sometimes it’s fun to watch iconic
things go boom welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we’re counting down our picks
for the top 10 world landmark
destruction scenes in movies
for this list we’re looking at the most
satisfying moments in movies when a
world landmark is destroyed we’re basing
our picks on the dramatic impact of the
moment the destruction involved and the
scenes legacy how about the ticket hit
96 famous spots such as Times Square
will not be included as we’re only
looking at landmarks not locations so
sorry for those of you expecting that
Watchmen scene
oh yeah and a spoiler alert is most
definitely in order did you guys see
that
number 10 the Great Wall of China
explodes Superman for the quest for
peace welcome home to vermin
your father’s happy to see ok so the
film itself wasn’t exactly met with the
greatest of acclaim and the effects
haven’t exactly aged well but this scene
is pretty damn entertaining in it
nuclear man destroys part of the Great
Wall of China and the special effects
actually look relatively decent all
things considered as the bricks explode
outwards and shower debris everywhere
even with the budget cuts this panned
sequel suffered through the effect still
manages to be pretty impressive though
the Empire State Building and Mount
Rushmore scenes from Superman 2 are
memorable as well we feel the fourth
installment deserves at least some
recognition
you are nothing I am the father now
number 9 the Great Pyramid of Egypt gets
transformed Transformers Revenge of the
Fallen Oh God this is
right over the machine this transformer
sequel isn’t the best movie either as we
at WatchMojo may have mentioned once or
twice but you gotta admit Michael Bay
sure knows how to destroy things
case in point this scene which sees the
massive transformer Devastator yes the
one with the huge balls in the screen
rip apart one of the Great Pyramids of
Giza to uncover an ancient device then
he gets shot up by a US military railgun
although it sounds ridiculous this scene
has lent some real authenticity by the
fact that they received permission to
shoot at the actual pyramid site in
Egypt we don’t love seeing one of the
wonders of the world get pummeled but
just turn off your brain and enjoy the
carnage that’s a classic number eight a
ship destroys the Golden Gate Bridge san
andreas I said the Golden Gate Bridge
cannot seem to catch a break
whether it’s being destroyed by a
nuclear explosion or a vengeful mutant
in this disaster flick starring the rock
who is definitely our choice to save us
in an apocalypse just FYI the famous
landmark meets its doom when a major
tsunami sweeps up a massive container
ship and slams it into the bridge which
snaps in half from the weight
the scene in this disaster fest is
powerful not only due to the intense
music but also because we actually see
innocent people being killed mercilessly
by mother nature’s wrath
it doesn’t pull punches and it looks and
sounds fantastic to boot
number seven the Colosseum explodes the
core Oh Rome does he not good the Roman
Colosseum is one of the most famous
landmarks in the world mostly due to its
bloody history immense size and
beautiful craftsmanship
of course that all goes out the window
in the core when lightning strikes the
building and blows it into a million
tiny pieces that come whizzing at the
camera
the effects are what you’d expect from a
box-office flop from 2003
but regardless seeing something so large
and so renowned get torn down is
definitely shocking
the Colosseum was in fact historically
struck by lightning in the year 217 with
the resulting fire causing some very
real damage but that was nothing
compared to this plastic and faster on
the top number six the Statue of Liberty
drowns the day after tomorrow while some
may say that this movie is a little too
preachy in terms of its environmental
message it nevertheless features some
amazing special effects and awe
inspiring moments on top of that portion
oh my god I hope no one was in that car
here a massive wave envelops New York’s
Statue of Liberty in water
the result is breathtaking and is helped
by the immersive and realistic sound
design
Lady Liberty who’s over 300 feet tall
from the ground to the tip of her torch
is engulfed by the water’s current
leaving the audience in shock at the
sheer scale of the devastation
it’s not only thrilling from a technical
standpoint it also sets a tense palpable
tone for what’s to follow
both the audience and the characters are
definitely not prepared for what’s next
number five say cheese Taj Mahal Mars
Attacks our world will never feel quite
the same again this movie about invading
Martians could you tell by the title
features a lot of destruction scenes
including Las Vegas is famous landmark
Hotel and Casino but the Taj Mahal
sequence is just too funny to pass up
disaster movies are usually so serious
but this scene with Martians posing for
a picture in front of the exploding Taj
Mahal gives us the giggles the effects
are b-movie camp let’s face it
but the scenes use of humor makes it
refreshingly unique hey aliens like to
play tourists too so what if they’re in
the middle of mass extermination they
have to see the world before they
destroy it why destroy hate number for
the Eiffel Tower collapses GI Joe The
Rise of Cobra al no in this mesmerizing
action sequence the Joe’s chase after
the Baroness and storm shadow
but the good guys are unable to reach
the villains before they fire a missile
containing nano mites into Paris’s
Eiffel Tower causing it to collapse oh
good
the scene looks terrific and eerily
realistic as the towers base is slowly
eaten away and the iron begins to snap
under the weight we see it coming but
it’s still jaw-dropping to witness it
slowly crumble and fall into the road
and water
