What would you guess is the most popular rom-com in Washington?
Nope, it’s not Sleepless in Seattle! A new study by Looper found that the most popular rom-com in Washington state is 10 Things I Hate About You. Although the film may not have “Seattle” in the title, it does make sense that we’re big fans here in Washington. After all, the movie takes place in Seattle and features so many iconic locations around the city.
Read on for more info!
According to Looper’s analysis, 10 Things I Hate About You and When Harry Met Sally are the two most popular rom-coms in the U.S. The former was the top favorite in Washington and six other states: Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Ohio, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
Wondering about Sleepless in Seattle? According to the study, that was the most popular rom-com in five states including Oregon. Hey, Portland: you’re welcome to come up to Seattle and live out your Meg-Ryan-stalking-Tom-Hanks-at-Alki-Beach fantasy anytime.
Want to experience Washington’s favorite rom-com for yourself? Here are all the 10 Things I Hate About You locations in Seattle that you can visit:
Kerry Park
It’s not surprising that the movie’s title card shows off the most iconic Seattle view of all time. You can check it out for yourself by visiting Kerry Park. This small park in Queen Anne showcases the downtown Seattle skyline including the Space Needle, Elliott Bay, and even Mount Rainier on clear days.
Here is a more recent photo of Seattle from Kerry Park:
The Fremont Troll
In 10 Things I Hate About You there is a scene in which Bianca and Cameron meet at the Fremont Troll. You can still visit this iconic sculpture today underneath the Aurora Bridge in Fremont, although the VW Beetle’s red paint has faded and the troll no longer wears a layer of ivy. The Fremont Troll was constructed in 1990 so he was only 9 years old at the time of his big movie debut.
Lake Union
As you can see in this article’s main image, there is a scene of Kat and Patrick sharing a paddle boat on a lake with the Seattle skyline behind them. This location is Lake Union, which is indeed a very popular spot in Seattle for renting boats, kayaks, and paddle boards.
Gas Works Park
Jutting into Lake Union is Gas Works Park, the location for Kat and Patrick’s paintball game and first kiss. There’s no paintball facilities at the park but it’s definitely a popular place to lie on a picnic blanket and make out.
Paramount Theatre
This historic theater in downtown Seattle was actually the filming location for the prom scene in 10 Things I Hate About You. Today you can catch a live show at the Paramount or you can reserve a free tour of the theater on the first Saturday of the month!
Stadium High School
Finally, one of the most scenic and memorable locations from the film isn’t actually in Seattle. The movie’s castle-like high school is actually Stadium High School in nearby Tacoma, WA. So if you want to recreate Heath Ledger’s iconic scene on the bleachers, you’ll have to take a road trip—but it’s only about an hour’s drive from Seattle!
Curious about the study’s methodology? They put together a list of the top 100 romantic comedies via IMDb before narrowing that down to 2024’s top 15 rom-coms using data from IMDb, Google, and the box office. Then they used Google Trends for those top movies in each state during 2024 to come up with the list of favorites.
You can read the full report on Looper.