“Ocean’s 8” is one of those flicks that stays true to its roots. Set and filmed in New York City, spots like Junior’s Restaurant, Kennedy Airport, and, of course, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, are featured prominently.
The all-female spinoff of the “Ocean’s 11” movies stars Sandra Bullock as Debbie Ocean, a criminal fresh out of prison who crafts the “perfect” heist and rounds up seven other key players to help it unfold.
Ocean and her dream team — Cate Blanchett, Sarah Paulson, Mindy Kaling, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter — set out to nab a necklace priced at $150 million being worn by model Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) during the annual Met Gala.
The film, now in theaters, featured several city scenes that New Yorkers are sure to recognize. Below, eight major spots across the boroughs that pop up.
Veselka (144 Second Ave., Manhattan)
You could say Veselka is where it all began. The East Village spot known for its Ukrainian eats is the scene where a recently incarcerated Ocean convinces pal Lou (Cate Blanchett) to join in on her fraud plan over breakfast.
Cartier Mansion (653 Fifth Ave., Manhattan)
If anyone can shut down Cartier for two full days in the heart of the holiday season, it’s the A-list team of actresses behind “Ocean’s 8.” Helena Bonham Carter’s Rose and Mindy Kaling’s Amita command the scenes at the French luxury retailer as they analyze the pricey Toussaint Necklace, kept in an underground vault. The necklace itself was fictionalized for the film, but all of the jewels that shimmer in those scenes are real, not props, a spokeswoman says.
74th Street (Queens)
Bullock filmed scenes in Jackson Heights with Mindy Kaling, who plays the team’s jewelry expert, Amita. Ocean heads to Queens early on in the flick to throw out an offer Amita can’t refuse.
T.W.A. Flight Center at JFK (Terminal 5, Queens)
It wouldn’t be a fashion film without a runway show. The former TWA Flight Center at Kennedy Airport was completely redesigned for the film’s runway scene, which featured 50 looks that were made custom. Bonham Carter’s character, a struggling designer, gets recruited into Ocean’s crew when her airport-themed show gets glares from a disapproving audience.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Ave., Manhattan)
Anyone who’s anyone knows the flick filmed at The Met. But it turns out the cast and crew didn’t just get to recreate the annual Met Gala (featuring celebrity cameos like Kim Kardashian) on the museum’s iconic steps, they also got to move production inside. The crew filmed the major dinner heist scene inside The Met’s Temple of Dendur for several weeks, beginning late at night. According to The New York Times, the crew was in by museum close and out by 10 a.m. the following morning.
Bushwick United Methodist Church (1139 Bushwick Ave., Brooklyn)
The church’s annex, circa 1900, was converted into a modern-day loft where the nitty-gritty planning of the heist goes down.
Christie’s at Rockefeller Center (20 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan)
The auction house makes a cameo toward the end of the flick, where the women may or may not be cashing in big.
Junior’s Restaurant (386 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn)
The iconic cheesecake joint is no stranger to the camera. The site of scenes in “Sex and the City” and 2014’s “The Angriest Man in Brooklyn,” starring Robin Williams, among others, was used as another eatery meetup for the crew.
With Keira Alexander
