Independence Day: Resurgence

Independence Day: Resurgence
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Roland Emmerich
Produced by	Dean Devlin Harald Kloser Roland Emmerich
Screenplay by	Nicolas Wright James A. Woods Dean Devlin Roland Emmerich James Vanderbilt
Story by	Dean Devlin Roland Emmerich Nicolas Wright James A. Woods
Based on	Characters by Dean Devlin Roland Emmerich
Starring	Liam Hemsworth Jeff Goldblum Bill Pullman Maika Monroe Jessie T. Usher Travis Tope William Fichtner Charlotte Gainsbourg Judd Hirsch Brent Spiner Sela Ward
Music by	Thomas Wander Harald Kloser
Cinematography	Markus Förderer
Edited by	Adam Wolfe
Production companies	TSG Entertainment Centropolis Entertainment Electric Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	June 20, 2016 (2016-06-20) (TCL Chinese Theatre) June 24, 2016 (2016-06-24) (United States)
Running time	120 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$165 million[2]
Box office	$389.7 million[3]

Independence Day: Resurgence is a 2016 American science fiction adventure film directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Emmerich, Dean Devlin, Nicolas Wright, James A. Woods, and James Vanderbilt. It is the sequel to the 1996 film Independence Day and stars an ensemble cast featuring Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Travis Tope, William Fichtner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Judd Hirsch, Brent Spiner, and Sela Ward.

The film is set twenty years after the events of the first film. Since then, the United Nations have collaborated on the Earth Space Defense (ESD), an international military defense and research organization, and developed hybrid technology reverse-engineered from the invaders' in anticipation that they would return. Unexpectedly, the returning aliens again attack Earth with an advanced and unprecedented force during the twentieth anniversary of humanity's victory against them on July 4.

Emmerich had considered an Independence Day sequel since 2002, with 20th Century Fox only greenlighting the project in 2014. Principal photography rolled from April to August 2015, primarily in New Mexico while also returning to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah which served as a location in the original. Independence Day: Resurgence was released by in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D in the United States on June 24, 2016 to generally negative reviews from critics, who found the plot convoluted and action sequences overblown, though some praised its overall humor. The film has grossed $389.7 million against its $165 million production budget and was considered a box office disappointment by analysts.

Plot

Twenty years after a devastating alien invasion, the United Nations has set up the Earth Space Defense (ESD), a global defense and research program to reverse-engineer alien technology and serve as Earth's early warning system against extraterrestrial threats. The main defense force utilizes equipment salvaged from the remains of the alien forces and operates military bases built on the Moon, Mars, and Rhea. The Area 51 base in Nevada has become the ESD Headquarters.^[4][5][6]

The world is preparing to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of their survival after the invasion.^[7] In the provincial African state Republique Nationale d'Umbutu,^[8] ESD Director David Levinson meets with Dr. Catherine Marceaux and warlord Dikembe Umbutu, who lead him to an intact alien destroyer. Aboard the ship, they discover that the alien occupants sent a distress call to their home planet before being defeated. Furthermore, Umbutu, former U.S. President Thomas Whitmore, and Dr. Brackish Okun (who awakens at Area 51 after a twenty-year coma)—all of them once telepathically linked with the aliens ever since their personal encounters with them—have of late been receiving strange visions of an unidentifiable spherical object.

An unidentified spherical ship, with design and technology different from that of the aliens who attacked 20 years earlier, emerges from a wormhole near the ESD's Moon defense headquarters. Levinson believes that it belongs to another extraterrestrial race that might be benevolent and urges the world's Security Council not to attack, but they vote to shoot it down regardless. Against the Council's orders, pilots Jake Morrison and Charlie Miller pick up Levinson, Marceaux, Umbutu, and U.S. federal controller Floyd Rosenberg on a space tug, and they head for the wreckage near the Van de Graaff crater, where they recover a container. An alien mothership 3,000 miles (4,800 km) in diameter suddenly emerges and destroys Earth's planetary defenses before approaching the planet.^[8][9] The space tug is caught in the mothership's gravitational pull, which lifts objects from across Asia, causing massive damage on its path. The debris falls all over Europe, where the tug manages to escape before heading on to Area 51. The mothership lands over the north of the Atlantic Ocean, destroying cities on the Eastern Seaboard, and begins drilling a hole through the bottom of the ocean floor to harvest the Earth's core for fuel, which will destroy both its magnetic field and atmosphere in the process, killing all life.

