Every Time Hollywood Re-Used Expensive Props

64. Independence Day Submarines

Also Appears In: Crimson Tide
Estimated Savings: $100,000-$500,000*

To get extra value for his alien-invasion movie, Roland Emmerich borrowed from a few other productions. He used stealth bomber sets from the film Broken Arrow, White House sets that had been seen in The American President and Mars Attacks!, and submarine sets from the film Crimson Tide.

Independence Day would go on to be a monster success at the box office, and it wasn’t as though it was low-budget. Though Emmerich saved some money on sets, the sci-fi hit was filmed on a $75 million budget (it grossed around $306.2 million). The sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, cost $165 million to make.