Nearly four decades after it first hit cinemas in July 1988, Die Hard is still the action film every other action film gets measured against. Every December the old debate about whether it counts as a Christmas film starts all over again.
It launched a five-film franchise that took about $1.4 billion worldwide, turned Bruce Willis into a global film star and gave Alan Rickman his first big-screen role. Browse more tribute designs in our movies collection.
Die Hard Fact File
| Title | Die Hard |
| Release | 15 July 1988 (US), premiered in Los Angeles on 12 July 1988 |
| Director | John McTiernan |
| Screenplay | Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza |
| Based on | Nothing Lasts Forever (1979) by Roderick Thorp |
| Producers | Lawrence Gordon and Joel Silver |
| Studio | 20th Century Fox (with Gordon Company and Silver Pictures) |
| Main cast | Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson, Alexander Godunov |
| Runtime | 132 minutes |
| Setting | Nakatomi Plaza, Los Angeles, on Christmas Eve |
| Filming location | Fox Plaza, Century City, Los Angeles, plus sets on the Fox lot |
| Box office | About $140 million worldwide |
Key Films
| Year | Film | Director / Villain |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Die Hard | John McTiernan - Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber |
| 1990 | Die Hard 2 | Renny Harlin - William Sadler as Colonel Stuart |
| 1995 | Die Hard with a Vengeance | John McTiernan - Jeremy Irons as Simon Gruber |
| 2007 | Live Free or Die Hard | Len Wiseman - Timothy Olyphant as Thomas Gabriel |
| 2013 | A Good Day to Die Hard | John Moore - Sergei Kolesnikov as Viktor Chagarin |
The table covers all five Die Hard films, each starring Bruce Willis as John McClane. Live Free or Die Hard was the biggest earner worldwide. Figures are drawn from Wikipedia and the AFI Catalog.
Origins: From Novel to Nakatomi
Die Hard began life as Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to his book The Detective. Frank Sinatra had starred in the 1968 film of The Detective, so Fox had to offer him the lead first. He was 70 at the time and turned it down, and the role eventually went to Bruce Willis, then known for TV's Moonlighting, for a $5 million fee.
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Behind the Scenes
The production barely left home. Nakatomi Plaza was really Fox Plaza, a newly built tower in Century City that served as the headquarters of 20th Century Fox,, with one office floor rebuilt on a studio soundstage.
Alan Rickman, a stage actor spotted by Joel Silver on Broadway, was cast as the suave thief Hans Gruber in his first feature film. His calm, witty Gruber is still named among the greatest screen villains.
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Release and Defining Moments
Die Hard opened in a handful of cinemas on 15 July 1988 and, thanks to word of mouth, went on to earn around $140 million worldwide. The Academy nominated it for four Oscars - Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing.
Its influence was immediate. For years, pitches were sold as "Die Hard on a plane" or "Die Hard on a bus", and the one-hero, one-location formula became a genre of its own.
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Awards and Honours
Academy Awards (1989)
- Nominated for Best Film Editing
- Nominated for Best Visual Effects
- Nominated for Best Sound
- Nominated for Best Sound Effects Editing
Other Honours
- Selected for the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2017
Legacy
Die Hard turned Bruce Willis into one of the biggest film stars of his generation, and John McClane remains the role he is most loved for. Willis stepped back from acting in 2022, so the five films stand as a complete set.
FAQs
When did Die Hard come out?
Die Hard was released in the US on 15 July 1988, following a Los Angeles premiere on 12 July.
Where was Die Hard filmed?
It was shot almost entirely in Los Angeles, with Fox Plaza in Century City standing in for the fictional Nakatomi Plaza.
How many Die Hard films are there?
There are five: Die Hard (1988), Die Hard 2 (1990), Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013).
Who played Hans Gruber in Die Hard?
Alan Rickman played Hans Gruber, in his first feature film role.
Is Die Hard based on a book?
Yes. It is adapted from Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever.
Will there be a Die Hard 6?
No. A sixth film called McClane was in development, but producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura confirmed in 2021 that it was not going ahead, and Bruce Willis has since stepped back from acting.
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Die Hard Men's Hoodie
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Part of our Icon Profiles series. Read next: Heat (1995) Film Story: Pacino, De Niro and the Road to Heat 2 and Arnold Schwarzenegger: His Career, Films, Awards and Legacy.
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