Whitmore's group interrogates one of the aliens held in captivity from the war, who has recently awoken from a 20-year catatonic state. The ESD learns that the aliens exist in eusociality and that one of their colossal Queens is commanding the invasion. Levinson hypothesizes that, if they kill the supervising Queen, her forces will cease drilling and retreat. An ESD aerial fleet, led by Captain Dylan Dubrow-Hiller, stages a counterattack on the Queen's chamber, but they are caught in a trap within the mothership, which nearly wipes out the entire unit.

In Area 51, Okun opens the container and releases a giant white sphere of virtual intelligence; indeed benevolent and more advanced than the attacking aliens. It reveals that its mission is to evacuate survivors from worlds targeted by the aliens, whom it calls "Harvesters", and that it has gathered a viable resistance force against the Harvesters, hidden in a refugee planet at a location unknown to the Harvesters. Despite being the last of its kind, the sphere implores the humans to destroy it in order to prevent the Harvesters from discovering the location of the planet where it has hidden the survivors. In the mothership, Dylan, Jake, and other survivors manage to escape by hijacking enemy attack craft, and pursue the Queen's personal ship, which is heading to Area 51 with its convoy.

Knowing the Queen has become aware of the sphere's presence, the ESD forces hide it in an isolation chamber and use a decoy to lure the Queen's ship to a trap filled with fusion weapons. Against his daughter Patricia's wishes, Whitmore volunteers to pilot the space tug on the suicide mission, leading the warship to the trap and detonating the bombs, thus sacrificing himself and destroying the ship. However, the Queen survives by using an energy shield on her biomechanical suit. Several fighters fire at the Queen, but the shield protects her. However, Patricia manages to fire through a gap in the shield when the Queen prepares to fire her own gun, thereby disabling the Queen's shield, allowing Dylan's arriving party to kill the Queen before she can take the sphere. With the Queen dead, all the remaining alien fighters are rendered inactive, while the mothership stops drilling and retreats to space. Okun reveals that the sphere has asked humanity to lead its resistance and has offered the humans new technology in preparation for a counterattack to assault the Harvesters' home world and take the fight to the aliens.

