Empire of the Ants

FILM FLASHBACK: EMPIRE OF THE ANTS (1977)

Long before today’s productions discovered Palm Beach County, giant ants were already taking over the scenery. The 1977 science-fiction horror film Empire of the Ants, starring Joan Collins and Robert Lansing, brought its larger-than-life creatures here. Filming included Juno Beach, the western communities and the Loxahatchee River, along with a local sugar refinery and the Juno Beach Pier, where the ants staged one of the film’s memorable marches.

The production also demonstrated how natural and conservation areas could serve as distinctive filming locations when access was carefully coordinated. Made for a reported $500,000, the creature feature went on to earn approximately $2.5 million worldwide. Nearly 50 years later, Palm Beach County’s landscapes remain part of the film’s quirky cult legacy and another memorable chapter in the destination’s production history.