Where Was “Night At The Museum” Filmed?

Adore the modern comedy classic and are wondering: where was “Night At The Museum” filmed? Then you’ve come to the right place! Today, we’re taking a trip back to the museum for another night of mayhem while we uncover the secrets of the Natural History Museum! Join us while we discover some of the most memorable filming locations and behind-the-scenes stories.

And for the aspiring filmmaker or creative, stick around until the end. We’ll also share how you can find your own “Night At The Museum”-inspired filming location to rent through Peerspace. Now, let’s shutter the doors and dim the lights – we’re spending the night with Ben Stiller and his zany historical friends!

What is “Night at the Museum”?

Released in 2006, “Night At The Museum” was a commercial success that spawned two additional sequels. It also inspired many people to visit New York City’s Museum of Natural History with fresh eyes. Fans of the franchise can look forward to a new animated addition to the series coming.

Based on a children’s book by author Milan Trench of the same name, the movie stars comedy legend, Ben Stiller as a hapless night watchman who discovers the exhibits come alive after dark to wreak havoc on the museum.

As you might expect from the title, much of the movie takes place at the Museum of Natural History. However, fans have still always asked themselves the question: where was “Night At The Museum” filmed?

Did they film “Night At The Museum” on location?

Seeing Ben Stiller as he interacts with all the various historical figures played by stars like Robin Williams and Rami Malek is sure to beg the question: where was “Night At The Museum” filmed? The halls of the American Museum of Natural History look like the genuine article, but it can be hard to tell whether or not they actually shot there.

Many movies aren’t actually shot at the location where they are set, since the controlled environment of a soundstage or production studio is much safer and set up for filming.

“Night At The Museum” is certainly a chaotic action movie, so it should be no surprise that it wasn’t actually filmed in the halls of the American Natural History Museum. According to IMDB, most of the filming was done at Mammoth Studios, located in British Columbia, Canada.

Aside from Toronto, British Columbia is Canada’s other big hub of film production. Other movies that have been filmed at Mammoth Studios include: “Deadpool 2,” “The Revenant,” and “Sonic The Hedgehog.” According to Cinema Blend, director Shawn Levy said that the recreation of the museum was the biggest set that he had ever worked on or seen in his career.

British Columbia is an attractive place for film production because of the proximity to Hollywood and the tax incentives that the government offers production companies. Television and movie watchers with keen eyes will recognize Vancouver in shows like “The X-Files” or “Riverdale.”

According to an article in BCBusiness, Vancouver’s creative sector earns four billion dollars in annual gross domestic product, along with employing nearly 100,000 locals. This has put the area’s film industry on par with other major industries like forestry and agriculture.

New York City “Night At The Museum” filming locations

Despite the fact that much of the movie was shot at Mammoth Studios, there are still a couple of locations to cover when answering the question: where was “Night At The Museum” filmed?

First off is, of course, the actual American Natural History Museum. While the production wasn’t able to film inside of the museum, they still were able to use it for some exteriors and establishing shots.

This isn’t the first time that the American Natural History Museum has been featured on the big screen. According to IMDB, it can be seen in other blockbusters like “Men in Black II,” “ Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,” and “Splash.”

If you want to see some of the most memorable exhibits from the movie, the American Museum of Natural history has a free guided tour that will lead you to some old friends. If you take the tour for yourself, you’ll be able to see the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton that chased Ben Stiller, the Easter Island Head, and Dexter the capuchin monkey.

According to Cinema Blend, the T-Rex chase was actually done by director Shawn Levy chasing Ben Stiller with the short arm talons while doing his best dinosaur roar. Stiller also says that he got inspiration for this scene by watching Tom Cruise run in the iconic “Mission Impossible” scene.

Aside from the exterior shots filmed at the museum, IMDB reports that some filming was done on West 72nd Street in Manhattan on the Upper West Side. This is unsurprising as the American Natural History Museum is also a few blocks away on the Upper West Side.

Find your own “Night At The Museum”-inspired filming location

We’re coming to the end of our tour through the American Natural History Museum, where we discovered the answer to the question: where was “Night At The Museum” filmed? Hopefully, after learning about this classic comedy, you’re feeling inspired to go out there and create your own fantastical creative project.

If you are looking to go out there and do some filming, then you already know how tough it can be to find quality filming locations or production studios. That’s where Peerspace comes in. The platform is the premier digital marketplace for all of your location rental needs. It offers you access to thousands of unique and gorgeous spots available to rent that are brought to you by passionate, industry-savvy hosts.

Take, for example, this private museum in SoDO’s historic building in Seattle. As you can see from some of the high-quality images posted by the host, this is a perfect place to film some “Night At The Museum”-inspired content. You can almost imagine Ben Stiller or one of his wacky historical pals enjoying some time admiring the artwork here!

This is just scratching the surface of what Peerspace has to offer when you use them for your location scouting, check them out and find out for yourself why millions of industry professionals choose them first.

Find unique filming locations on Peerspace