Independence Day (1996 film)
Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox film Independence Day (also promoted as ID4) is a 1996 American science fiction action film<ref name="BOM" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Emmerich and the film's producer Dean Devlin. The film stars an ensemble cast of Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, Vivica A. Fox, James Rebhorn, and Harvey Fierstein. The film follows disparate groups of people who converge in the Nevada desert in the aftermath of a worldwide attack by a powerful extraterrestrial race. With the other people of the world, they launch a counterattack on July 4—Independence Day in the United States.
Conceived by Emmerich while promoting Stargate (1994), the film aimed to depict a large-scale alien invasion, departing from typical portrayals of extraterrestrial visits. Filming began in July 1995 and was completed in October that same year.
Upon its release on July 3, 1996, Independence Day was considered a pivotal moment for the Hollywood blockbuster, leading the resurgence of disaster and science fiction films in the late 1990s. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the cast performances, musical score, and visual effects, but criticism for its character development. It emerged as a major commercial success at the box-office, grossing over $817.4 million worldwide on a production budget of $75 million. It became the highest-grossing film of the year and the second-highest-grossing film ever at the time, behind Jurassic Park (1993). The film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and was nominated for Best Sound.<ref name="OscarNight">Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref>
A sequel, Independence Day: Resurgence, was released 20 years later on June 24, 2016, as part of a planned series of films. The same year Independents' Day, a mockbuster of the 1996 film was released.
Plot
[edit]On July 2, 1996, an extraterrestrial mother ship enters Earth's orbit outside the Moon and deploys its flying saucers; each Template:Convert in diameter, over major cities worldwide. U.S. Marine Captain Steven Hiller and his unit, the Black Knights fighter squadron stationed out of MCAS El Toro, are called back from Independence Day leave; his girlfriend, Jasmine Dubrow, decides to flee the city with her son, Dylan. Retired combat pilot Russell Casse, now an alcoholic single father and crop duster, sees this as vindication of the alien abduction he has been claiming for 10 years.
In New York City, technician David Levinson decodes a signal embedded within global satellite transmissions, realizing that it is the aliens' countdown for a coordinated attack. Aided by his ex-wife, White House Communications Director Constance Spano, David and his father Julius reach the Oval Office in Washington D.C. and alert President Thomas Whitmore.
Whitmore orders evacuations of the targeted cities in the U.S., but it is too late. Each saucer fires a beam, incinerating every targeted city, killing millions. Whitmore, the Levinsons, and a few others escape aboard Air Force One while Jasmine, Dylan, and their dog Boomer take shelter in a tunnel's inspection alcove and escape the destruction of Los Angeles.
On July 3, Earth's military retaliations against the invaders are thwarted by the alien warships' force fields. Each saucer launches shielded fighters, devastating the human fighter squadrons and military bases, including Captain Hiller's. Hiller lures an enemy fighter into the Grand Canyon before ejecting from his plane, blinding the fighter using his parachute and causing the alien to crash in the Mojave Desert. He subdues the downed alien and flags down a convoy of refugees, transporting the alien to Area 51, where Whitmore's plane has landed.
U.S. Defense Secretary Albert Nimziki reveals that a government faction has been involved in a UFO conspiracy since 1947, when one of the invaders' fighters crashed near Roswell, New Mexico. Area 51 houses the refurbished ship and three alien corpses from the crash. Dr. Brackish Okun, the chief scientist, examines the alien captured by Steven, which awakens, telepathically invades Okun's mind, and psychically attacks Whitmore before being killed by Secret Service agents and military personnel. Whitmore learns the invaders' plan from the psychic attack; they annihilate Earth's inhabitants and harvest its natural resources, as they have done to other civilizations.
Whitmore reluctantly authorizes a trial nuclear attack against a saucer above Houston, but the ship is unharmed due to its force field, while the city is destroyed by the blast, and all subsequent nuclear attacks are aborted. Jasmine and Dylan commandeer a highway maintenance truck and rescue some survivors, including the critically injured First Lady, Marilyn Whitmore. Though Hiller rescues them and takes them back to Area 51, Marilyn succumbs to her injuries after reuniting with her family.
