Top 20 Best City Destruction Scenes in Movies
#20: Metropolis
“Man of Steel” (2013) Forget the cute Superman movies of old - “Man of Steel” wasn’t messing around. Metropolis is put in serious danger once Zod activates the World Engine, as the terraforming device utterly obliterates most of the city. Audiences were used to destruction scenes in superhero films, but nothing to the extent of this. These scenes were borderline horrifying and depicted a realistic destruction event, complete with people screaming and running, entire roads crumbling beneath them, and buildings collapsing into massive clouds of dust. It capped “Man of Steel” in frightening fashion and served as the direct catalyst to the events of “Batman v Superman”.
#19: New York City
Top 10 City Destruction Scenes in Movies
“The Avengers” (2012) One year earlier saw the destruction of New York City in “The Avengers.” Unlike the scenes involving Metropolis’s destruction, the ones in “The Avengers” were far more playful and depicted in a more exciting “action movie” manner. Loki uses the Tesseract to bring the Chitauri fleet to Earth, and they wreak chaos on the streets of New York. The entire sequence is an action extravaganza, with every cent of the movie’s staggering $220 million budget on screen. Rarely had anything of this scope ever been attempted before, both in terms of ambition and visual effects. This was some of the most exciting sequences ever put to film and audiences ate it up, launching another decade’s worth of Marvel films.
#18: A Financial Capital
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“Fight Club” (1999) The specific city of “Fight Club” is never mentioned, but whatever it is, it’s left in ruins by the end of the movie. It’s the Narrator’s intention, working through his alter ego of Tyler Durden, to erase the country’s personal debt. To do so, he plans to destroy the buildings that contain credit card information. He is actually successful in his pursuit, and both he and Marla watch in horror as the explosives go off and the buildings collapse to the ground. It’s one of the most iconic endings in movie history, the gorgeous shot paired perfectly with the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?”
#17: New York City
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“Watchmen” (2009) Zack Snyder loves a good destruction scene, and the one found in “Watchmen” is somehow even more devastating than “Man of Steel’s.” It is Adrian Veidt’s plan to unify the United States and the Soviet Union by destroying the world’s major cities and framing Doctor Manhattan. Viewers glimpse this cataclysmic event through the lens of New York City. An explosion rips Times Square and the surrounding buildings apart, and innocent people are instantly vaporized in the resulting shockwave. It’s terrifying stuff, and when Jupiter and Doctor Manhattan return to New York, all they see is a charred hole where the city should be. Say what you will about the movie itself, but Snyder knows how to construct a stellar destruction sequence.
#16: Baltimore
“The Sum of All Fears” (2002) Based on Tom Clancy’s novel of the same name, “The Sum of All Fears” follows a Neo-Nazi who manipulates a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. To do so, he destroys Baltimore with a nuclear weapon and frames it on Russia. The movie doesn’t hold back in its depiction of nuclear devastation. The bomb goes off outside a hospital and blows its windows out while sending the doctors flying. The shockwave proceeds to rip the very ground apart, destroying cars and helicopters in equal measure. The film then cuts to a petrifying shot of a ruined and dusty Baltimore, a towering mushroom cloud on the horizon.
#15: Novi Grad, Sokovia
“Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015) This film’s budget was double that of the original, coming in at nearly $500 million. It shows. The climax sees Ultron lifting an entire section of Sokovia into the sky using vibranium and attempting to crash it into the ground. This climactic battle was even better than the original’s, and watching it on the big screen served as a great defense for the survival and necessity of movie theaters. The sight of Sokovia being lifted into the sky and blowing up over the water is visually stunning, complete with unimaginably great CGI. Disney and Marvel certainly know how to put on a show. These movies are cinematic events, as evidenced by thrilling sequences like this.
#14: Hong Kong
“Pacific Rim” (2013) Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” is a visual extravaganza, complete with some of the greatest Kaiju sequences ever put to film. The movie contains a visceral fight sequence that takes place in Hong Kong, and it leaves much of the city in ruins. Entire buildings crumble as the Kaiju and Jaegers do battle in the streets, bridges are torn in half, and in one case, an entire ship is used as a club. It’s a gorgeous sequence - not only for the convincing CGI, but also the bright neon colors of Hong Kong that permeate the battle. Not much of the city is left following this vicious battle, and it makes for invigorating viewing.
