List of films featuring the destruction of art and cultural heritage

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This is a list of films that portray the destruction or vandalism of art and cultural heritage in museums and other settings.

DateTitleCountryNotable artworks depicted as vandalized or destroyed
1961 Mothra Flag of Japan.svg  Japan The Tokyo Tower is destroyed
1968 Planet of the Apes Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Statue of Liberty is found destroyed during the film's final.
1989 Batman Flag of the United States.svg  United States Figure with Meat by Francis Bacon is spared by the Joker, but The Blue Boy and other paintings by Edgar Degas and Rembrandt are vandalized by the Joker and his goons, who splash paint across the canvasses and knock sculptures to the floor.
1993 Demolition Man Flag of the United States.svg  United States The character played by Wesley Snipes smashes several displays in a museum, and eventually steals a firearm that was part of the museum's collection. The firearm presumably is never returned to the museum, hence it is considered to be destroyed or lost in the ensuing chaos of the events of the movie's plot.
1996 Independence Day Flag of the United States.svg  United States The White House, the United States Capitol, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty are destroyed
1996 Mars Attacks! Flag of the United States.svg  United States Several international landmarks are destroyed during the Martians' initial attack, including Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, the moais on Easter Island, and Mount Rushmore. (Mount Rushmore is not completely destroyed; the heads of the presidents are replaced with Martian ones.)
1997 Bean Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Whistler's Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler is destroyed.
1997 Titanic Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Star by Edgar Degas, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Pablo Picasso and Water Lilies by Claude Monet went down with the RMS Titanic during the ship's sinking. Note: None of the paintings were on board the real RMS Titanic and they are preserved.
1999 Cradle Will Rock Flag of the United States.svg  United States Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera (portrayed by Ruben Blades) is destroyed.
1999 The Thomas Crown Affair Flag of the United States.svg  United States San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk by Claude Monet is pushed out of its frame and treated rather roughly when it is stolen from the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Thomas Crown (portrayed by Pierce Brosnan). Later the painting is returned to the gallery, apparently unscathed, despite being doused with fire sprinklers.
2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap appears to suffer serious internal damage, particularly Ta Prohm.
2002 Frida Flag of the United States.svg  United States Man at the Crossroads by Diego Rivera (portrayed by Alfred Molina) is destroyed.
2004 The Day After Tomorrow Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Hollywood Sign and the Capitol Records Building are destroyed.
2004 Team America: World Police Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Eiffel Tower and the Great Sphinx of Giza are destroyed
2005 V for Vendetta Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Palace of Westminster is destroyed.
2007 I Am Legend Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Sleeping Gypsy by Henri Rousseau, The Starry Night and Road with Cypress and Star by Vincent van Gogh, United by Keith Haring, Portrait of Pardy by Amedeo Modigliani, No. 3/No. 13 by Mark Rothko and Whistler's Mother by James Abbott McNeill Whistler are all destroyed when Dr. Robert Neville's explodes in flames.
2008 Cloverfield Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Statue of Liberty is destroyed by Clover.
2009 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
The Millennium Bridge of London is destroyed.
2009 Monsters vs. Aliens Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Golden Gate Bridge is destroyed.
2009 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Eiffel Tower is destroyed by nanomite warheads.
2014 Muppets Most Wanted Flag of the United States.svg  United States Several artworks are stolen, and some busts are destroyed.
2014 Monuments Men Flag of the United States.svg  United States Portrait of a Young Man by Raphael is destroyed in a fire. Note: the actual fate of this painting, stolen by the Nazis during World War II, is unknown.
2014 Godzilla Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Golden Gate Bridge is destroyed.
2015 Pixels Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Taj Mahal is destroyed.
2015 Terminator Genisys Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Golden Gate Bridge is destroyed.
2015 San Andreas Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Golden Gate Bridge is destroyed.
2016 X-Men: Apocalypse Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Sydney Opera House is destroyed.
2022 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Flag of the United States.svg  United States The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is destroyed.