Cast

• Liam Hemsworth as Jake Morrison, a U.S. pilot serving as a lieutenant in ESD, Patricia Whitmore's fiancé, Charlie Miller's best friend, and Dylan Dubrow-Hiller's estranged friend and competitor for Legacy Squadron's leadership. Originally from the city of Los Angeles, he grew up in an orphanage after his parents were killed in the invasion of 1996 and later joins the ESD.^[10]
• Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson, a scientist, MIT-educated computer expert, strategist, and environmental activist. Formerly a satellite technician at a cable television company in New York City and now in charge of research at Area 51 after Brackish Okun. Whitmore went on to recommend him as Director of ESD, in charge of its civilian sector where he provides the United Nations the resources to combat extraterrestrial threats with his subordinates and in the process using his political influence to promote his activism. For twenty years, David is dedicated to protect Earth at the cost of his relationships with his family, and is revered as a hero alongside Steven Hiller, Thomas J. Whitmore, and William Grey.
• Jessie Usher as Dylan Dubrow-Hiller, the son of Jasmine Dubrow-Hiller and stepson of the now-deceased war hero, Col Steven Hiller, USMC (Will Smith's character in the previous film) and childhood friend of Patricia Whitmore (whom he befriended twenty years previously at Area 51), now a pilot and captain in ESD, serving as a fleet leader for its Legacy Squadron.^[11] Dylan secured leadership of Legacy Squadron after competing with Jake, but strained their friendship in the process. Usher replaces Ross Bagley, who played the character as a child in the original film.
• Bill Pullman as Thomas J. Whitmore, the 42nd and former President, Patricia's widowed father, and a Persian Gulf War combat pilot veteran. Though his presidency has ended, 15 years after his second term, Whitmore remains a significant figure and some still refer him as the country's leader as the result of his role during the first invasion and its aftermath.
• Maika Monroe as Patricia Whitmore, the former First Daughter, Jake's fiancée, and Dylan's childhood friend and crush (whom she befriended twenty years previously at Area 51). She also works for her father's successor, Elizabeth Lanford, as one of her aides and speechwriter at the White House. Prior to working for the government, she served as an ESD pilot alongside Dylan and Jake. She held the rank of lieutenant at ESD, and is a skilled aviator. Monroe replaces Mae Whitman, who played the character as a child in the original film.
• Sela Ward as Elizabeth Lanford, the 45th President of the United States and the first woman in the country's history to hold the Oval Office,^[12] who is in her first term, succeeding Thomas J. Whitmore, William Grey, and Lucas Jacobs.^[4] About her character she said, "She's strong, decisive and not afraid to kick ass!"^[13] Prior to her presidency, Lanford lost her family during the first attack, and she served as Vice President under Jacobs.
• William Fichtner as Joshua T. Adams, a U.S. General in charge of ESD's military sector, David Levinson's military counterpart within the organization; he later becomes the 46th President of the United States.
• Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson, David's widowed father, retired rabbi, and author of How I Saved The World, who now lives in a retirement home in Florida and is an avid fisherman.
• Corin Nemec as Connor McGrady, a fighter pilot from the first film who is later killed during a fierce aircraft battle.
• Brent Spiner as Dr. Brakish Okun, the unkempt and highly excitable scientist formerly in charge of research at Area 51 and thus David Levinson's predecessor. He awakens 20 years after being rendered comatose by a Harvester's psychic attack and then works with ESD. He and Dr. Milton Isaacs are romantic partners.
• Patrick St. Esprit as Reese Tanner, the United States Secretary of Defense. Tanner was indirectly responsible for Steven Hiller's death in 2007, after he and his administration under then-President Lucas Jacobs ignored Levinson's warning regarding the prototype hybrid fighter that killed Hiller and caused an international scandal. He has been at odds with Levinson and the Hillers ever since.^[6]
• Vivica A. Fox as Jasmine Dubrow-Hiller, the widow of the late war hero Steven Hiller, and a former exotic dancer. After her marriage, Jasmine returned to school to study nursing and is now working as a hospital administrator.^[6]
• Angelababy as Rain Lao, a Chinese pilot and lieutenant in ESD and the niece of ESD Moon Base commander Jiang Lao. While still a child, Rain, Chinese name Lao Meifeng, lost her mother after the aliens' first attack in Beijing and later her father, who was one of the pilots that participated in the final battle against the aliens above the ruins of Wuhan during the war. She was then raised by her late father's brother. Rain is also a fan of the late American colonel, Steven Hiller; she had witnessed his death in 2007.^[6]
• Charlotte Gainsbourg as Dr. Catherine Marceaux, a French psychiatrist who is an associate of David Levinson; though trained as a physician, she is researching exolinguistics and telepathy after witnessing her patients writing logograms after personal encounters with aliens. She is also David's new love interest; she and David first met at the 2012 ESD Spring Expo in French Guiana three years after the latter's wife, Constance Spano (Margaret Colin's character in the previous film, whom David previously divorced but later remarried to), died in a car accident.^[6]
• Deobia Oparei as Dikembe Umbutu, head of government of a Congolese provincial state named "Republique Nationale d'Umbutu", after his late warlord father; he leads a resistance group that has fought the Harvesters for years. After Umbutu's father was assassinated by his own people, he took over his father's position in hopes of making amends to his countrymen.
• Nicolas Wright as Floyd Rosenberg, a mild-mannered government controller from the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board appointed to the ESD and amateur combatant; he wants to learn how to fight aliens after meeting Dikembe Umbutu and to participate the battle against them.
• Travis Tope as Charlie Miller, a U.S. pilot and lieutenant serving in ESD and Jake Morrison's best friend and surrogate brother since childhood, who is infatuated with Rain.^[14] Prior to becoming an ESD pilot, Charlie lost his family in the first war, met Jake after he defended him from a group of bullies, and was a valedictorian in the ESD flight school where he, Jake, Dylan, and Patricia enrolled.^[6] He is notable for wearing a jacket that states his rank is that of Senior Airman.
• Ng Chin Han as Jiang Lao,^[15] a Chinese General and commanding officer of the ESD's Moon Base. He is also Rain's paternal uncle and adoptive father.
• Gbenga Akinnagbe as Agent Matthew Travis, a United States Secret Service agent assigned to Whitmore's protection detail.
• Robert Loggia as General William Grey, USMC (Ret.), the 43rd and former President, who served as head of United States Space Command during the war and succeeded Whitmore as President for one term.^[4] Like Whitmore, Hiller, and Levinson, Grey is revered as a hero because of his military leadership during the war. This is Loggia's final film role before his death in December 2015, and the film was dedicated in his memory.
• John Storey as Dr. Milton Isaacs, a scientist and physician in charge of Area 51's medical facility. He is Dr. Brackish Okun's life partner.
• Joey King as Samantha "Sam" Blackwell, the oldest of a group of siblings living in Florida. They find a stranded Julius Levinson in Austin, Texas after the aliens land their mothership.^[16]
• Jenna Purdy as the voice of the Sphere, an extraterrestrial virtual intelligence sent to serve as a liaison between Earth and a party of interplanetary resistance who are also victims of the Harvesters' attacks.
• Garrett Wareing, Hays Wellford, and Mckenna Grace as Bobby, Felix, and Daisy, Sam's younger siblings.
• James A. Woods as Lieutenant James Ritter, one of General Adams's subordinates in alien technology research at ESD.
• Robert Neary as Captain McQuaide