On July 4, inspired by Julius, David plans to write a computer virus on his laptop and upload it into the mothership’s operating system to disable the aliens' shield. Hiller volunteers to pilot the alien ship armed with a tactical nuclear weapon to destroy the mothership. The U.S. military contacts the remaining forces and airborne squadrons through Morse code to organize a united counterattack. Lacking pilots, Whitmore and General William Grey enlist volunteers with flight experience, including Russell Casse from the refugee camp at Area 51, to fly the remaining jets. Hiller marries Jasmine, with David and Constance present, during which the divorced pair reconciles before leaving on the mission.
Entering the alien mother ship, they upload the virus and launch the nuclear missile, destroying it and the alien invasion force before narrowly escaping. With the shields down, Whitmore's squadron engages a saucer targeting the Area 51 base. They exhaust their ammunition, and as the saucer readies to fire, Russell sacrifices himself by crashing into its primary weapon, destroying the warship. Grey orders notifications to resistance groups worldwide about the spaceships' critical weakness, leading to their destruction.
As humanity celebrates its victory against the aliens, Hiller and David are rescued after surviving the crash, landing back on Earth and reuniting with their families.
Cast
[edit]- Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller, a Marine F/A-18 pilot squadron leader with the Black Knight squadron at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro and aspiring astronaut. The role was originally offered to Ethan Hawke, but he turned it down, as he thought the script was terrible.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Devlin and Emmerich had always envisioned an African-American for the role,<ref name="lat">Template:Cite web</ref> and specifically wanted Smith after seeing his performance in Six Degrees of Separation.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 36.</ref>
- Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore, a former fighter pilot and Gulf War veteran. To prepare for the role, Pullman read Bob Woodward's The Commanders and watched the documentary film The War Room.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 32.</ref>
- Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson, an MIT-educated satellite engineer and technological expert.
- Mary McDonnell as First Lady Marilyn Whitmore, wife of Thomas Whitmore.
- Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson, David Levinson's father. The character was based on one of Dean Devlin's uncles.<ref name="dvd">DVD commentary</ref>
- Robert Loggia as General William Grey, USMC, the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. Loggia modeled the character after World War II generals, particularly George S. Patton.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 42.</ref>
- Randy Quaid as Russell Casse, an eccentric, alcoholic former fighter pilot and Vietnam War veteran. He insists that he was abducted by the aliens during work on aerial application ten years prior to the film's events, shortly after completing his military service.
- Margaret Colin as Constance Spano, Whitmore's White House Communications Director and David Levinson's ex-wife.
- Vivica A. Fox as Jasmine Dubrow, Steven Hiller's girlfriend and mother of Dylan Dubrow.
- James Rebhorn as Albert Nimziki, the Secretary of Defense and, as former CIA Director, is a member of a governmental faction who are aware of the aliens' existence due to the ship recovered at Roswell. Not well-liked, lying, arrogant, selfish, crooked, and often at odds with idealists such as Whitmore and Grey, Nimziki embodies the stereotypical corrupt politician and his ambition is to be elected as president himself. Rebhorn described the character as being much like Oliver North.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 44.</ref> The character's eventual firing lampoons Joe Nimziki,<ref name="bnet">Template:Cite news</ref> MGM's head of advertising, who made life unpleasant for Devlin and Emmerich when studio executives forced recuts of Stargate.<ref name="EW">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
- Harvey Fierstein as Marty Gilbert, David Levinson's coworker at Compact Cable Television Company who is killed in the NYC attack.
- Adam Baldwin as Major Mitchell, USAF, Area 51's commanding officer and thus a member of a governmental faction who are aware of the aliens' existence. During the interstellar war, he becomes a trusted ally to Thomas Whitmore's party.
- Brent Spiner as Dr. Brackish Okun, the unkempt and highly excitable scientist in charge of research at Area 51. The character's appearance and verbal style are based upon those of visual effects supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun, with whom Emmerich had worked on Stargate.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 45.</ref>
- James Duval as Miguel Casse, the oldest son of Russell Casse.
- Bill Smitrovich as Lt. Colonel Watson, the commanding officer of the Black Knights.
- Kiersten Warren as Tiffani, friend and co-worker of Jasmine who is killed in the LA attack.
- Harry Connick Jr. as Marine Captain Jimmy Wilder, fellow fighter pilot and friend of Steven, killed in the Black Knight counterattack. Connick took over the role from Matthew Perry who was originally cast in the role.