#13: New York City
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“Cloverfield” (2008) Poor New York City has really taken a beating throughout the years. It’s the site of Matt Reeves’s influential found footage thriller “Cloverfield,” and it becomes the playground of its titular creature. In the movie’s most iconic sequence, the Statue of Liberty’s head is sent careening into the street, its face having been scratched apart by an enormous claw. It's a creepy visual and proves very effective at establishing the monster’s size and power. And the movie does not have a happy ending, as a good chunk of New York is destroyed by artillery fire and carpet bombing. When it comes time for the climactic action in Central Park, New York is a smoldering ruin, and Cloverfield isn’t even dead.
#12: San Francisco
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“Star Trek Into Darkness” (2013) J.J. Abrams knows how to stage an exhilarating action sequence, and there’s a great one in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” This movie’s climax forgoes the deep recesses of space and brings the action to Earth when Khan crashes Vengeance into San Francisco. The ship wipes out Alcatraz Island before crashing into the downtown core, destroying dozens of skyscrapers and leaving much of the area a dusty ruin. The scene has a wonderful sense of scale, as viewers get a sense of the enormous size of the Vengeance. The CGI and sound design are also impeccably done, as they depict a horrifyingly realistic attack on one of Earth’s major cities. This is dark stuff for a “Star Trek” film! The title tried to warn us...
#11: Laketown
“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” (2014) “The Desolation of Smaug” ends in tragedy, with Bilbo watching in horror as Smaug sets off towards the nearby Laketown. It makes for a great cliffhanger, and viewers may have thought that Bilbo and the Dwarves would figure something out to save the city. But that is certainly not the case. “The Battle of the Five Armies” continues right where “Desolation” left off, with Smaug destroying much of Laketown with his fire. It’s arguably the darkest sequence in the “Lord of the Rings” franchise, as innocent people are set ablaze and the entire town becomes a fiery inferno. The terrifying sequence helped place Smaug in the pantheon of all-time scariest movie dragons.
#10: Cairo & Egyptian Villages
“Team America: World Police” (2004) Alright, enough of all this seriousness. Let’s have some laughs. Trey Parker’s “Team America” is a vicious indictment of American foreign policy and its destructive military actions, and this is hilariously showcased in the movie’s famous Egypt sequence. While rescuing Gary from extremists, Team America manages to decimate Cairo and some Egyptian villages as well as some of its most iconic landmarks. Cars crash into various street stalls, and the Sphinx is decapitated after a jeep crashes into its chest. Chris shows immense pride in their work, and the camera cuts to a group of stunned locals standing amidst a pile of blazing wreckage. The entire sequence is satire at its funniest and most cutting.
#9: Numerous Major Cities
“Deep Impact” (1998) Released just two months before sister movie “Armageddon,” “Deep Impact” concerns the imminent arrival of a world-ending comet. It’s a much more realistic depiction of armageddon (which is very ironic), and it contains a far bleaker ending. After the comet is blown in two, the smaller half crashes into the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in a mega-tsunami that slams into North America, Europe, and Africa. The image of the shockwave from space is nothing short of petrifying, indicating the type of insane damage that a mere space rock can inflict on our planet. Massive waves then crash into major cities, destroying buildings and sweeping away screaming people. It looks and sounds extraordinary - especially for 1998 - even if it doesn’t make for easy viewing.
#8: New York City & Hollywood
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“The Day After Tomorrow” (2004) One of the most popular disaster movies ever made, Roland Emmerich’s “The Day After Tomorrow” contains an iconic destruction of New York City at the behest of a massive tsunami. The water worms its way through the streets of Manhattan, towering to the tops of buildings, sweeping away running people, and pushing away cars and buses like they’re made of cardboard. Similarly, Hollywood is ripped apart by a tornado, with many of its most notable buildings and monuments crumbling to pieces. The scenes look incredible and prove a fascinating bit of movie magic, establishing Emmerich as a master of the disaster genre.
#7: Hong Kong
“Godzilla vs. Kong” (2021) This is just the type of movie we needed to bring us all back to the theaters - epic, loud, and containing extravagant visual effects. Tokyo has long been the target of Godzilla’s rampages, being featured in both the 1954 original and “Godzilla 1985”, a re-edited American adaptation of “The Return of Godzilla.” Hong Kong is made the target in “Godzilla vs. Kong”, and it proves one of the most beautiful destruction scenes in recent memory. The CGI and sound design are both extraordinary, with the massive monsters using the colorful Hong Kong as their own personal playground. It tops anything seen in a “Godzilla” or “Kong” film in terms of visual effects and scope, establishing a new high for both franchises.
