Yippee ki-yay! Die Hard is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2018. When it was first released, the studio wasn’t even sure that Bruce Willis could be the centerpiece of a summer blockbuster, as he was mostly known for his comedic role on the series Moonlighting. Instead, Die Hard became an all-time action classic, turned Willis into a movie star, and was a box office success, making over $140 million worldwide on a $28 million budget.
It has since spawned four sequels—and potentially a fifth—that have grossed over $1.4 billion and some of Hollywood’s most memorable movie lines.
Here’s a look at some of the most incredible facts you might not know about the now-iconic action film Die Hard:
Nearly All of the Explosions in ‘Die Hard’ Were Real
The action sequences in Die Hard are so memorable because they feel realistic, and there’s a good reason why: most of them were. Cinematographer Jan De Bont, who later directed Speed, spoke with SlashFilm in an interview and explained how some of the stunts were done in the film.