- Mae Whitman as Patricia Whitmore, the daughter of President Thomas J. Whitmore and First Lady Marilyn Whitmore.<ref name="doc">Template:Cite web
digitallyobsessed.com. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref>
- Ross Bagley as Dylan Dubrow, Jasmine Dubrow's son and Steven Hiller's stepson.
- Lisa Jakub as Alicia Casse, the daughter of Russell Casse.
- Giuseppe Andrews as Troy Casse, the son of Russell Casse.
- Special vocal effects by Frank Welker.
- Alien vocal effects by Gary A. Hecker.
Production
[edit]Development
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The idea for the film came when Emmerich and Devlin were in Europe promoting their film Stargate in 1994. A reporter asked Emmerich why he made a film with content like Stargate if he did not believe in aliens. Emmerich stated he was still fascinated by the idea of an alien arrival, and further explained his response by asking the reporter to imagine what it would be like to wake up one morning and to discover 15-mile-wide spaceships were hovering over the world's largest cities. Emmerich then turned to Devlin and said, "I think I have an idea for our next film."<ref name="dvd"/><ref name="ID41">Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 8.</ref><ref name="EW7">The 1996 Summer Movie Preview: July Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref>
Emmerich and Devlin decided to expand on the idea by incorporating a large-scale attack, with Devlin saying he was bothered by the fact that "for the most part, in alien invasion movies, they come down to Earth and they're hidden in some back field …[o]r they arrive in little spores and inject themselves into the back of someone's head."<ref name="ID42">Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 93.</ref> Emmerich agreed by asking Devlin if arriving from across the galaxy, "would you hide on a farm or would you make a big entrance?"<ref name="ID42"/> The two wrote the script during a month-long vacation in Mexico,<ref name="ID41" /> and just one day after they sent it out for consideration, 20th Century Fox chairman Peter Chernin greenlit the screenplay.<ref name="EW"/> Pre-production began just three days later in February 1995.<ref name="dvd"/><ref name="ID41"/> The U.S. military originally intended to provide personnel, vehicles, and costumes for the film; however, they backed out when the producers refused to remove the script's Area 51 references.<ref name="dvd"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
A then-record 3,000-plus special effects shots would ultimately be required for the film.<ref name="EW7"/> The shoot utilized on-set, in-camera special effects more often than computer-generated effects in an effort to save money and get more authentic pyrotechnic results.<ref name="dvd"/> Many of these shots were accomplished at Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, California, where the film's art department, motion control photography teams, pyrotechnics team, and model shop were headquarteredTemplate:Dubious. The production's model-making department built more than twice as many miniatures for the production than had ever been built for any film before by creating miniatures for buildings, city streets, aircraft, landmarks, and monuments.<ref name="Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 72">Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 72.</ref> The crew also built miniatures for several of the spaceships featured in the film, including a Template:Convert destroyer model<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 54.</ref> and a version of the mother ship spanning Template:Convert.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 121.</ref> City streets were recreated, then tilted upright beneath a high-speed camera mounted on a scaffolding filming downwards. An explosion would be ignited below the model, and flames would rise towards the camera, engulfing the tilted model and creating the rolling "wall of destruction" look seen in the film.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 78.</ref> A model of the White House was also created, covering Template:Convert by Template:Convert, and was used in forced-perspective shots before being destroyed in a similar fashion for its destruction scene.<ref name="ID43">Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 82.</ref> The detonation took a week to plan<ref name="EW"/> and required 40 explosive charges.<ref name="ID43"/>
The film's aliens were designed by production designer Patrick Tatopoulos. The actual aliens in the film are diminutive and based on a design Tatopoulos drew when tasked by Emmerich to create an alien that was "both familiar and completely original".<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 86.</ref> These creatures wear "bio-mechanical" suits that are based on another design Tatopoulos pitched to Emmerich. These suits were Template:Convert tall, equipped with 25 tentacles, and purposely designed to show it could not sustain a person inside, so it would not appear to be a "man in a suit".<ref name= "Aberly and Engel p. 91">Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 91.</ref>
