Part of Hollywood movie magic is taking a place and using it efficiently or turning it into a completely different place entirely when the cameras are rolling. Filmmakers work with their teams to find locations that can be warped or changed, with some bigger budgeted films building entire sets from scratch to bring their visions to life.
More and more films are beginning to use partially or fully digital landscapes, but it wasn't, and it still isn't, uncommon for two different films to use the same location or full set. Here are ten famous film pairs that shot on the same set.
Die Hard & Speed - Fox Plaza
The massive sprawl that is Die Hard's Nakatomi Plaza is one of action cinema's most memorable locations. So memorable, that it isn't all that difficult to notice when it shows up again in the opening of Speed, as the swat team sweeps the same lobby that Die Hard features prominently.
What makes this set interesting is that the building is actually the corporate headquarters of 20th Century Fox, and the plaza is actually Fox Plaza. Unsurprisingly, Fox was the studio behind both films.
Mr. And Mrs. Smith & Se7en - Quality Cafe
The Quality Cafe in Los Angeles is a quaint diner with a retro look, making it the perfect spot for films to set any scene where two characters need a table to talk at. It has actually been used so much by Hollywood, that it is now closed to the public, only operating when a film is shooting there.
This made it fairly easy to choose a pair of films off the long list of movies to shoot there, but why not grab a pair with more in common than just the location. Both these films also share Brad Pitt in a leading role. Maybe Brad just loves the food at this faux diner.
Aliens & Batman - Action Lane Power Station
When James Cameron was making his sequel to Alien, he needed to create a full alien nest, spread through a futuristic space-ship. While looking extensively for the perfect spot, he found this building in West London. It had to be stripped down and painted silver, but before he knew it, he had an alien hive.
Then, a few years later, Tim Burton took to the still intact set to create Axis Chemicals, the plant where the Joker has the fall that turns him into, well, The Joker, in the 1989 film Batman.
Tomb Raider & Sherlock Holmes - The Hatfield House
This massive, old mansion in England has shown up in its fair share of movies, but it was most prominently used by two wealthy mystery solvers. First, The Hatfield House was featured in the 2001 Angelina Jolie led film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. The exterior and long interior halls and chambers were both seen, almost unchanged from their resting state.
Then, many years later, the mansion was used for Robert Downey Jr.'s 2009 Sherlock Holmes. In the period piece, some of the interiors were dressed with more retro artifacts and furnishings. Notable in both films, is the mansion's library that both characters utilize.
Star Trek: Into Darkness & The Muppets - Greystone Mansion
This luxurious mansion is one of Hollywood's go-tos when they need a home for a wealthy character. It has been used in a dozen films, but one prominent and unique use was in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek sequel. Using CGI and set dressing, the mansion was turned into a futuristic hospital.
Then, in an example of that wealth I mentioned, the mansion was made into Kermit The Frog's home in the 2011 sequel/reboot The Muppets, where it was complete with portraits of other Muppet characters. For a film centered around the titular team of entertainers needing more money, Kermit sure does have some nice real estate. It really makes you think about how mismanaged this group's finances were after their peak.
Blazing Saddles & John Carter - Vasquez Rocks
Speaking of Star Trek, one of the first uses of this location was in the original series, when Kirk had to go down to an alien planet and battle a lizard-human to death. The episode made the locale a common go-to for Westerns and science fiction films looking to create foreign landscapes.
Key examples of both include Blazing Saddles, which used the rocks to portray the harsh terrain of the Western desert, and John Carter, which used them to convey the harsh terrain of Mars.
Pretty In Pink & A Nightmare On Elm Street - John Marshall High School
High school is a complicated time. It's a large building filled with hundreds of characters all going through their own dramas, as evident by these two films that were shot in the same one. First, Pretty in Pink uses the generic-looking school to show how surviving high school and navigating romantic relationships can be tricky, especially when everyone at the school bears allegiance to their social circles.
Then, A Nightmare on Elm Street shows how (literally) surviving high school can be tricky when a supernatural killer is haunting students' dreams, killing them before they wake up.
Billy Madison & X-Men - Parkwood Estate
Another of the many giant mansions on this list is the beautiful Parkwood Estate Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. This massive brick home was owned by the immature millionaire Billy Madison, portrayed by Adam Sandler in the classic comedy.
The mansion is also one of many that have been utilized to portray one of the most famous schools in all of the Marvel universe. Parkwood Estate was featured as Xavier's School For Gifted Youngsters in 2000's X-Men, the first film of the long-running X-Men film franchise.
Blade Runner & The Artist - Bradbury Building
Having been built in 1893, the famous Bradbury Building is actually a historical landmark in Los Angeles. It is known for its beautifully crafted interior, which is most highlighted by the winding staircase that takes up most of its middle. A staircase featured prominently, but covered in fog, in Blade Runner.
thirty years later, the staircase made another appearance on film, again partially impaired, but this time in Black and White. It was used in the silent film The Artist, seen in a shot as the main character traverses down it.
Scary Movie 4 & Saw III - The Saw Parody Bathroom
This one is quite an interesting case of accuracy in parody. In Scary Movie 4, there is a segment mocking the insanely popular Saw franchise, more specifically the first film. The spoof film did their best to recreate the bathroom set from the original Saw for their gag-filled scene making fun of it.
However, they did so well at recreating the set, that when Saw III was shot a little later, they used the parody set for a flashback scene set during the first film. The comedic minds behind the goofy romp had done such an accurate job that their set made it back into an actual Saw film.