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Wendy Rush

If You Want To Be In A Movie, Hang At One Of These Las Vegas Locations

By Wendy Rush

If you frequent the casinos on the Las Vegas strip, chances are you have been pretty close to landing in a feature film. Or even on television. There are several shows that film regularly in Las Vegas. Many just don’t announce it because of the crowds it will attract.

In other cases, production companies intentionally hire Las Vegas locals to be extras in their movies. It doesn’t pay much. But it does provide the opportunity to point to the movie screen shouting “look that’s me!” to your family and friends.

And sometimes people land in films and don’t even realize it. If you’re walking around a casino floor and you see a sign that reads “Filming in Progress”, read the fine print. It indicates that by being in that area, you are consenting to being in the movie being filmed. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t want the film industry immortalizing you on the big screen, you might want to walk around that area.

Movies companies film in Las Vegas for various reasons. A main one being that our casinos are pretty darn awesome. The architecture and luxury décor of many of our hotels is a perfect setting for many movies. Also, Las Vegas seems to land in the plot of many movie scripts. It’s where people go to pull off big heists. Where young lovers come to elope. And where people take off to just to get away. So it makes sense that those scenes would be shot in Las Vegas.

So, where are the places in Vegas most likely to get you on the silver screen? Let us take a look at the casinos most often used in big movie productions. You can check out a larger list at nevadafilm.com, but we’re going to focus on the most popular movies filmed in Sin City.

– Wendy Rush, 96.3 KKLZ

  • Jason Bourne - ARIA

    There’s an epic chase scene on the actual Las Vegas strip. Scenes shot in the Aria included the convention space, valet and casino floor. Were you here in 2016 when everyone was rushing to get a glimpse of Matt Damon in action for this movie?

  • The Hangover - CAESARS PALACE

    The scenes in the lobby, the halls, the pool, the elevator and the suite were all Caesars. But they didn’t really trash a room or bring in a live tiger. Those scenes were done on a soundstage.

  • Rain Man - CAESARS PALACE

    Caesar’s is where Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise were playing blackjack in the epic film.

  • Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 - WYNN LAS VEGAS

    The hotel you see when Paul gets out of his car excited about Vegas is the Wynn Hotel & Casino.

  • Ocean's Eleven, Twelve & Thirteen- BELLAGIO

    All three movies in the Ocean‘s trilogy were shot at the iconic Bellagio Hotel. Ocean’s Thirteen also had a scene at McCarran Airport.

  • HANGOVER 3 - BELLAGIO

    Unlike the first Hangover, this one was not filmed at Caesar’s Palace.

  • Now You See Me - ARIA, MGM GRAND & FREMONT STREET

    The scenes at the pool, casino floor, and the Sky Villa suite were all shot at the Aria Hotel.

  • Get Him To the Greek - PLANET HOLLYWOOD & MCCARRAN AIRPORT

    The plot of Get Him To The Greek shows characters in London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. All of those locations were shot in the actual cities. The Vegas scenes were pretty short overall, but you can see a suite and box office scene at Planet Hollywood, among a few other things.

  • What Happens In Vegas - PLANET HOLLYWOOD

    Some of the scenes of this movie, including the one where Ashton Kutcher’s character wins the jackpot, was filmed at the Planet Hollywood casino.

  • Knocked Up - PLANET HOLLYWOOD (When it was still the Aladdin)

    The scene where Ben freaks out was filmed at Treasure Island‘s Mystere show. The other scenes, including when the guys were walking around the pool, was at the Planet Hollywood resort when it was still the Aladdin.

  • Miss Congeniality 2 - TREASURE ISLAND & VENETIAN

    The famous rescue scene at the Sirens of TI show was shot on location at the Treasure Island hotel. Other scenes shot in Vegas include the Venetian hotel & the Welcome To Las Vegas sign.

  • Dodgeball - MONTE CARLO & FREMONT

    When the tournament is going on, the teams play and stay at the Monte Carlo Resort. There are several scenes from the hotel in the film.

  • Leaving Las Vegas - MIRAGE, BALLY'S, FLAMINGO, CIRCUS CIRCUS, EXCALIBUR

    This movie shot scenes in a lot of places in Vegas, including on the Strip. It’s funny to see the skyline in the trailer. Some of the hotels are not there anymore, like the Riviera. Others, like the Imperial Palace, have since been rebranded.

  • Swingers - FREMONT HOTEL, STARDUST

    A very young Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau were in Vegas in 1996 filming this movie. Shooting locations included the Stardust Hotel and Fremont Street Hotel.

  • Vegas Vacation - RIVIERA, FREMONT STREET, MIRAGE, MGM GRAND

    In addition to the hotel scenes in Vegas for this film, the Hoover Dam was also featured. As if we could forget that dam scene.

If you’re taking a tally, here’s the breakdown:

Bellagio – 5, Fremont – 4, Planet Hollywood – 3, McCarran – 2,  Aria – 2, MGM Grand – 2, Caesars Palace – 2, Mirage – 2, Wynn – 1, Monte Carlo – 1, Treasure Island – 1,  Stardust – 1, Venetian- 1,  Bally’s – 1, Flamingo – 1, Circus Circus – 1, Riviera – 1. So, it looks like the Bellagio, Fremont Street or Planet Hollywood are your best bets for landing in a movie scene in Vegas.

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