Christopher Weaver, founder of video game publisher Bethesda Softworks consulted with the movie's production team, Centropolis Films, and provided scientific collaboration.<ref name="Weaver"/> Dean Devlin used Weaver as the basis for the film character David Levinson.<ref name="Weaver">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Filming
[edit]Principal photography began on July 28, 1995, in New York City. A second unit gathered plate shots and establishing shots of Manhattan, Washington, D.C., an RV community in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Very Large Array on the Plains of San Agustin, New Mexico.<ref name= "Aberly and Engel p. 91"/> The main crew also filmed in nearby Cliffside Park, New Jersey before moving to the former Kaiser Steel mill in Fontana, California to film the post-attack Los Angeles sequences.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 62.</ref> The production then moved to Wendover, Utah, and West Wendover, Nevada,<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 104.</ref> where the deserts doubled for Imperial Valley, and the Wendover Airport doubled for the El Toro and Area 51 exteriors.<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 96.</ref> It was here where Pullman filmed his pre-battle speech. Immediately before filming the scene, Devlin and Pullman decided to add "Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!" to the end of the speech. At the time, the production was nicknamed "ID4" because Warner Bros. owned the rights to the title because of a film from 1983 which is also called Independence Day. Devlin had hoped that if Fox executives noticed the addition in dailies, the impact of the new dialogue would help them to win the rights to the title.<ref name="dvd"/> Pullman had stated in a 2020 interview that Fox had otherwise been aiming to use Doomsday for the film's release to match with other disaster films of the time, and Devlin and Emmerich had hoped the impact of this speech scene would help win Fox over to the Independence Day name.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The right to use the title was eventually won two weeks later.<ref name="EW"/>
The production team moved to the Bonneville Salt Flats to film three scenes, then returned to California to film in various places around Los Angeles, including Hughes Aircraft where sets for the cable company and Area 51 interiors were constructed at a former aircraft plant. Sets for the latter included corridors containing windows that were covered with blue material. The filmmakers originally intended to use the chroma key technique to make it appear as if an activity was happening on the other side of the glass, but the composited images were not added to the final print because production designers decided the blue panels gave the sets a "clinical look".<ref>Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 98.</ref> The attacker hangar set contained an attacker mockup Template:Convert wide<ref name="Aberly and Engel 1996, p. 72"/> that took four months to build.<ref name="EW"/> The White House interior sets used had already been built for The American President and had previously been used for Nixon.<ref name="ID43"/> Principal photography completed on October 8, 1995, after 72 days of filming.Template:Citation needed
The film initially depicted Russell Casse being rejected as a volunteer for the July 4 aerial counteroffensive because of his alcoholism. He then uses a stolen missile tied to his red biplane to carry out his suicide mission. According to Dean Devlin, test audiences responded well to the scene's irony and comedic value.<ref name="dvd"/> However, the scene was re-shot to include Russell's acceptance as a volunteer, his crash course on flying modern fighter aircraft, and him flying an F/A-18 instead of the biplane. Devlin preferred the alteration because the viewer now witnesses Russell ultimately making the decision to sacrifice his life.<ref name="dvd"/>
Music
[edit]Template:Main The Grammy Award-winning<ref name="NYTimesGrammy">Template:Cite news</ref> score for the film was composed by David Arnold and recorded with an orchestra of 90, a choir of 46, "and every last ounce of stereotypical Americana he could muster for the occasion".<ref name="Filmtracks1997">Template:Cite web</ref> The film's producer Dean Devlin commented that "you can leave it up to a Brit to write some of the most rousing and patriotic music in the history of American cinema."<ref name="Filmtracks1997"/> The soundtrack has received two official CD releases. RCA released a 50-minute album at the time of the film's release, then in 2010, La-La Land Records and Fox Music released a limited-edition, two-disc CD set that comprised the complete score plus 12 alternate cues.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The premiere of Independence Day live took place at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2016, with the film's score performed live for a screening of the film.<ref name="RAHID4live">Template:Cite web</ref> This celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the film's release, and the event also featured a pre-film talk by David Arnold.