Production

Development

The possibility of a sequel to Independence Day had been discussed as early as 2001,^[17] and the film's producer and writer, Dean Devlin, once stated that the world's reaction to the September 11 attacks influenced him to strongly consider making a sequel to the film.^[18][19] Devlin began writing an outline for a script with Emmerich,^[20] but in May 2004, Emmerich said he and Devlin had attempted to "figure out a way how to continue the story", but that this ultimately did not work, and the pair abandoned the idea.^[21] In October 2009, Emmerich said he once again had plans for a sequel,^[22] and had since considered the idea of making two sequels to form a trilogy.^[23] On June 24, 2011, Devlin confirmed that he and Emmerich had found an idea for the sequels and had written a treatment for it.^[24] In October 2011, however, discussions for Will 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.^[25] In July 2012, Devlin reiterated that the Independence Day sequel was still in development, and the script would take place in 2012, 16 years after the original film's events.^[26]

In March 2013, Emmerich stated that the titles of the new films would be ID Forever Part I and ID Forever Part II.^[27] The films will take place twenty years after the original, when reinforcements of the original alien race arrive at Earth after finally receiving a distress call. The new films will focus on the next generation of heroes, including the stepson of Smith's character in the original film. In May 2013, Emmerich and Devlin mentioned that wormholes would be used as a plot device in ID Forever.^[28] On May 29, 2014, it was announced that the script for the first sequel written by Emmerich and Devlin would be rewritten by Carter Blanchard.^[29] The script was delivered to Fox along with twenty previsualization shots produced under effects supervisor Volker Engel, a long-time collaborator of Emmerich.^[16] On November 26, 2014, Deadline confirmed that Fox had greenlit the single film, and they were in talks with Emmerich to direct the film, while casting was reported to begin after Emmerich's confirmation.^[30] The full title, Independence Day: Resurgence, was revealed on June 22, 2015.^[31] Returns, Retaliation, Rises, and Requiem were all considered too along with the title before settling with Resurgence.^[32] Emmerich explained that in the sequel, the alien invaders that were likened in the original to locusts "are more like bees", with a hive mentality and only interested in multiplying, "and when they arrive it’s more like a natural disaster than an invasion."^[33]

Casting

Early on, both Emmerich and Devlin hoped that Smith would return.^[24] However, in June 2013, Emmerich announced that Smith would not be returning, noting that "he's too expensive."^[34] Smith later stated that he declined the role due to scheduling conflicts with Suicide Squad, also in production at the time.^[35] Smith's absence in the movie is explained as his character, Steven Hiller, who had been promoted as a colonel, died 11 years after the events of the first film when personally testing the first experimental prototype fighter designed with alien technology for the ESD.^[4][6] Later in June, it was officially confirmed that both Goldblum and Pullman would return in the sequel.