#6: Los Angeles
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“Terminator 2: Judgment Day” (1991) This legendary film has long been acclaimed for its groundbreaking effects, combining both old school tricks and revolutionary CGI to craft a visual extravaganza. In one of the movie’s signature scenes, Sarah has a nightmare of Los Angeles being wiped out by a nuclear bomb. The downtown core of L.A. is leveled, buildings fly apart, and cars are pushed through the air. Perhaps worst of all, people are set on fire before turning to ash and crumbling away in the shockwave. It is unbelievably graphic and disturbing, yet the filmmaking must be commended. The eerie orange lighting, the detailed visual effects, the music, and the explosive sound design all combine to create one of the scariest scenes in movie history.
#5: New York City
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“Armageddon” (1998) Michael Bay’s “Armageddon” is pure Michael Bay - utterly ridiculous, insanely loud, completely nonsensical, and yet wonderfully entertaining. One scene has Manhattan being bombarded by a meteor shower, and it showcases Bay at his technical best. The city is lit up with falling meteors, causing buildings to shatter and cars to explode in enormous fiery blasts. The scene is three minutes of pure chaos, with seemingly endless explosions, flying cars, falling debris, and the complete destruction of both the Chrysler Building and Grand Central. Bay is at his best when shooting action, as he proves here with a magnificently entertaining destruction sequence.
#4: Many California Cities
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“San Andreas” (2015) As its title suggests, “San Andreas” concerns a massive shifting of the San Andreas Fault. Most of California is decimated in the resulting destruction, hitting the likes of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose. It opens with a brilliant dismantling of the Hoover Dam, with most of its iconic construction being washed away in an earthquake. The action then moves west, complete with seemingly endless scenes of total city destruction. One of the movie’s greatest sequences sees the complete ruination of San Francisco, complete with a cargo ship tearing the Golden Gate Bridge in half. No other movie has made us fear tectonic plates quite like this one!
#3: Los Angeles
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“2012” (2009) (Twenty twelve) Remember when we all thought the world would end in 2012? Good times. Writer-director Roland Emmerich took that popular concept to craft an entertaining disaster film that once again showcased Emmerich’s talents as a technical director. In the movie’s most famous sequence, John Cusack attempts to escape a fragmenting Los Anglees as it’s torn apart by an earthquake. It’s a highly detailed and incredibly chaotic sequence, containing every destruction trope imaginable. Buildings crashing into each other, the ground collapsing, freeways crumbling, cars crashing into each other - it’s all there, and it’s all great. In the end, the entire city sinks into the Pacific Ocean, making for one of the scariest visuals ever seen in a disaster film.
#2: London
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“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” (2013) This movie may already be forgotten, but the mesmerizing scene depicting London’s destruction will forever remain popular. Proving his evil might, Zartan uses kinetic bombardment weapons to destroy central London while world leaders are being blackmailed in Fort Sumter. It’s a shocking sequence, and it contains some truly spectacular CGI. London literally ripples with the shockwave, sendings buildings and plumes from the Thames shooting upwards. Numerous London landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster and the London Eye, fall in heaps of steel and stone. It’s incredibly detailed, proving not only the best scene in the movie, but one of the best destruction scenes, period. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Los Angeles, “Battle: Los Angeles” (2011) Aliens Wreak Havoc on Los Angeles Chicago, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011) Michael Bay Once Again Flexes His Talents as a Technical Filmmaker
#1: Various American Cities
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“Independence Day” (1996) Watching “Independence Day” in 1996 was unlike anything else experienced in a movie theater. The visual effects were astounding and the scope expansive, and with it, Roland Emmerich established himself as the leading name in disaster filmmaking - a reputation he carries to this day. The movie contains one of the most iconic sequences in movie history, as the aliens fire destructive beams at the Empire State Building, the U.S. Bank Tower, and the White House. The attack itself proves shocking, and the resulting visual effects still look magnificent by today’s standards. It is the ultimate destruction sequence, transcending the genre and establishing itself as a notable part of American movie history.
