In a world where there only exists one Blockbuster Video, how do you tell a story set in the 90s?

LOCATION: Blockbuster Video (6321 Laurel Canyon Blvd, North Hollywood, CA)

SHOW: Captain Marvel

Since the very first Captain Marvel trailer, there’s been the image of Carol crashing into a Blockbuster Video store. Something that was plentiful in 1995, but now is like an infinity stone at an Avengers convention – hard to find! So how did the creators of Captain Marvel get a Blockbuster Video on film?

Well, they built one, in a mostly abandoned strip mall off the Hollywood Freeway in North Hollywood. This was a location that I was searching for the potential site of long before the film opened. Unfortunately there was not enough visual information in the trailer to research. I wasn’t sure if it was a real place that was designed to look like a Blockbuster, or if the whole thing was created using visual effects.

Once I saw the film however, the location popped right into my head. The parking lot and surrounding buildings are very distinctive. Buildings such as the Wells Fargo Bank tower and the Regency Valley Plaza 6 theaters, with its distinctive neon, made recognizing this site a snap (sorry Thanos!) It was also on my radar due to the fact that it was also a location used in Agents of SHIELD, in season 4, episode 4, “Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire.” The same strip mall was used for a fireworks store in that episode. The Blockbuster was created at the north end of the structure, while “Primed and Ready” fireworks, was at the south end.

Turning to the south, you can see the distinctive shape of some signs on top of the corner building. This was used for The Slow Club which is where Carol finds a payphone after leaving the Blockbuster that she uses to call Yon-Rogg. The west side of this building was festooned with 90s era fliers and posters, and a payphone was added as well. The Skrull that attacks her was on top of the building just next door at 6252 Vantage Ave.

Captain Marvel made clever use of a number of Los Angeles locations, blending them together into seamless montage of action, considering the film moves from here in North Hollywood to the Douglas Metro Station in El Segundo!

Other Captain Marvel articles on MCU: Location Scout – Pancho’s Bar | Metro Train Fight

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Behind every scene in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a location. Some are iconic. Some are functional. Some are completely fantastic. But all of them are there to support the story.

Here at the MCU: Location Scout, Jovial Jay digs deep to uncover the real-world filming locations behind your favorite super hero films. From Iron Man to Inhumans and everything in between!