On January 27, 2015, casting began with Fox offering the lead role to Liam Hemsworth.^[36] French-British actress Charlotte Gainsbourg was in talks to join the film's cast, revealed by THR on March 20, 2015.^[37] Newcomer Travis Tope was set on March 25, 2015 to play the role of Charlie.^[14] On March 3, 2015, Emmerich confirmed via Twitter that Vivica A. Fox would reprise the role of Jasmine Dubrow, her character from the previous film.^[38][39] That same day, Jessie Usher was added to the cast to portray the role of the stepson of Smith's character.^[40] Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman were also set to reprise their roles from the previous film.^[41] Maika Monroe signed on to star in the film on April 27, 2015.^[42] She would play the daughter of the former President after Mae Whitman, who played the character in the original movie, declined to read for the part, according to Emmerich.^[43] Sela Ward's casting as the new President of the United States was confirmed on May 4, 2015.^[44] On May 13, 2015, Mckenna Grace also joined the film to play Daisy.^[45] On May 19, 2015, Patrick St. Esprit was cast as Secretary of Defense Tanner.^[46] On May 29, 2015, William Fichtner was cast as a General, a role that will be larger in the next two films.^[47] The casting of Angelababy was announced on Twitter by Emmerich on June 3, 2015.^[48]

Filming

Filming began on April 20, 2015,^[49][50] and wrapped on August 22, 2015.^[51] Filming for additional scenes also took place in early 2016 in Los Angeles. Some scenes were also filmed in West Wendover, Nevada, London, at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.^[52] Due to the availability of regional filming, the producers decided to shoot the film largely in New Mexico. Moreover, the state offers a 25% movie tax credit. However, while location filming did take place in rural New Mexico and further north on the Utah and Nevada border, most of the shooting was studio-based. Albuquerque Studios was a major venue for the film in which Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials and The Lone Ranger were also filmed.^[53] The film was shot on Red Dragon anamorphic cameras in 6K resolution, being later stereo converted.^[16]

Emmerich decided to return to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, which he said he fell in love with while looking for a unique location for shooting the first film. However, problems cropped up as Emmerich was slightly disappointed by the nature and color of the area. This was because prior to the arrival of the crew, a windstorm had occurred around the area, which blew a lot of dirt into the salt and subsequently turned it into a shade of beige.^[54]

The filmmakers refrained from shooting in India or portraying any prominent Indian monuments as being damaged to avoid potential protests and legal action from Indian religious groups and activists.^[55] Originally, Dubai was planned to land on Paris in the scene depicting the mothership destroying Europe while using Asian monuments pulled out by its gravitational pull. However, following the November 2015 Paris attacks, filmmakers reconsidered and instead had Dubai land on London. Emmerich said, "After the attacks, we felt it wasn't right to have the Burj Khalifa crashing on the Eiffel Tower, so we dumped it on the London Eye instead. The English can take it."^[56]

Visual effects and design

Like the original Independence Day, Resurgence had its visual effects led by supervisor Volker Engel and producer Marc Weigert from Uncharted Territory, LLC.^[57] Like with Emmerich's White House Down, the Ncam camera tracking system was used on set to provide animation previews to the cast and crew and gather data for the effects companies. While the original film relied heavily on miniatures and Engel wanted them on at least one scene, the effects were mostly computer-generated "which was pretty much less than half of the budget". Uncharted Territory, along with coordinating the overall efforts of 15 effects houses, was the leading company with 268 shots, created in a tight collaboration with the film's art department. Scanline VFX was the first vendor hired,^[16] and handled the mothership landing, which included creating detailed models of London and Singapore out of thousands of reference photographs and even Lidar scans to realistically destroy both cities.^[57] Weta Digital was mainly responsible for the design of the aliens and carrying out the climatic battle scene.^[58]

Music

Soundtrack

Independence Day: Resurgence (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Soundtrack album / Film score by Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser
Released	June 17, 2016
Recorded	2016
Genre	Film soundtrack Film score
Length	51:14
Label	Sony Classical Records
Producer	Thomas Wander Harald Kloser
Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser film scores chronology
White House Down (2013) Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Singles from Independence Day: Resurgence (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Electric U" Released: June 17, 2016 "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" Released: June 17, 2016

The film’s music was composed by Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser. The soundtrack also contains “Electric U”, performed by Kid Bloom and “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”, performed by Annie Trousseau. The soundtrack was released on June 17, 2016 by Sony Classical Records.