Release
[edit]Theatrical
[edit]
While Independence Day was still in post-production, Fox began an expensive marketing campaign to help promote the film, beginning with the airing of a dramatic commercial during Super Bowl XXX, for which it paid $1.3 million.<ref>"UW-Eau Claire Marketing Researchers Study Super Bowl Ad Successes." University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Retrieved October 1, 2007.</ref> The film's subsequent success at the box office resulted in a trend of using Super Bowl air time to begin the advertising campaigns for potential blockbusters.<ref name="mojoad">Analysis: Super Bowl Movie Ads Lack Luster Template:Webarchive boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref><ref name="JS">Template:Cite news</ref>
Fox's Licensing and Merchandising division also entered into co-promotional deals with Apple Inc. The co-marketing project was dubbed "The Power to Save the World" campaign, in which the company used footage of David using his PowerBook 5300 laptop in their print and television advertisements.<ref name="Mac">Apple Ties in With 20th Century Fox "Independence Day Template:Webarchive The online Macinstuff Times. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref> Trendmasters entered a merchandising deal with the film's producers to create a line of tie-in toys.<ref name="EW5">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In exchange for product placement, Fox also entered into co-promotional deals with Molson Coors Brewing Company and Coca-Cola.<ref>Top Ten: Most Shameless Uses Of Product Placement In Film Template:Webarchive movie-moron.com. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref>
The film was marketed with several taglines, including: "We've always believed we weren't alone. On July 4, we'll wish we were", "Earth. Take a good look. It could be your last", and "Don't make plans for August". The weekend before the film's release, the Fox Network aired a half-hour special on the film, the first third of which was a spoof news report on the events that happen in the film. Roger Ebert attributed most of the film's early success to its teaser trailers and marketing campaigns, acknowledging them as "truly brilliant".<ref name="ear">Ebert & Roeper.Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore atthemovies.tv. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref>
The film had its official premiere held at Los Angeles' now-defunct Mann Plaza Theater on June 25, 1996.<ref name="var">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was then screened privately at the White House for President Bill Clinton and his family<ref name="time">Template:Cite magazine</ref> before receiving a nationwide release in the United States on July 2, 1996, a day earlier than its previously scheduled opening.<ref name="sfc">Template:Cite news</ref>
Censorship
[edit]In Lebanon, certain Jewish- and Israel-related content in the film was censored. One cut scene involved Judd Hirsch's character donning a kippah, and leading soldiers and White House officials in a Jewish prayer. Other removed footage showed Israeli and Arab troops working together in preparation for countering the alien invasion. The Lebanese Shi'a Islamist militant group Hezbollah called for Muslims to boycott the film, describing it as "propaganda for the so-called genius of the Jews and their concern for humanity." In response, Jewish actor Jeff Goldblum said: "I think Hezbollah has missed the point. The film is not about American Jews saving the world; it's about teamwork among people of different religions and nationalities to defeat a common enemy."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Home media
[edit]After a six-week, $30 million marketing campaign, Independence Day was released on a THX certified VHS on November 22, 1996.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref><ref>Independence Day blitz.</ref> A LaserDisc release came out at roughly the same time, which included audio commentary, theatrical trailers, deleted scenes, and a bundled soundtrack CD.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The film sold 22 million copies in North America, becoming the best selling live-action video.<ref name=VHS>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
The film became available on DVD on June 27, 2000, and has since been re-released in several different versions of this format with varying supplemental material, including one instance where it was packaged with a lenticular cover.<ref name="DVDExtras">Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> A special edition of the film was included on the DVD as well, which features nine minutes of additional footage not seen in the original theatrical release.<ref name="DVDExtras" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A single-disc DVD version of the film was released alongside Cast Away on May 21, 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> Independence Day became available on Blu-ray in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2007,<ref>"Independence Day Blu-ray" Template:Webarchive Amazon UK Retrieved July 6, 2008.</ref> and in North America on March 11, 2008<ref>"Independence Day (Blu-ray)." Template:Webarchive Blu-ray. Retrieved July 5, 2008.</ref> and in Australia on March 5, 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The initial single-disc releases only feature the theatrical cut and a few extras, as per the single-disc DVDs. For its 2016 twentieth anniversary, the film was re-released on two-disc Blu-ray and DVD, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and Digital HD.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The 20th-anniversary editions feature both the theatrical and extended versions,<ref name="MC-20100410">Template:Cite web</ref> all the extras of the previous 2-disc DVDs and more.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Television broadcast
