10 Things You Didn’t Know About Independence Day

9. Its White House Was Recycled From Other Movies

For a film that turned out to be such a big hit, Independence Day didn't have as hefty a budget as you might expect. The film was made for $75 million, which may sound like rather a lot to you and me but wouldn't have been bank-busting for Fox. As such, the studio employed a lot of cost-cutting strategies to make the film less of a financial risk.

For one, they recycled an important set from another movies. The White House locations seen in the final filmt were actually built for 1994's romantic drama The American President, in which Michael Douglas played the President of the United States. They were also used for 1996's other big alien invasion movie Mars Attacks!, which saw Jack Nicholson as the incumbent of the Oval Office. By the time Bill Pullman played President Whitmore in Independence Day, it was in a White House that had already been used for two major productions.

On top of this, Fox seemed keen to limit how much time was spent shooting Independence Day. The film was shot in a remarkably short 72 day block, presumably freeing up enough budget to be allocated on the special effects. A whopping 3,000 effects shots were used in the movie, which was a record-breaking figure at the time.