Track listing

All music composed by Thomas Wander and Harald Kloser, except “Electric U” and “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)”.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Traveling Through Space"	1:26
2.	"Great Speech"	1:37
3.	"Hostile Territory"	1:23
4.	"How Did They Get the Lights On?"	1:13
5.	"Inside the African Ship"	1:22
6.	"More Stimulation"	1:50
7.	"Fear"	2:06
8.	"The Friendly Spaceship"	3:18
9.	"The Only Family I Got"	1:01
10.	"Welcome to the Moon"	1:17
11.	"What Goes Up"	2:11
12.	"It's Getting Real"	3:06
13.	"Flying Inside"	2:00
14.	"It's a Trap"	2:36
15.	"Worth Fighting For"	1:12
16.	"The Sphere"	3:37
17.	"The Queen is Leaving"	1:09
18.	"Whitmore's Choice"	1:59
19.	"Humanity's Last Stand"	1:10
20.	"Bus Chase"	3:08
21.	"We are Rich"	1:05
22.	"Independence Day Resurgence Finale"	3:14
23.	"ID4 Reprise"	2:27
24.	"Electric U" (performed by Kid Bloom)	2:50
25.	"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" (performed by Annie Trousseau)	2:57
Total length:		51:14

Release

Independence Day: Resurgence premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on June 20, 2016. The film was originally going to be released on July 3, 2015^[59] but on November 12, 2013, it was announced that the sequel had been rescheduled for a July 2016 release.^[60] On October 14, 2014, Fox changed the release date to June 24, 2016.^[61] It was released in certain formats such as 3D, IMAX 3D, and premium large formats.^[62]

Marketing

Titan Books published several tie-in books for the film, including novels and comics. The first, an omnibus of Stephen Molstad's three Independence Day novels, Silent Zone, War in the Desert, and the novelization of Independence Day, was released on March 19, 2016. The second, Independence Day: Crucible, was written by Greg Keyes. Crucible serves as a prequel to the film and was published on May 24, 2016. A novelization of Independence Day: Resurgence by Alex Irvine followed on June 21 before the film's release and it differs from the film in that the character of the President survives most of the alien conflict as a prisoner of the Harvester Queen and is killed when the ship is destroyed, instead of being killed when the aliens attack the fortified bunker in Colorado and it also reveals - in POV exposition, during the scene where the Queen captures the sphere - that the sphere aliens are responsible for the creation of the Harvester aliens, who turned on them and wiped them out, though this plot device is not further explored in the book and may not be considered canon in any further films since it was not used in the final film. Titan Comics started a six issue comic book miniseries, Independence Day: Dark Fathom, written by Victor Gischler, with art by Tazio Bettin, which serves as a prequel set between the first and second films, and which began its run on March 23 and ended on June 15.^[63]

On December 13, 2015, the first trailer was released by 20th Century Fox.^[64] A TV spot was shown during Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016. A commercial for the U.S. Army aired promoting the film by presenting itself as a commercial for the ESD, or Earth Space Defense, a fictional military faction dedicated to defending the Earth against any further alien invasion.^[65]

In June 2016, 20th Century Fox's British division collaborated with Manchester United, of which 20th Century Fox is the official film partner, for a commercial featuring Jeff Goldblum and Angelababy, and guest-starring United players Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Ashley Young, Juan Mata and captain Wayne Rooney as fighter pilots.^[66]

In Japan, 20th Century Fox collaborated with Sunrise to cross-promote the film with Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. One of the film's posters has the Statue of Liberty replaced with the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam aiming at the alien mothership, while a TV spot features commentary by Gundam Unicorn characters Banagher Links and Full Frontal.^[67][68]

Home media

Independence Day: Resurgence was released on Digital HD on September 27, 2016, and on VHS, Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, DVD, HD-DVD and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on October 17, 2016 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.^[69] It topped the No. 1 spot in the Blu-ray Disc sales charts.^[70]