[edit]Independence Day was originally scheduled to air on Fox on September 16, 2001, but was cancelled following the September 11 attacks. Fox replaced Independence Day with a repeat airing of There's Something About Mary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Re-release
[edit]The film had both its twentieth anniversary and premiere at a special live-orchestral screening performance at the Royal Albert Hall on September 22, 2016. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the original orchestrator Nicholas Dodd, performed the score live during the film, and the film's composer, David Arnold, was a presenter at the event.<ref name="ID4Live">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="RAHID4live" />
Reception
[edit]Box office
[edit]
Independence Day was the highest-grossing film of 1996, surpassing both Twister and Mission: Impossible.<ref name="BOM"/> The film had its preview screenings on July 2, 1996, grossing $11.1 million from 2,433 theaters. At that point, it had the biggest pre-opening of any film, breaking the six-year record held by Die Hard 2. The next day on July 3, the film officially opened to the public with $17.4 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During its second day of release, it earned $17.3 million, which made it the highest Thursday gross, holding this record for six years until it was taken by Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This was also the highest non-sequel Thursday gross, which would last until the opening of Transformers in 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Independence Day earned $104.3 million in its opening week,<ref name="EW4">Template:Cite magazine</ref> including $96.1 million during its five-day holiday opening, and $50.2 million during its opening weekend.<ref name="numbers">"Independence Day Box Office Data." Template:Webarchive the-numbers.com. Retrieved March 4, 2008.</ref> The film stayed in the number-one spot for three consecutive weeks before being displaced by A Time to Kill.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref><ref name="BOM"/> Moreover, it beat Terminator 2: Judgment DayTemplate:'s record for largest five-day Wednesday gross of any film, as well as the biggest July opening weekend.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> The combined total for the five-day Wednesday opening with ticket sales increased to $190 million, dethroning the $158.6 million record formerly held by Toy Story.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> In addition, the film had the second-highest opening weekend of any movie, behind Batman Forever.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> All three figures broke records set by Jurassic Park three years earlier,<ref name="EW4"/> whose successor, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, claimed all three records when it was released in 1997.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That same year, Men in Black surpassed Independence Day for highest July opening weekend and largest three-day Fourth of July opening weekend.<ref>Template:Cite news Template:Open access</ref> Despite this, the film would continue to hold the record for having the highest five-day Fourth of July Wednesday opening until Men in Black II in 2002.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Independence Day earned over $150 million in 12 days, becoming the quickest film to do so.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 21 days, it became the fastest film to approach the $200 million mark.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film would hold this record for three years until it was surpassed by Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the end of July 1996, Independence Day had lost 38% of its audience, but it was able to top Ghostbusters, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire and Ghost, becoming the fourteenth-highest domestic grossing film of all time.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It reached $230 million within the first month of release,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and on August 9, crossed the $250 million mark.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Halfway through the month, it became the eighth-highest domestic grosser, beating Jaws.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Independence Day grossed $306,169,268 in the United States and Canada and $511,231,623 in other territories during its theatrical run.<ref name="BOM"/> The combined worldwide total of $817,400,891 surpassed The Lion King, second only to the worldwide earnings of Jurassic Park as the highest of all time.<ref>"William Fay Bio." Template:Webarchive www.10000bcmovie.com. Retrieved March 4, 2008.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For over 20 years, the film would hold the record for being the highest-grossing film starring Will Smith until 2019 when it was surpassed by the live-action version of Aladdin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The domestic record was beaten by Suicide Squad three years earlier in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the UK, the film grossed £7,005,905 in its opening weekend (including £939,022 from previews), surpassing Jurassic ParkTemplate:'s record of £4.9 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The film grossed a record $10.5 million in its opening weekend in Germany and also beat the opening record in France.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 69.26 million tickets in the US and Canada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hoping to capitalize on the film's success, several studios released large-scale disaster films,<ref name=EW6 /> and the already rising interest in science fiction-related media was further increased by the film's popularity.<ref name=time />
