Man of Steel was filmed.
Man of Steel (film) . Principal photography began in August 2011 in West Chicago , Illinois , before moving to Vancouver and Plano , Illinois . Despite receiving mixed reviews , the film became a box office success , grossing over $ 668 million worldwide . Principal photography . Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed , with actors on set and cameras rolling , as distinct from pre-production and post-production .