Where Was Die Hard Filmed?

The Short Answer

Die Hard was filmed in Los Angeles, mostly at Fox Plaza in Century City, which played Nakatomi Plaza. Its unfinished upper floors stood in for the tower's interiors and roof. Big sets, including the party floor, were built at 20th Century Fox Studios, and airport scenes were shot at Los Angeles International Airport.

Die Hard, released in 1988, tells the story of a hostage takeover during a Christmas office party in a fictional Los Angeles tower called Nakatomi Plaza. What gives the film its unusual texture is that the tower is real. The production moved into a newly finished skyscraper, Fox Plaza, and used its empty upper floors as a working set.

Almost everything was shot within a few miles of that building, on public streets, at the airport, and across the street at 20th Century Fox Studios. Fans can still find nearly all of it today, at least from the outside.

Every Location At A Glance

Location	Where	What was filmed	Access
Fox Plaza	Los Angeles	Nakatomi Plaza exteriors and interiors on unfinished floors including 29th, 31st, 33rd, 34th, and 35th floors; roof scenes; lobby and elevator sequences	Outside only
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)	Los Angeles	John McClane's arrival at the airport and limo pickup scenes	Free to see
20th Century Fox Studios - Stage 15	Los Angeles	31st floor party scene, vault room, and large interior sets too big for the tower	Private property
10350 W Olympic Blvd (former AM/PM market site)	Los Angeles	Scene where Sgt. Powell gets the call to check out Nakatomi Plaza	Outside only
Century City streets near Fox Plaza	Los Angeles	Exterior street scenes and helicopter approaches around Nakatomi Plaza	Free to see

Filming Locations Map

5 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

Fox Plaza is Nakatomi Plaza. The production used unfinished floors including the 29th, 31st, 33rd, 34th, and 35th, shooting lobby and elevator sequences, interiors, and the roof scenes. Completed in 1987, the building had only a few floors occupied when cameras rolled. Today it is a fully operational office tower with tenants and security. Visitors can view and photograph the exterior from the surrounding streets in Century City, but interiors are private and closed to the public.

The scenes of John McClane's arrival and the limo pickup were filmed at LAX, in public terminal and arrivals areas. It remains one of the easiest locations for fans to stand in, since the airport is fully accessible, though security is high and sightseeing takes a back seat to airport traffic. Anyone passing through Los Angeles by air can walk in McClane's first footsteps without detouring across the city.

Stage 15 at 20th Century Fox Studios, located just a short distance from Fox Plaza, housed the 30th floor party set, the vault room, and other large interiors too big to build inside the actual tower. The studio lot is private with no public access, so this is the one major piece of the film that cannot be visited. It exists on screen and in production history rather than as a stop on a fan trip.

This site, at 10350 W Olympic Boulevard, is where Sgt. Powell gets the call to check out Nakatomi Plaza. In the film it was an AM/PM market; the site has since been redeveloped, so nothing from the scene survives. Still, the address can be viewed from the street, and it sits close to Fox Plaza, which makes it a quick add-on for anyone already walking the Century City area locations.

The streets around Fox Plaza stood in for the ground-level chaos outside Nakatomi Plaza, including exterior street scenes and the helicopter approaches. These are ordinary public roads in a busy business district, so they can be walked freely at any time. Circling the block on foot gives visitors the same angles on the tower seen throughout the film, and the surrounding area appears largely as it did in 1988.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

The story is set in a fictional Nakatomi Plaza office tower in Los Angeles during a Christmas party, and the entire film was shot on location and on stages in Los Angeles, California. There is no gap between setting and shooting location here: the city on screen is the city where the cameras rolled.

The Studio Side

20th Century Fox Studios in Los Angeles provided Stage 15 for the production's largest sets. The studio lot is private and not open to the public, so fans cannot enter the stages where the party scene and vault room were built.

Tours That Visit These Locations

No dedicated Die Hard tour exists, but one listed experience includes a stop at Nakatomi Plaza as part of a broader look at Los Angeles film history.

Film Locations Bus Tour, Nakatomi Stop

The Movie Guys' L.A. Film Locations Tour

The Movie Guys' L.A. Film Locations Tour includes Nakatomi Plaza among its stops, pairing the Die Hard site with other famous Los Angeles shooting locations in a single outing, with 32 reviews from past travelers.

32 reviews

PriceLive on listingCheck availability

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you go inside Fox Plaza, the real Nakatomi Plaza?

No. Fox Plaza is a working office building with tenants and security restrictions. The public can view and photograph the exterior from the street, but the interiors used for filming are private offices.

Was Nakatomi Plaza a real building or a set?

Both. Fox Plaza in Century City served as the real building, with unfinished floors used for interiors and roof scenes. A 25-foot scale model was used for explosion and destruction effects so the actual tower was never damaged.

Was Die Hard filmed at Christmas?

The film is set during a Christmas party, but the production facts available do not specify the shooting dates. The story's holiday setting comes from the plot, not from when cameras rolled.

Which Die Hard locations can you visit for free?

Fox Plaza's exterior, the Century City streets around it, the redeveloped site at 10350 W Olympic Boulevard, and the public areas of LAX are all viewable without charge. The studio lot is the only major site with no public access.

Was the party scene filmed inside Fox Plaza?

No. The 30th floor party set was built on Stage 15 at 20th Century Fox Studios because it was too large to construct inside the actual tower.

Why did the production choose Fox Plaza?

Cinematographer Jan de Bont noted the building was chosen partly because multiple floors were under construction, allowing them to be used as set pieces. Only a few floors were occupied by Fox executives and lawyers at the time.

Die Hard fans have it easy: nearly every location sits within walking or short driving distance in Century City and at LAX. Walk the streets around Fox Plaza, look up at Nakatomi Plaza from the sidewalk, and consider the film locations bus tour for a guided visit that includes the tower alongside other classic Los Angeles movie sites.