In the 1988 film Die Hard, which Los Angeles skyscraper is seized by the terrorists?

In the 1988 film Die Hard, terrorists seize the fictional Nakatomi Plaza. The building is the Los Angeles headquarters of the Nakatomi Corporation, where a Christmas party is taking place when Hans Gruber and his group take hostages. Bruce Willis plays New York police officer John McClane.

Nakatomi Plaza is not a separate skyscraper constructed for the film. The exterior and many interior scenes use Fox Plaza, a real 34-story office tower at 2121 Avenue of the Stars in Century City, Los Angeles. The building was completed in 1987 and was still relatively new when filming took place.

The film’s Christmas setting comes from the source material and the office party rather than from a traditional holiday plot. Die Hard was directed by John McTiernan and adapted from Roderick Thorp’s 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever. “Nakatomi Plaza” is therefore the fictional location name, while Fox Plaza is the real building used on screen.