Golden Gate Bridge in popular culture facts for kids

Kim Novak in the 1958 film Vertigo

The Golden Gate Bridge is a super famous landmark in America. Because it's so well-known, you'll often see it in movies, TV shows, and video games. It usually appears when the story takes place in San Francisco, California. Sometimes it's just a background, and sometimes it gets into big trouble!

The Golden Gate Bridge in Movies

The Golden Gate Bridge has appeared in many films. Sometimes it's destroyed, and other times it's just part of the scenery.

When the Bridge Gets Destroyed

In some movies, the Golden Gate Bridge faces big dangers and gets destroyed!

• It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955): A giant octopus takes it down.
• Battle in Outer Space (1959): A meteor from space crashes into it.
• Superman (1978): An earthquake causes some damage.
• The Core (2003): Strong solar radiation destroys it.
• 10.5 (2004): A huge earthquake brings it down.
• X-Men: The Last Stand (2006): The villain Magneto moves the bridge to Alcatraz Island! Don't worry, it's rebuilt later.
• Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus (2009): A giant monster attacks and destroys it.
• Monsters vs. Aliens (2009): It collapses during a big battle.
• Meteor Storm (2010): A shower of meteors destroys the bridge.
• Pacific Rim (2013): A huge monster called a kaiju destroys it.
• Godzilla (2014): The famous monster Godzilla cuts right through the bridge.
• San Andreas (2015): A giant tsunami carrying a cargo ship crashes into it.
• Terminator Genisys (2015): A nuclear missile destroys the bridge.
• Sharknado 5: Global Swarming (2017): A crazy Sharknado destroys it.

Other Movie Appearances

The bridge also appears in many other movies, often as a beautiful backdrop.

• The Maltese Falcon (1941)
• Dark Passage (1947)
• Vertigo (1958)
• The Love Bug (1968): You see the bridge when Herbie the car is about to jump off it.
• Herbie Rides Again (1974)
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979): In the future, the bridge is part of a tram system.
• An Eye for an Eye (1981): Chuck Norris drives his car across it.
• National Lampoon's Vacation (1983): It's seen on a postcard in the opening.
• A View to a Kill (1985): James Bond has an exciting fight on top of the bridge!
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986): Admiral Kirk's spaceship almost hits the bridge.
• Flight of the Navigator (1986): David flies a spaceship right under the bridge.
• Interview with the Vampire (1994): Lestat de Lioncourt drives over the bridge.
• Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996): The family drives over it, and later the pets cross it.
• Bicentennial Man (1999): In the future, the bridge has extra levels for cars.
• Hulk (2003)
• Land of the Lost (2009)
• Star Trek (2009): A damaged drill almost hits the bridge.
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011): It gets hit and traffic is stopped, but it's not destroyed.
• Big Hero 6 (2014)
• Inside Out (2015): Riley and her family drive across it when they move to San Francisco.
• Sharknado: The 4th Awakens (2016)
• Bumblebee (2018): Charlie and Bumblebee see the bridge from a cliff.
• Beautiful Boy (2018)
• Avengers: Endgame (2019)
• Sonic the Hedgehog (2020): The bridge appears four times in this movie.
• The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021): The bridge is seen when robots invade San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge in TV Shows

The Golden Gate Bridge is also a popular sight in many television series, often shown in the opening scenes or during episodes.

• 10.5
• Charmed
• Falcon Crest
• Full House and its sequel, Fuller House
• Futurama
• Monk
• Nash Bridges
• Raven's Home
• Star Trek Picard
• Suddenly Susan
• That's So Raven
• We Bare Bears

The Golden Gate Bridge in Documentaries

The bridge has been the main topic of some documentaries.

• The Bridge (2006): This film is all about the bridge.
• Life After People: This TV series shows what might happen if humans disappeared. In it, the Golden Gate Bridge falls apart after about 100 years because of rust. After 200 years, only the towers are left standing.

The Golden Gate Bridge in Video Games

You can find the Golden Gate Bridge in many video games, too!

• Midtown Madness 2 (2000): The bridge appears in this racing game.
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004): A bridge called the "Gant Bridge" is a copy of the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare: In this game, drones destroy the bridge during a mission.
• Driver: San Francisco (2011): This game is set in San Francisco and features the bridge.
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies: The zombie crew crashes into the bridge while escaping.
• Watch Dogs 2: The game is set in the San Francisco Bay Area, so the bridge is there. You can even paint graffiti on it in a side mission!
• 18 Wheels of Steel series and American Truck Simulator: These truck driving games include the bridge as part of their world.
• Civilization VI: The bridge is a special "wonder" you can build in the Gathering Storm expansion pack.

Other Appearances

The Golden Gate Bridge has also shown up in other cool ways.

• KRON-TV: This TV station used an animated version of the bridge as its logo in the 1970s and 1980s.
• NORAD Tracks Santa: The bridge was a special "Santa Cam" location in 2002, letting people see Santa flying over it!
• Disney California Adventure: A smaller copy of the bridge used to be at the entrance of this theme park.
• Sliders: In one episode, the Golden Gate Bridge is blue, which helps a character realize they are on a different Earth.
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: In the year 2375, the bridge is damaged in an attack. It's shown to be fixed in a later Star Trek: Voyager episode.