***Please note the following information regarding Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire filming locations includes mild spoilers.***
Following up on the success of the Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire opened on March 22, 2024. The movie brings back original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts. They are joined by Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and McKenna Grace, who were introduced in the last movie.
While Ghostbusters: Afterlife was filmed in Alberta, Frozen Empire returns the action to New York City, where Ghostbusters 1 and 2 took place.
Ghostbusters Firehouse
In a post-credit scene in Afterlife, we see Winston returning the Ecto-1 to the Firehouse in New York. That scene set up this movie, where the Ghostbusters are back in business, and back in their old digs. Much of the action takes place inside the building, which makes sense considering the working title of the movie was “Firehouse”.
The movie once again used the Hook and Ladder 8 station of the New York Fire Department. It is located at 14 North Moore Street in Tribeca. The building was used in the first two movies as well as the 2016 alternate universe movie Answer The Call. It also appeared in Afterlife, albeit in archived footage from the original movie. Many fans visit the location daily, and it’s still a working NYFD station, so you may see one of their firetrucks race out of the station’s garage.
The interiors of the Firehouse in the previous movies were filmed at a defunct fire station in downtown Los Angeles. It briefly appeared in the post-credit scene in Afterlife as well. However as it is under renovation, and due to the amount of filming needed, Frozen Empire built a replica on a soundstage.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Film Studios
According to IMDB, primary filming was at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. Secondary filming at both Shinfield Studios and Winnersh Film Studios. While Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios does not offer public tours, you can still visit their Harry Potter exhibit. Warner Brothers Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter allows visitors to view some of the sets, costumes, and props used in the movie franchise. It is located on the studio property, where the eight movies were filmed. You can read about my visit to the exhibit here.
New York Public Library
The main location of the New York Public Library makes an appearance in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. The branch of Fifth Avenue was used at the beginning of the original movie, where a poor librarian encounters a ghost in the basement. Peter, Ray, and Egon then go to investigate. The famous stone lions out front are a popular place for photos.
In Frozen Empire, the library makes a return appearance when Ray, Phoebe, and Podcast go to do some research on the orb that Nadeem brought into Ray’s Occult Books. There’s a pretty cool cameo as they first arrive in the Ecto C. As they leave the library, we see Patience the Lion come alive and try to eat Ray.
Washington Square Park
The scenes where Phoebe plays chess with Melody take place in Washington Square Park. We see the famous arch before Phoebe sits at one of the tables and meets Melody.
Coney Island
Filming took place at Coney Island, where groups of beachgoers flee the ice spikes emerging from the sand. We then see the Luna Park ferris wheel as the ice engulfs the ride. The closeup shots of the ferris wheel were filmed at a studio, but we do see the actual wheel from a distance.
Fifth Avenue
The opening scenes of the movie feature Ecto-1 chasing the Hell’s Kitchen Sewer Dragon ghost down Fifth avenue. Phoebe is in the gunner seat trying to catch the ghost, as the chase leads down the busy street and turns onto 18th Street.
City Hall Park
Minor scenes with the Ecto-1 were filmed by New York City Hall in downtown Manhattan. After the Ghostbusters catch the Hell’s Kitchen Sewer Dragon, Gary crashes the Ecto-1 into a line of bicycles in front of City Hall. We also see the Brooklyn Bridge and the David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building in the background. This area also appeared in the first two movies as establishing shots before the mayor’s office scenes.
Freedom Tower
The World Trade Center’s Freedom Tower can be seen in skyline shots of lower Manhattan. As the ice storm approaches the city, we see a view of the skyline as the Freedom Tower is hit by a bolt of lightning.
Lyons Pool
The exterior of Lyons Pool Community Center was used as the Ghostbusters Research and Development Facility. The historic facility is located on Murray Julbert Avenue on Staten Island. The interiors scenes were filmed on a set, not here on locations.
Special thanks to TJ Smolka for telling me about this location and taking these pictures to share.
Metlife Stadium
Some stunt driving rehearsals took place in the parking lot of Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. No actual filming took place here, so this location doesn’t actually appear in the film. Here is a picture I took several years ago of the stadium and it’s parking lot. I was able to take this during a flight approach to Newark Airport.
Ecto-1
As expected, the Ecto-1 is returning in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. After being in a rough state after years in a barn in Oklahoma, it has been restored and upgraded once it returned to New York. While the car from the original movie sits on display at Sony Pictures Studios, the history of this car dates back to Ghostbusters 2. It was originally the Ecto-1A in that movie. Mirroring it’s fictional history, the real vehicle was left exposed to the elements for many years, and was in rough shape. It was carefully restored for Afterlife, and then was on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. When filming of Frozen Empire began in London, the vehicle was moved oversees to be used in filming. It was then brought back to New York City for filming there as well.