granted Team America did it first but we
think this looks a little better
congratulations Duke you just saved
Paris to us or at least most of it
number three the Sphinx gets decapitated
Team America world police hey guys I
think we should pull over pull over yes
of course
pull over let the passes and when they
turn around we charge them alright love
your balls
speaking of Team America this puppet
filled load of satire does have a great
destruction scene
they’re not stopping hey hun their
chance
but it’s not the Eiffel Tower or the
loop the team manages to send the
terrorists they’re chasing and their
Jeep flying into the great sphinx of
giza causing its head to slowly separate
from its body and to crash into the
ground
ever the thoughtful group the team
celebrates great job team head back to
base for debriefing and cocktails
ignorant to the fact that they just
ruined a world-famous landmark that is
thousands upon thousands of years old
sure this scene isn’t exciting or
tantalizing but it’s hilarious and
sometimes that’s even better maybe that
means Fink steel got a new head and a
new nose Team America has once again
pissed off the entire world after
blowing up half of Cairo
number two bombing of the Palace of
Westminster V for Vendetta
he’s wasted has there ever been a more
beautiful movie moment that contained
millions of dollars worth of damage and
untold consequences to the world in the
final scene of this film these body is
placed aboard a train that contains a
bomb which explodes underneath the
United Kingdom’s Parliament
it’s gorgeously shot and realistically
executed with Big Ben shattering into a
thousand pieces as Tchaikovsky’s 1812
overture plays punctuated by a firework
display
it truly lets be both as a character and
as a film
go out with a bang and we can’t help but
be riveted in spite of ourselves here
use all of us before we destroy our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions
– away
number one the White House is vaporized
Independence Day time shocked in what is
easily the most popular landmark
destruction scene of all time visiting
aliens set off a coordinated assault on
earth
the most astonishing part is when they
send a beam from their massive ship down
to the White House and vaporize it into
tiny pieces shocking the world
this moment with its amazing special
effects and dramatic impact became a
phenomenon in pop culture later
referenced and parodied for years to
come and cheered from the moment
audiences saw it in the trailer there’s
no denying that this climactic piece of
destruction is spectacular and that it
deserves its place as a seminal moment
in science fiction film history do you
agree with our list
what landmark destruction scene is your
favorite
for more accident-prone top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com hey you getting this on
camera to discredit or just cave and
erase the Hollywood sign
things go boom welcome to watchmojo.com
and today we’re counting down our picks
for the top 10 world landmark
destruction scenes in movies
for this list we’re looking at the most
satisfying moments in movies when a
world landmark is destroyed we’re basing
our picks on the dramatic impact of the
moment the destruction involved and the
scenes legacy how about the ticket hit
96 famous spots such as Times Square
will not be included as we’re only
looking at landmarks not locations so
sorry for those of you expecting that
Watchmen scene
oh yeah and a spoiler alert is most
definitely in order did you guys see
that
number 10 the Great Wall of China
explodes Superman for the quest for
peace welcome home to vermin
your father’s happy to see ok so the
film itself wasn’t exactly met with the
greatest of acclaim and the effects
haven’t exactly aged well but this scene
is pretty damn entertaining in it
nuclear man destroys part of the Great
Wall of China and the special effects
actually look relatively decent all
things considered as the bricks explode
outwards and shower debris everywhere
even with the budget cuts this panned
sequel suffered through the effect still
manages to be pretty impressive though
the Empire State Building and Mount
Rushmore scenes from Superman 2 are
memorable as well we feel the fourth
installment deserves at least some
recognition
you are nothing I am the father now
number 9 the Great Pyramid of Egypt gets
transformed Transformers Revenge of the
Fallen Oh God this is
right over the machine this transformer
sequel isn’t the best movie either as we
at WatchMojo may have mentioned once or
twice but you gotta admit Michael Bay
sure knows how to destroy things
case in point this scene which sees the
massive transformer Devastator yes the
one with the huge balls in the screen
rip apart one of the Great Pyramids of
Giza to uncover an ancient device then
he gets shot up by a US military railgun
although it sounds ridiculous this scene
has lent some real authenticity by the
fact that they received permission to
shoot at the actual pyramid site in
Egypt we don’t love seeing one of the
wonders of the world get pummeled but
just turn off your brain and enjoy the
carnage that’s a classic number eight a
ship destroys the Golden Gate Bridge san
andreas I said the Golden Gate Bridge
cannot seem to catch a break
whether it’s being destroyed by a
nuclear explosion or a vengeful mutant
in this disaster flick starring the rock
who is definitely our choice to save us
in an apocalypse just FYI the famous
landmark meets its doom when a major
tsunami sweeps up a massive container
ship and slams it into the bridge which
snaps in half from the weight
the scene in this disaster fest is
powerful not only due to the intense
music but also because we actually see
innocent people being killed mercilessly
by mother nature’s wrath
it doesn’t pull punches and it looks and
