In the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet, what is the fictional city called?

In the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet, the fictional city is called Verona Beach.

Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation relocates Shakespeare’s story to a stylized modern setting while retaining the play’s language almost entirely. Verona Beach is presented as a fictional American city shaped by rival corporate families, guns, media coverage, and vivid pop imagery. The name connects the contemporary setting with Shakespeare’s original Verona.

The Montagues and Capulets become competing business dynasties, but their feud remains central. Religious imagery, the Prince’s authority, and the lovers’ secret relationship are also preserved in transformed forms. This combination of modern production design and original dialogue is one of the film’s defining features.

The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet. It was released in 1996 and became especially notable for bringing Shakespeare’s verse to a youthful mainstream audience. The title uses a plus sign to signal the adaptation’s blend of old text and new visual style.