out west and one right at home.
If you were a big Twilight fan, then Stawamus Chief Provincial Park in Squamish, British Columbia may look familiar to you. That’s because the beautiful park can be seen in both Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Breaking Dawn – Part 2. Specifically, during the tear-jerking wedding ceremony and reception of Edward and Bella.
The second scene area is the Canadian Rockies mountain range seen as a stand-in for Wyoming during the campsite scenes in Brokeback Mountain.
Lastly, the prestigious University of Toronto is notable for its appearances in a number of films such as Good Will Hunting, The Incredible Hulk, and Mean Girls among others.