sounds fantastic to boot
number seven the Colosseum explodes the
core Oh Rome does he not good the Roman
Colosseum is one of the most famous
landmarks in the world mostly due to its
bloody history immense size and
beautiful craftsmanship
of course that all goes out the window
in the core when lightning strikes the
building and blows it into a million
tiny pieces that come whizzing at the
camera
the effects are what you’d expect from a
box-office flop from 2003
but regardless seeing something so large
and so renowned get torn down is
definitely shocking
the Colosseum was in fact historically
struck by lightning in the year 217 with
the resulting fire causing some very
real damage but that was nothing
compared to this plastic and faster on
the top number six the Statue of Liberty
drowns the day after tomorrow while some
may say that this movie is a little too
preachy in terms of its environmental
message it nevertheless features some
amazing special effects and awe
inspiring moments on top of that portion
oh my god I hope no one was in that car
here a massive wave envelops New York’s
Statue of Liberty in water
the result is breathtaking and is helped
by the immersive and realistic sound
design
Lady Liberty who’s over 300 feet tall
from the ground to the tip of her torch
is engulfed by the water’s current
leaving the audience in shock at the
sheer scale of the devastation
it’s not only thrilling from a technical
standpoint it also sets a tense palpable
tone for what’s to follow
both the audience and the characters are
definitely not prepared for what’s next
number five say cheese Taj Mahal Mars
Attacks our world will never feel quite
the same again this movie about invading
Martians could you tell by the title
features a lot of destruction scenes
including Las Vegas is famous landmark
Hotel and Casino but the Taj Mahal
sequence is just too funny to pass up
disaster movies are usually so serious
but this scene with Martians posing for
a picture in front of the exploding Taj
Mahal gives us the giggles the effects
are b-movie camp let’s face it
but the scenes use of humor makes it
refreshingly unique hey aliens like to
play tourists too so what if they’re in
the middle of mass extermination they
have to see the world before they
destroy it why destroy hate number for
the Eiffel Tower collapses GI Joe The
Rise of Cobra al no in this mesmerizing
action sequence the Joe’s chase after
the Baroness and storm shadow
but the good guys are unable to reach
the villains before they fire a missile
containing nano mites into Paris’s
Eiffel Tower causing it to collapse oh
good
the scene looks terrific and eerily
realistic as the towers base is slowly
eaten away and the iron begins to snap
under the weight we see it coming but
it’s still jaw-dropping to witness it
slowly crumble and fall into the road
and water
granted Team America did it first but we
think this looks a little better
congratulations Duke you just saved
Paris to us or at least most of it
number three the Sphinx gets decapitated
Team America world police hey guys I
think we should pull over pull over yes
of course
pull over let the passes and when they
turn around we charge them alright love
your balls
speaking of Team America this puppet
filled load of satire does have a great
destruction scene
they’re not stopping hey hun their
chance
but it’s not the Eiffel Tower or the
loop the team manages to send the
terrorists they’re chasing and their
Jeep flying into the great sphinx of
giza causing its head to slowly separate
from its body and to crash into the
ground
ever the thoughtful group the team
celebrates great job team head back to
base for debriefing and cocktails
ignorant to the fact that they just
ruined a world-famous landmark that is
thousands upon thousands of years old
sure this scene isn’t exciting or
tantalizing but it’s hilarious and
sometimes that’s even better maybe that
means Fink steel got a new head and a
new nose Team America has once again
pissed off the entire world after
blowing up half of Cairo
number two bombing of the Palace of
Westminster V for Vendetta
he’s wasted has there ever been a more
beautiful movie moment that contained
millions of dollars worth of damage and
untold consequences to the world in the
final scene of this film these body is
placed aboard a train that contains a
bomb which explodes underneath the
United Kingdom’s Parliament
it’s gorgeously shot and realistically
executed with Big Ben shattering into a
thousand pieces as Tchaikovsky’s 1812
overture plays punctuated by a firework
display
it truly lets be both as a character and
as a film
go out with a bang and we can’t help but
be riveted in spite of ourselves here
use all of us before we destroy our
number one pick here are some honorable
mentions
– away
number one the White House is vaporized
Independence Day time shocked in what is
easily the most popular landmark
destruction scene of all time visiting
aliens set off a coordinated assault on
earth
the most astonishing part is when they
send a beam from their massive ship down
to the White House and vaporize it into
tiny pieces shocking the world
this moment with its amazing special
effects and dramatic impact became a
phenomenon in pop culture later
referenced and parodied for years to
come and cheered from the moment
audiences saw it in the trailer there’s
no denying that this climactic piece of
destruction is spectacular and that it
deserves its place as a seminal moment
in science fiction film history do you
agree with our list
what landmark destruction scene is your
favorite
for more accident-prone top 10s
published every day be sure to subscribe
to watchmojo.com hey you getting this on
camera to discredit or just cave and
erase the Hollywood sign
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