Moon 44 (1990) is the first orchestral symphonic score written by composer Joel Goldsmith. Prior to this he had only written electronic scores to such films as The Man with Two Brains (1983) among others.
Moon 44 (1990) marks the first collaboration between writer-producer Dean Devlin and director Roland Emmerich. Their other movies include Stargate (1994), Independence Day (1996) and Godzilla (1998).
An important establishing shot was almost scrapped due to the budget running out. Director Roland Emmerich ultimately improvised using mirrors and the production crew as extras.
In the Australian/New Zealand CBS/Fox Video trailer of the film, the trailer had a Star Wars (1977) style crawl, which a voiceover was heard saying "CBS/Fox video presents... A galactic adventure from the excitement zone!... Moon 44. By 2038 all natural resources have been depleted. Multi-national corporations have taken control of the universe. Rival corporations fight deadly battles over priceless mining planets in outer space..." The voiceover in the trailer is also heard stating that the film is "The best adventure since the Star Wars trilogy" and "The most suspenseful journey since Aliens".
Originally intended for a theatrical release in the United States by Moviestore Entertainment, who acquired the North American rights to the film for a potential theatrical release, as noted. Instead, though this was released theatrically in other parts of the world, this ended up going straight to video in the States instead.