Filming Locations Guide: Where was Joker filmed? The Stairs Location

Posted by Ra Moon

Is the new Joker movie one of the films of the year, or is it just a joke?

Like Batman or James Bond characters, several actors have previously played illustrious versions of the Joker: Jack Nicholson (Batman, 1989), Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, 2008), or Jared Leto (Suicide Squad, 2016).

On this occasion, Joaquin Phoenix delivers a brilliant performance of the popular supervillain.

Written and directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover trilogy, War Dogs), Joker was filmed in the New York City area, including Jersey City and Newark.

Welcome to Gotham and the internet’s ultimate guide to Joker’s filming locations. Now let’s get started.

The Joker stairs location in the Bronx

The iconic Joker staircase is located in the Bronx at W 167th Street, between Anderson and Shakespeare Avenues.

The spot of the stairs dance scene, playing Gary Glitter's song Rock and Roll, has become a tourist attraction. It's visited every day by thousands of people.

The exterior of the flat building with the three arches, where Arthur lives with her mother Penny (Frances Conroy), is actually situated at the top of the stairs in Anderson Avenue.

(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps - Joker stairs location

Joker Filming Locations

At the beginning of the movie, Arthur Fleck works as a clown on Market Street in Newark, near the old Paramount Theater.

Check out the extraordinary work of CGI to transform the street into Gotham, adding floors to the buildings and extending the avenue's perspective background.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

During the scene on the bus, when Arthur looks out the window, it is possible to recognize the Harlem River Lift Bridge between Manhattan and the Bronx.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

The clown agency building, headquarters of Hahas, is based at 2335 12th Avenue in Harlem.

According to The Curious Uptowner, the faded 'Amusement Mile' mural, pictured, was shot here in a section of 12th Avenue in Manhattanville, between 133rd and 134th Streets.

This is also one of the locations where The Penguin series was filmed.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

The scene where Arthur is about to rob the Gotham Savings Bank was shot on the Twenty Exchange, at William Street and Exchange Place in Lower Manhattan's Financial District.

This iconic tower, completed in 1931, features wonderful Art Deco architecture.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

Joker was filmed in several subway stations, including the 18th Avenue station (IND Culver Line, Brooklyn), the Bedford Park Boulevard station (Bronx), and the abandoned lower level of the 9th Avenue Subway Station.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros - Maps: 18 Avenue Station / Bedford Park Station

After the first subway scene, Arthur walks the Archway Under Manhattan Bridge, at 199 Cherry Street on the Lower East Side.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

The donut store is located at 3396 Jerome Avenue (pictured). Arthur and her neighbor, Sophie Dumond (Zazie Beetz), also walk through Chinatown.

Later on in the movie, the Joker is hit by a car below a subway line at Jerome Avenue and Macombs Road in The Bronx.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps / Location 2

The exterior of the cinema frequented by the Waynes is the Hudson County Superior Court in Jersey City.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

However, the interior of the cinema playing Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times was filmed in the stunning Loew's Jersey Theatre at 54 Journal Square Plaza in Jersey City.

This historic movie theater, established in 1929, was restored to its former glory in 1996.

The dark alley where the Wayne family is assaulted by a rioter by the end of the movie is also here on the left of the building.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

The Arkham State Hospital is the fictional psychiatric hospital and prison of Gotham City. It was filmed at the Brooklyn Army Terminal Annex Building.

According to Untapped Cities, the interior may have been recorded at Metropolitan Hospital in East Harlem (the same location where the New Amsterdam series was filmed).
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

After the key scene taking place on the television set of Murray Franklin's late-night talk show, played by Robert De Niro, the car crash and the riot scenes were filmed back in Newark, at the Halsey Street and Market Street junction.
Image courtesy of Warner Bros and Google Maps

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