A month after the film's release, jewelry designers and marketing consultants reported an increased interest in dolphin-themed jewelry, as the character Jasmine (Vivica A. Fox) wears dolphin earrings, and is presented with a wedding ring featuring a gold dolphin.<ref name="EW3">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Critical response
[edit]Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 68% of 81 surveyed critics gave Independence Day a positive review; the average rating is 6.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The plot is thin and so is character development, but as a thrilling, spectacle-filled summer movie, Independence Day delivers."<ref name=rotom>Template:Cite web</ref> On Metacritic, the film has a score of 59 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.<ref name="meta">"Independence Day." Template:Webarchive Metacritic. Retrieved October 16, 2007.</ref> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">Template:Cite web</ref>
Critics wrote that the film has "cardboard" and "stereotypical" characters,<ref name="lat"/><ref name="sfc"/><ref name="dcp">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="EW8">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="nw">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and weak dialogue.<ref name="EW6">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="nw"/><ref name="sfe">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ac">Template:Cite news</ref> However, the shot of the White House's destruction was declared a milestone in visual effects and one of the most memorable scenes of the 1990s.<ref>Visual and Special Effects Film Milestones. Template:Webarchive filmsite.org. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref><ref name="fs3">Film History of the 1990s Template:Webarchive filmsite.org. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref> In a 2010 poll, readers of Entertainment Weekly rated it the second-greatest summer film of the previous 20 years, ranking only behind Jurassic Park.<ref>"Summer Blockbusters: The New Generation," Entertainment Weekly, Page 32, Issue #1112, July 23, 2010.</ref>
Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film his highest rating, declaring it the "apotheosis" of comic book space adventure movies.<ref name="sfc"/> Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+ for living up to its massive hype, adding "charm is the foremost of this epic's contemporary characteristics. The script is witty, knowing, cool."<ref name="EW8"/> Eight years later, Entertainment Weekly rated the film as one of the best disaster films of all time.<ref name="EW6"/> Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times felt that the film did an "excellent job conveying the boggling immensity of [the] extraterrestrial vehicles […] and panic in the streets" and the scenes of the alien attack were "disturbing, unsettling and completely convincing".<ref name="lat"/>
The film's nationalistic overtones were widely criticized by reviewers outside the U.S. Movie Review UK described the film as "a mish-mash of elements from a wide variety of alien invasion movies and gung-ho American jingoism."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The speech during which Whitmore states that victory in the coming war would see the entire world henceforth describe July 4 as its Independence Day, was described in a BBC review as "the most jaw-droppingly pompous soliloquy ever delivered in a mainstream Hollywood movie."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2003, readers of Empire voted that scene as the "Cheesiest Movie Moment of All-Time".<ref name="fs">Top 10 Worst Quotes or Lines From the Movies Template:Webarchive filmsite.org. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref> Empire critic Kim Newman had given the film a five-star rating in the magazine's original review.<ref name="meta"/>
Several critics were disappointed by the special effects. NewsweekTemplate:'s David Ansen claimed they were no better than those seen nineteen years earlier in Star Wars.<ref name="nw"/> Todd McCarthy of Variety felt the production's budget-conscious approach resulted in "cheesy" shots, lacking the quality of effects in films by James Cameron and Steven Spielberg.<ref name="var"/> Roger Ebert noted a lack of imagination in the spaceship and creature designs.<ref name="ebert">Template:Cite news</ref> Gene Siskel expressed the same sentiments in his At the Movies review.<ref name="ear" />Template:Dead link
American Film Institute lists
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – Nominated<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
- AFI's 10 Top 10 – Nominated Science Fiction Film<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Accolades
[edit]Template:More citations needed section
Legacy
[edit]Disaster elements portrayed in Twister and Independence Day (both in 1996) represented a significant turning point for Hollywood blockbuster films. With advancements in CGI special effects, events depicting mass destruction became commonplace in films that soon followed, such as Dante's Peak and Volcano (both in 1997), as well as Deep Impact and Armageddon (both in 1998). The trend resumed from the mid-2000s to 2010s, evident in three of Emmerich's films titled The Day After Tomorrow (2004), 2012 (2009), and White House Down (2013), as well as other blockbusters like Transformers (2007) and The Avengers (2012).<ref name="legacy">Template:Cite web</ref>
In other media
[edit]Books
[edit]Template:Main Author Stephen Molstad wrote a tie-in novel to help promote the film shortly before its release. The novel goes into further detail on the characters, situations, and overall concepts not explored in the film. The novel presents the film's finale as originally scripted, with the character played by Randy Quaid stealing a missile and roping it to his cropduster biplane.
