Yippee yay Ki!
Bruce Willis introduced the world to the character of John McClane on this historic day, July 15, 1988, when the film “Die Hard” was released in theaters.
The hit film would spawn four sequels: “Die Hard 2,” “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” “Live Free or Die Hard” and “A Good Day to Die Hard,” as well as a series of video games.
The plot centers on McClane, a New York City police officer, and his efforts to rescue his ex-wife and his colleagues after they are taken hostage by a terrorist organization at a Christmas party.
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“High above Los Angeles, a team of terrorists have taken over a building, taken hostages and declared war,” read the “Die Hard” poster.
“A man has managed to escape… An off-duty police officer is hiding somewhere inside. He's alone, tired… and it's the only chance anyone has.”
Actor Bruce Willis poses with memorabilia from the “Die Hard” film series he donated to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History on June 27, 2007, in Washington, DC. The first film was released in theaters on July 15, 1988. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Die Hard” also starred Bonnie Bedelia as McClane's wife, Holly, and Alan Rickman as terrorist Hans Gruber.
John McTiernan directed the film. Roderick Thorp, Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza served as screenwriters, according to IMDB.
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Most of the film's action takes place in the fictional Nakatomi Plaza, located in Los Angeles.
The actual filming location, 2121 Avenue of the Stars, was the headquarters of 20th Century Fox at the time of the film's creation.
Bonnie Bedelia is held by Bruce Willis in a scene from the film “Die Hard,” released in theaters on this day in 1988. (20th Century Fox/Getty Images)
Despite the film's July release date, R rating and intense action scenes, some insist that “Die Hard” is actually a Christmas movie.
The ongoing debate over whether “Die Hard” should be considered a Christmas movie even featured one of its screenwriters.
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In 2017, de Souza was asked what he thought about the film being a Christmas movie.
In a tweet, he responded: “Yes, because the studio rejected the Purim draft” along with the hashtag “#DieHardIsAChristmasMovie.”
Purim is a Jewish holiday.
Despite what its author claims, polls have shown that people have very different opinions on whether “Die Hard” should be considered part of the pantheon of Christmas classics.
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A 2018 Morning Consult/Hollywood Reporter poll found that while only 25 percent of American adults consider “Die Hard” a Christmas movie, the results differ based on gender and age variables.
Bruce Willis played John McClane in the film “Die Hard,” released in theaters on July 15, 1988. (20th Century Fox/Getty Images)
Only 20% of women surveyed thought “Die Hard” was a Christmas movie, compared to 32% of men.
When the results were broken down by age, those over 65 were the least likely to view “Die Hard” as a Christmas movie.
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Only 13% of that group thought that way.
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By comparison, 37 percent of respondents ages 30 to 44 said they think “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie.
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People between 45 and 54 were also more likely to view “Die Hard” as a Christmas movie. The survey found that 31% of respondents agreed that it was a Christmas movie.
