The future, built on a shelf in Buckinghamshire · 1997
Its New York was 25 towers at 1/24, some about 6.1 metres tall. Below: the 007 Stage at Pinewood, where most of it was shot.
The dial
The film’s New York was built as 1/24-scale models, with 25 skyscrapers, some about 6.1 metres high. Turn the dial from the model toward full size.
Scale
1:24 6.1 m
Scale 1:24. On the set the tower is 6.1 m, at 1:24.
On the set
The film’s New York was built as scale models at 1/24: dozens of apartment blocks and 25 skyscrapers, some about 20 feet (6.1 m) high. Wikipedia does not say where they were built.
Filming used seven soundstages at Pinewood Studios, including the 007 Stage. Set construction began in October 1995. Filming with actors began in late January 1996 and lasted 21 weeks.
A working studio behind gates on Pinewood Road. No visitor access is assumed; the photograph is of the 007 Stage.
The 007 Stage was built for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). A fire in 1984 destroyed it and it was rebuilt four months later. A fire on 30 July 2006 seriously damaged the stage; new construction began on 18 September and took under six months. Its floor is 5,500 square metres, the largest at any studio in the group.
The diva
Wikipedia says the opera scene was filmed at the Royal Opera House.
The performance uses “Il dolce suono” from the mad scene of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Act III, Scene 2. Albanian soprano Inva Mula sang it. Maïwenn Le Besco played the diva, Plavalaguna, on screen.
The soundtrack splits the performance into two tracks, sequenced to play as one continuous scene.
The current building opened on 15 May 1858, designed by Edward Middleton Barry. The main auditorium holds 2,256. The Floral Hall beside it, also by Barry, opened in 1860 as a flower market. It was renamed the Paul Hamlyn Hall in September 2005.
A working opera house on Bow Street. The front can be seen from the street; check the house’s own pages for performances and visits.
Bow Street, London
About 1 hour 15 minutes, for ages 12 and up, through rehearsal studios and workshops. Check the house’s page for days and booking.
See the tourAway
Two places the film’s own history names, and two that appear only on location lists. Each card says which.
Wikipedia says the scenes set in Egypt were shot in Mauritania.
The first shoot for the film, a background shot of the desert, took place on 5 January 1996.
A remote desert region with no stated filming spot, so nothing is pinned. Read current travel advice before planning any trip; the photograph is Chinguetti, a town in the region.
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 7 May 1997, as the opening film.
The evening included a futuristic ballet, a Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show and fireworks. Gaumont spent $1–3 million, a record at the time.
A congress centre at the top of the Croisette. The outside can be seen from the promenade; what is open inside depends on the event.
The filmingmap list gives Parliament Square, Westminster, as a location, without naming a scene. It is a fan list; Wikipedia’s Parliament Square page mentions no films.
The square was laid out in 1868 by Sir Charles Barry to open up space around the Palace of Westminster and ease traffic.
A public square at the north-west end of the Palace of Westminster, open to walk around.
The filmingmap list gives two Icelandic municipalities as locations, Þingeyjarsveit in the north and Múlaþing in the east, without naming a scene. It is a fan list.
Movie Scene Map says Wikidata records Iceland as a filming location without a place inside the country.
No spot is named, so nothing is pinned. The photograph shows Goðafoss, a waterfall on the ring road in northern Iceland; no source ties it to the film.
Back at street level
The Royal Opera House, Parliament Square and the Palais at Cannes can be seen from the street. Pinewood is a working studio behind gates. Adrar and Iceland are regions, and no source names a spot, so neither is pinned.
4 places on the map, plus two regions named but not pinned.
Pins mark public places; private homes are named but not pinned.
Site reference · Restricted access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working studio behind gates on Pinewood Road. No visitor access is assumed; the photograph is of the 007 Stage.
Building reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working opera house on Bow Street. The front can be seen from the street; check the house’s own pages for performances and visits.
Site reference · Public access · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public square at the north-west end of the Palace of Westminster, open to walk around.
Pinewood Road, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
Wikipedia says Luc Besson wanted to shoot in France but could not find suitable facilities, so most of the film was shot in London.
A working studio behind gates on Pinewood Road. No visitor access is assumed; the photograph is of the 007 Stage.
Bow Street, Covent Garden, London
Wikipedia says the opera scene was filmed at the Royal Opera House.
A working opera house on Bow Street. The front can be seen from the street; check the house’s own pages for performances and visits.
Westminster, London
The filmingmap list gives Parliament Square, Westminster, as a location, without naming a scene. It is a fan list; Wikipedia’s Parliament Square page mentions no films.
A public square at the north-west end of the Palace of Westminster, open to walk around.
Stay
A hotel in Covent Garden on Bow Street.
Covent Garden, London
A hotel at 28 Bow Street, opposite the Royal Opera House. Pictured: the opera house, 2010.
See the listingGo there
A backstage tour of the opera house and film location tours of central London.
Bow Street, London
About 1 hour 15 minutes, for ages 12 and up, through rehearsal studios and workshops. Check the house’s page for days and booking.
See the tourCentral London
Live marketplace results for film location tours of central London. Check which ones pass Westminster. Pictured: Parliament Square, 2014.
Live marketplace results · itineraries change
Compare toursWhat’s on
Nothing dated for the film is listed at these places now.
No current dated events are listed. Check providers for the latest programme.
Dates, prices, rooms and stock change: confirm with the provider before you travel or buy. A stay or tour is described as a filming location only where the card says so.
Every place and moment behind this page, with sources.
6 of 6 places · 8 of 8 stories
Pinewood Road, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire
The film’s New York is built as 1/24-scale models: dozens of apartment blocks and 25 skyscrapers, some about 20 feet (6.1 m) high.
Filming takes over seven soundstages at Pinewood, including the 007 Stage.
A fire on 30 July 2006 seriously damages the 007 Stage; new construction begins on 18 September.
Bow Street, Covent Garden, London
The opera scene is filmed at the Royal Opera House, to Donizetti’s mad scene sung by Inva Mula.
Adrar Region, Mauritania
The first shoot, a background shot of the desert, takes place in Mauritania on 5 January 1996; the Egypt scenes are filmed there.
The Croisette, Cannes
The film opens the Cannes Film Festival on 7 May 1997, with a ballet, a Gaultier show and fireworks.
Westminster, London
A fan location list names Parliament Square among the film’s London locations.
Northern and eastern Iceland
A fan location list names two Icelandic municipalities as locations; Wikidata records Iceland with no place.
Places to stay
A notable hotel in London.
London · Source · Check dates on Expedia (Ad / affiliate)
The Soho townhouses where the essayist William Hazlitt died in 1830.
6 Frith Street, Soho, City of Westminster, W1D 3JA · Source · Check dates on Expedia (Ad / affiliate)
Piccadilly’s Ritz, named for its Palm Court tea and used on screen for decades.
150 Piccadilly, Mayfair, City of Westminster, W1J 9BR · Source · Check dates on Expedia (Ad / affiliate)
What’s on
Lyceum Theatre · 200 m from Royal Opera House
Blue Note London · 400 m from Royal Opera House
Garrick Theatre · 500 m from Royal Opera House
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Links go to each venue’s or organiser’s own site. Check dates, access and availability there before you go.
Every place in The Fifth Element leads somewhere else.