Following the film's success, a prequel novel entitled Independence Day: Silent Zone was written by Molstad in February 1998.<ref>"Independence Day: Silent Zone Product Details." Template:Webarchive Amazon.com. Retrieved October 8, 2007.</ref> The novel is set in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and details the early career of Dr. Brackish Okun.<ref>"Independence Day: Silent Zone by Stephen Molstad Publisher's Notes." Template:Webarchive Biblio.com. Retrieved October 8, 2007.</ref>
Molstad wrote a third novel, Independence Day: War in the Desert in July 1999. Set in Saudi Arabia on July 3, it centers around the two Royal Air Force officers seen receiving the Morse code message in the film.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A Marvel comic book was also written based on the first two novelizations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Radio
[edit]On August 4, 1996, BBC Radio 1 broadcast the one-hour play Independence Day UK, written, produced, and directed by Dirk Maggs, a spin-off depicting the alien invasion from a British perspective.<ref name="ID4UK">"Independence Day UK." Template:Webarchive dswilliams.co.uk. Retrieved September 25, 2007.</ref> None of the original cast was present. Dean Devlin gave Maggs permission to produce an original version, on the condition that he did not reveal certain details of the movie's plot, and that the British were not depicted as saving the day.<ref name="ID4UK" /> Independence Day UK was set up to be similar to the 1938 radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds—the first 20 minutes were live.<ref name="ID4UK" />
Multimedia
[edit]In 1996 a "behind-the-scenes" multimedia CD-ROM titled Inside Independence Day was released for Microsoft Windows and Macintosh; it includes storyboards for the film, sketches, movie clips, and a preview of the Independence Day video game.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
Video games
[edit]An Independence Day video game was released in February 1997 for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC, each version receiving mostly tepid reviews.<ref>"Search results for 'independence day'." Template:Webarchive GameSpot. Retrieved July 8, 2008.</ref> The multi-view shooter game contains various missions to perform, with the ultimate goal of destroying the aliens' primary weapon. A pinball machine themed to the film was released by Sega in June 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Plus, a wireless mobile version was released in 2005.
A video game titled ID4 Online (or Independence Day Online) was released by Mythic Entertainment.
Toys
[edit]Trendmasters released a toy line for the film in 1996.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Each action figure, vehicle or playset came with a Template:Fraction inch floppy disk that contained an interactive computer game.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Franchise
[edit]Template:Anchor Template:Main In June 2011, Devlin confirmed that he and Emmerich had written a treatment for two sequels to form a trilogy; both expressed the desire for Will Smith to return.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2011, however, discussions over Smith returning were halted, due to Fox's refusal to provide the $50 million salary demanded by Smith for the two sequels. Emmerich, however, made assurances that the films would be shot back-to-back, regardless of Smith's involvement.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In March 2013, Emmerich stated that the titles of the new films would be ID: Forever – Part I and ID: Forever – Part II.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In November 2014, the sequel was given the green light by 20th Century Fox, with a release date of June 24, 2016. This would be a stand-alone sequel, that would not split into two parts as originally planned, with filming beginning in May 2015 and casting being done after the studio locked down Emmerich as the director of the film.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In December 2014, Devlin confirmed that Emmerich would indeed be directing the sequel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On June 22, 2015, Emmerich announced the official title, Independence Day: Resurgence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
With respect to Smith's decision not to return to film a sequel, Emmerich told Screen Crush that: "In the very beginning, I wanted to work with him and he was excited to be in it but then after a while he was tired of sequels, and he did another science fiction film, which was his father-son story After Earth, so he opted out."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Independence Day: Resurgence was released on June 24, 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The sequel, unlike the original, was both a critical and commercial failure, making further sequels unlikely. Furthermore, in March 2018, LRM Online reported that, after having met producer Dean Devlin at WonderCon and asking about the status of Independence Day 3, Devlin told them "I don't know. I don't know. Currently, I personally have no plans of doing another one."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One year later, Emmerich stated that once The Walt Disney Company purchased Fox he thought the chances of a third movie were over, but still had hopes that the project could happen given Disney's preference for franchise films.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
See also
[edit]References
[edit]External links
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