Where was Armageddon filmed?

Like every good disaster movie, Armageddon doesn’t muck around but instead plunges viewers headfirst into the action. So, after the Charlton Heston-narrated introduction about how a six-mile-wide asteroid killed off the dinosaurs, we see space shuttle Atlantis bombarded and absolutely obliterated by a meteor shower. The action then moves to the streets of New York, where we see shots of the iconic New York City skyline, and then zoom in on a man riding a bike with his cute dog in the basket. But when he stops to watch a TV in a store window about the explosion of the space shuttle, the dog runs off and attacks a nearby street vendor’s inflatable Godzilla doll. The two men soon square up to one another, preparing to fight. “If I wasn't no Christian, I'd be throwin' your fat, pineapple-eatin' ass through the window,” the bike rider says to the vendor. But just then, the TVs start to flicker as pieces of a fiery meteor rains down from the sky, almost landing right on their heads. The meteors then come thick and fast, smashing into 53rd Street Station and sending iconic yellow cabs exploding into the sky. Though depicting New York City, this 53rd Street Station scene was actually filmed in front of the Barclay Hotel in downtown LA. You can find the hotel at 103 4th Street.

After the tense opening of Armageddon, in which New York is ravaged by meteors and NASA scientists realize we could be headed for a global extinction event, it’s time for a change of pace. The next shots take us to Harry Stamper’s oil rig, which the on-screen caption tells us is located in the South China Sea. At first, it appears like Harry is on a golf course somewhere, lining up a tee shot and aiming for the fairway. But as he launches a golf ball into the distance and yells out “rise and shine,” we see that he’s not aiming for grass but instead a boat full of Greenpeace protestors. “Stop the drilling,” the protestors chant, but it falls on deaf ears as Harry calls out “Fore!” and launches another ball at their boat. This Armageddon scene was actually filmed on a real oil rig, the Garden Banks Oil Rig, which was located about 200 miles from Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil drillers know they’re about to embark on a high-risk mission. With little time to prepare and the odds of success desperately slim, they know there’s a pretty good chance they won’t make it home alive. With this in mind, they’re all determined to make the most of their time on Earth while they still can. Rockhound and Oscar in particular are super-keen to live it up before launch, as we see them partying at a strip club. Rockhound tells a stripper he’s in town for astronaut training, and that he’s a mission specialist. “What does that mean?” the stripper asks seductively. “I don’t know,” says the geologist, before he’s confronted by a group of burly bikers. And when Rockhound gives the lead biker some money to go buy himself a neck, a brawl breaks out and these astronauts-in-training are soon arrested. This Armageddon film shoot location is the Los Angeles Theatre, and this scene was filmed in the lobby. You can find this beautiful building at 615 South Broadway in the heart of the city.

Harry’s relationship with his daughter has always been a source of conflict. Harry always believes he knows what’s right for Grace, even though she’s an independent woman who is more than capable of making her own decisions. And while Harry has never been able to stand the idea of Grace and A.J. being together, there’s nothing like preparing to embark on a deadly space mission to help remind you of what’s really important. On the day of the launch, Grace and Harry meet to reconcile their differences. Harry admits that he’s not sure whether he’s done the right thing raising her, dragging her around to a series of oil rigs, but Grace sets him straight. “I love you. And don’t talk like you’re not coming back,” she says tearfully. “Promise me that you’ll come back.” “I promise, Grace,” Harry eventually responds, and father and daughter embrace. This moving scene was filmed at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 34 in Florida, where you’ll find the Apollo 1 Memorial. The Memorial commemorates the loss of three astronauts in the Apollo 1 disaster.

No-one expected landing on the surface of an asteroid to be a walk in the park, and they’re about to find out just how difficult this death-defying mission is going to be. As the Freedom and Independence approach the asteroid, the Independence is smashed by debris and makes a deadly crash-landing. “Houston, Independence has gone down,” the announcement comes through, much to the dismay of everyone in the control room. The Freedom, meanwhile, lands safely but well away from the target site, coming to ground above a surface of iron ferrite that will be extremely difficult to drill through. This Armageddon filming location is in South Dakota’s Badlands National Park. With its uniquely spectacular rugged rock formations, the area of the Barry Barber Ranch was chosen as the perfect site to re-create the surface of an asteroid.

Just before sacrificing his life to save the entire world, Harry finally admits that A.J. and Grace are meant to be together. “You gotta take care of my little girl now. That’s your job,” Harry says to A.J. “I’d be damn proud to have you marry Grace.” He also sends a video message to Grace giving her his blessing to tie the knot with his one true love. So, after Harry’s tragic death and the return of the remaining shuttle crew to Earth, where they’re greeted as heroes, we finally get to see A.J. and Grace walking down the aisle. In gorgeous scenes, with the sounds of Aerosmith’s “i Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” playing, the two lovers get hitched. Just before she kisses her groom, Grace’s gaze strays to photos of her father and the other crew members who didn’t make it home. These wedding scenes from Armageddon were filmed at St Brendan’s Catholic Church in Los Angeles, which is located at 310 South Van Ness Avenue. You can also spot this church in Beverly Hills 90210 as well as the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds.