Croydon has been the backdrop for numerous films, spanning from the 1960s to as recently as the early 2020s.

With a diverse range of genres, the town boasts a rich cinematic history.

Croydon has welcomed prominent stars, including Rowan Atkinson, Christian Bale, Tom Hanks, Gary Oldman, and Anne Hathaway.

Here’s a list of 18 movies that were either shot in Croydon or feature scenes filmed there.

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 film set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, where Batman must come out of retirement to save Gotham City from the terrorist Bane and prevent nuclear destruction.

Croydon was used as the fictional city of Gotham, and the hospital in the film was a former office building on Wellesley Road.

The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 mystery thriller.

In the film, there is a scene where Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, gives a lecture to students about symbols.

The lecture hall was Fairfield’s Concert Hall in Park Lane.

28 Days Later

28 Days Later (2002) is a British post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Danny Boyle.

The story follows a man who wakes up from a coma to find himself in a world devastated by a highly contagious virus that turns people into aggressive, zombie-like creatures.

He joins a group of survivors as they try to navigate the dangerous land while searching for a haven.

Parts of the film were shot on Whitgift Street and the Croydon Flyover.

Johnny English Strikes Back

Johnny English Strikes Back is the third film of the Johnny English franchise that came out in 2018.

It follows the slightly incompetent agent Johnny English, played by Rowan Atkinson, saving all the undercover operatives when they are exposed by a cyber-attack.

Addington Palace in Croydon was chosen for the backdrop in many of the scenes.

Cuban Fury

Cuban Fury is a 2014 romantic comedy following the story of Bruce Garrett, a former teen salsa champion who gave up dancing after being bullied.

Fairfield Halls on Park Lane was used to film the flashbacks and the salsa competition in the final scene.

Other dance scenes were filmed at Croydon College.

Made in Dagenham

Made in Dagenham is a 2010 comedy-drama set in 1968, following Rita O’Grady and her movement of achieving equal pay for women.

As well as being filmed in Dagenham, part of the film was filmed in Croydon, with scenes filmed in St George’s Walk and the Fairfield Halls

All Of Us Strangers

All of Us Strangers is a 2023 romantic fantasy film following Adam who revisits his childhood home where his deceased parents seem to be living as they were 30 years ago.

The childhood home in question took place in Croydon, and much of the film was shot in Limpsfield, Purley Downs, Sanderstad Recreation Ground, and the Whitgift Shopping Centre.

Brazil

You might be surprised to know that the film Brazil wasn’t really filmed in Brazil.

Brazil is a 1985 sci-fi dystopian dark comedy following a low-ranking bureaucrat named Sam Lowry who gets caught up in a case of mistaken identity.

Much of the film was filmed in Croydon, particularly at the Croydon ‘B’ Power Station, which is now part of an Ikea on Purley Way.

Strippers vs Werewolves

Strippers vs Werewolves is a 2012 British comedy horror film directed by Jonathan Glendening.

The film centres around a group of werewolves seeking revenge on a group of strippers, after one of their own is killed.

The film was shot in four weeks on Croydon High Street and Surrey Street at a former Hustler Club.

Hummingbird

Hummingbird is a 2013 action crime film that follows a former special forces soldier who assumes another man’s identity to get revenge on those who have wronged him.

A few scenes were shot at the Old Palace of John Whitgift School.

The Man Who Knew Too Little

The Man Who Knew Too Little is a 1998 spy comedy film following Wallace Ritchie, an American tourist who flies from Iowa to London to spend his birthday with his brother.

The streets of Croydon were used for some of the film’s car chase scenes, such as the Croydon Flyover and Dingwall Road.

How To Talk to Girls at Parties

How to Talk to Girls at Parties is a British-American science fiction romantic comedy film directed by John Cameron Mitchell.

The film’s IMDb page humorously states: “An alien touring the galaxy breaks away from her group and meets two young inhabitants of the most dangerous place in the universe: the London Borough of Croydon.”

The film was both shot and set in Croydon.

Konga

Konga is a 1961 British science fiction horror film directed by John Lemont.

The film follows the story of British botanist Dr Charles Decker, who discovers a serum that can enlarge plants and animals.

When he uses the serum on a chimpanzee named Konga, it transforms into a giant gorilla-sized ape that goes on a rampage in the city.

There’s a scene where terrified locals are running from Konga, and that was filmed alongside the shops on Croydon High Street.

Our Mother’s House

Our Mother’s House is a British drama thriller from 1967, following the aftermath of the death of a deeply religious mother who leaves behind her seven orphaned children.

The film was shot entirely in Croydon, with the house being at Chepstow Rise, and other scenes being filmed in West Croydon.

Criminal

Criminal (2016) is an action thriller film directed by Ariel Vromen.

The story revolves around a death-row inmate named Jerico Stewart, who undergoes a procedure to implant the memories and skills of a dead CIA agent into his mind.

As well as some scenes being filmed in Kingston, some filming was done in Croydon College as a medical research lab.

Velvet Goldmine

Velvet Goldmine is a 1998 British-American drama film directed by Todd Haynes.

The film is set in the 1970s and follows a journalist named Arthur Stuart, played by Christian Bale, as he investigates the rise and fall of a fictional rock star named Brian Slade, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers, and explores the cultural impact of his music.

The film was shot all over south London, including central Croydon.

The Sandwich Man

The Sandwich Man is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Robert Hartford-Davis.

The film revolves around the life of Horace Quilby, a sandwich board man who wanders the streets of London wearing sandwich boards advertising different businesses.

Throughout his journey, he encounters a variety of eccentric characters and gets involved in humorous situations

A few of the places he walks around include St Georges Walk, Park Lane, and Smith’s Yard in Croydon.

The Kid

The Kid (2010), directed by Nick Moran, is a British drama film that tells the inspiring story of Kevin Lewis, a young boy who grows up in poverty and endures abuse and neglect.

The film was shot in the Surrey Street Market in Croydon and in St George’s Walk.