# explosions!!! boom bang kapow **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 21, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117 "2000-08-21T02:35:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/1 "2000-08-21T02:35:16Z")
What movie (non-documentary) holds the record for the single biggest real explosion, with the most explosives? (Note: I am speaking ONLY of actual explosions, staged for a film. \<\\>) WAG = I thought Demolition Man held that title, but I’m sure I am wrong. I also recall that Lethal Weapon 2 imploded a real building for the film, but since it was an IM-plosion, I don’t think it qualifies. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/2 "2000-08-21T02:42:22Z")
Terminator 2 also featured a real building explosion, right? ---
**Author:** ![JoeyHemlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ba0ec/32.png) [@JoeyHemlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeyHemlock)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/3 "2000-08-21T03:54:40Z")
I think it was **Mars Attacks** that featured a real Las Vegas tower really being imploded. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/4 "2000-08-21T04:36:02Z")
Star Wars had the Death Star explode. It was as big as a moon, y’know…:D:D ---
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/5 "2000-08-21T04:54:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by AWB \* > \*\*Star Wars had the Death Star explode. It was as big as a moon, y’know…:D:D \*\* Arrrrrrgh!!! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/6 "2000-08-21T05:21:32Z")
A lot of movies use footage of buildings being imploded, but they’re almost always buildings that were demolished for some other reason. The demolition companies just sell footage to Hollywood for a little extra profit. I think we should probably restrict ourselves to explosions set off specifically for the movie. [gratuitous physics]If you’re _really_ loose in your definition of footage, then any movie that’s ever been shown on TV or otherwise broadcast has a little bit of white noise from the Cosmic Microwave Background, and hence has footage of the Big Bang ;)[/gratuitous physics] ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/7 "2000-08-21T05:36:22Z")
How about the ‘Apocalypse Now’ napalm scene? ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Shadowfox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfox)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/8 "2000-08-21T06:05:25Z")
I did quite a bit of searching through the internet and, as far as I can tell, the biggest made-for-the-movies explosion was from a Jackie Chan movie (Police Story 2). I’ve never seen this movie, but I guess they blew up a really big warehouse. Quote from a review of the movie: _“The film then ends at a huge warehouse with one of the largest explosion sequences ever filmed in Asia - and right in the middle of it is Jackie Chan.”_ ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/9 "2000-08-21T07:03:44Z")
It should be noted that most building explosions are buuldings that were going to be demolished anyway. They are imploded as usual, but they put lots of extra fire in for the movies. ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2000, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explosions-boom-bang-kapow/30117/10 "2000-08-21T08:33:00Z")
The largest indoor explosion ever filmed was in the airport scene in Luc Besson’s **Fifth Element** - see [this page](http://uk.imdb.com/Trivia?0119116), fifth bullet point.