Kevin Hart is back with an all-new heist comedy Lift that takes viewers on a thrilling ride across Europe.
From the historic canals of Venice to London’s one-of-a-kind floating Sky Pool, Lift Production spared no expense or effort in selecting unique and fitting backdrops for the film’s hilarious action.
Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at these glamorous destinations and how they set the stage for Lift’s most pivotal scenes.
Lift Movie Filming Locations
Lift movie was primarily filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, along with some scenes in Venice, Italy during February 2022. The interior scenes were filmed inside the Harbour Studios, which served as the main production base.
We open in Venice’s iconic Piazza San Marco, the dreamy medieval square surrounded by architectural marvels like the Doge’s Palace and St Mark’s Campanile bell tower.
Hart’s crew gathers under the moonlight, preparing to infiltrate one of the city’s most prestigious art auctions.
The cameras pan to reveal the lavish Scuola Grande di San Rocco, an 16th-century guildhall adorned ceiling to floor with golden artwork by Italian master Titian.
It’s within these extravagant halls that the heist kicks off, but the gang’s escape quickly goes awry, spurring a suspenseful speedboat chase through the city’s winding canals and lagoon.
From sanitized backlots, Venice delivers an unparalleled Old World elegance to frame Lift’s opening thrill ride.
Ballykelly, Northern Ireland
But the action doesn’t stop there. In fact, several of the movie’s most riveting robbery preparations were filmed at a vacant aircraft hangar in Ballykelly, Northern Ireland.
Situated on the shores of Lough Foyle, this 250-hectare property was once a Royal Air Force base before becoming an Army barracks. With massive abandoned hangars and airstrips now reclaimed by nature, it provided the perfect gritty, industrial backdrop for Hart’s scheming crew.
The meeting between Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s characters with Harry took place at the historic Crown Liquor Saloon bar built in the 1850s. Some scenes were shot at an aircraft hangar on a former military base in the village of Ballykelly, located on the shores of Lough Foyle.
Some of the recent films that were filmed in the UK includes Criminal Record, The Beekeeper, Good Grief, Zero Dark Thirty, and Black Cake.
Harbour Studios, Belfast
In other Belfast-based filming, interior shots of the heist headquarters took place at Harbour Studios.
And for the planning meeting between Hart, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and their informant Harry, cameras rolled at the city’s iconic 19th century Crown Liquor Saloon.
With its extravagant Victorian interiors, this landmark watering hole set an appropriately clandestine tone.
But the stakes escalate as Hart finds himself toe-to-toe with the ruthless Mbatha-Raw in London, on a heart-stopping high wire act.
Their confrontation unfolds at the Sky Pool, a one-of-a-kind transparent swimming pool suspended 115 feet in the air between two luxury residential towers.
As the superstars dangle hundreds of feet above the streets of London, grappling over a priceless sculpture, the scene achieves a level of nail-biting tension only the Sky Pool could provide.
Other Locations in Italy
The final scenes showing the villain’s luxurious Tuscan residence were filmed at the 19th century Miramare Castle near Trieste on the Adriatic coast.
With its sprawling gardens, white marble architecture, and panoramic sea views, Miramare Castle added old world romance to the movie’s final showdown.
And talk about saving the best for last – the final shot revealing Hart reunited with his crew was captured atop the spectacular Dolomites mountain range in Cortina, Italy.
Surrounded by snow-capped Alpine vistas, it marked a majestic happily ever after for Lift’s globetrotting leads.
From fast-paced canal escapades to death-defying dangles over London, Lift took Kevin Hart and company on an exhilarating European adventure.
The filmmakers transported audiences right alongside through their artistic use of exotic foreign destinations. Some of the recent movie productions that took place in Italy includes Unthinkably Good Things and Toscana.
Who’s in the cast of Lift?
- Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Abby
- Kevin Hart as Cyrus
- Sam Worthington as Huxley
- Vincent D’Onofrio as Denton
- Úrsula Corberó as Camila
- Billy Magnussen as Magnus
- Yun Jee Kim as Mi-Sun (as Yunjee Kim)
- Viveik Kalra as Luke
- Jean Reno as Jorgensen
- Jacob Batalon as N8
Where to watch Lift movie?
The movie was released on 12th of January 2024 on Netflix and is available to stream for Netflix subscribers inside the United States and United Kingdom.