Reception

Box office

Independence Day: Resurgence was unable to duplicate the success of its predecessor, which grossed $817,400,891 worldwide. It was not even one of the top-grossing films of the year, or the top-grossing film of June due to Finding Dory being the highest-grossing film of that month. The film also failed to garner much support from China – the world's second biggest movie market – as the cinemagoers there complained about how little screen time there was for Chinese actress Angelababy. Moreover, the film was released in a crowded summer during the "sequelitis" where numerous major sequels underperformed.^{[71][72][73][74]} The film has grossed $103,144,286 in North America and $286,537,649 in other territories for a worldwide total of $389,681,935 against a budget of $165 million. It made 53% less than the first film.^[75]

In the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Independence Day: Resurgence was released on June 24, 2016 and was projected to gross $45–65 million in its opening weekend.^{[2][76][77][78]} It opened across 4,130 theaters, which includes 3,242 3D locations, 386 IMAX theaters and 450 premium large format.^[79] It made $4 million in Thursday night previews from 3,200 theaters,^[80][81] On its opening day, it made $16,822,551 including Thursday previews, compared to the first film's $11,124,456.^[82] In its opening weekend, the film grossed $41,039,944 less than the $50,228,264 debut of the original, finishing in second place at the box office, behind the animated Finding Dory which was on its second week of play. IMAX made up $5 million of the film's opening numbers from 365 theaters.^[83] It dropped enormously on its second Friday by 72.1% earning $4,695,711.^[84] In its second weekend the film fell by 59.3%, despite the Independence Day holiday frame, earning $16,718,966.^[85] After falling well below studio expectations, it was considered "a box office disappointment" by analysts.^{[86][87][76][88]}

Internationally, the film fared better and was released across 58 countries – 73.5% of its total marketplace – where it earned a five-day total of $99,500,180 on 21,872 screens,^[89][90] which fell more or less in line with its $100–150 million opening projections.^[91] It took the number one spot in 40 of those markets. It performed exceptionally well in IMAX, where it recorded the biggest IMAX international opening for Fox, with $10.8 million from 533 IMAX theaters, breaking Deadpool's previous record of $8.1 million the same year.^[89] In its second weekend, it grossed an additional $39 million from 64 markets and on just under 17,686 screens, down 60% from its first weekend while maintaining the top spot.^[92] It topped the international box office for two consecutive weekends before falling in fourth place in its third weekend behind Ice Age: Collision Course, Finding Dory and The Legend of Tarzan.^[93]

Its highest international tallies were recorded in China ($37.3 million), Mexico ($11.5 million), South Korea ($7.3 million), the United Kingdom and Ireland ($7.3 million), and Taiwan ($3.7 million). It scored the biggest ever opening for Fox in India with $3.5 million.^[89] In United Kingdom and Ireland, it debuted in second place, behind The Secret Life of Pets.^[94] Fox also reported "terrific" results across Asia and Latin America, with numerous markets generating the biggest opening weekend ever for a Roland Emmerich film.^[90] In Japan, with an opening of $6.4 million, the film recorded the biggest Saturday and Sunday opening of all time for Fox since Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith in 2005, besting even Avatar by 5%.^[93] In China, where the film received overwhelmingly negative reviews,^[95] it managed to record the fourth biggest Fox opening ever and came in second place, behind Now You See Me 2, after a close race between the two. However, it did set the record for the biggest IMAX opening for Fox there, where it took in $6.4 million at 294 IMAX sites, surpassing The Martian.^[89][90] It is expected to earn $90–153 million in China, which could eclipse Emmerich's previous biggest film there, 2012 ($68.6 million).^[95][96] It has so far grossed a total of $66.15 million in two weeks there.

In terms of total earnings, the biggest markets outside North America are China ($75.3 million), Japan ($25.03 million), Germany ($16.5 million), the United Kingdom ($15.7 million), Mexico ($14.1 million), and South Korea ($11.2 million).

Critical response

Independence Day: Resurgence received generally negative reviews from critics.^[87] On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 31% based on 190 reviews with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "It's undeniably visually impressive, but like its predecessor, Independence Day: Resurgence lacks enough emotional heft to support its end-of-the-world narrative stakes."^[97] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 32 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".^[98] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.^[99]

Richard Roeper gave the film one and a half out of four stars, writing, "The Resurgence blueprint calls for a scene in which characters have human, allegedly humorous and/or touching moments; a scene in which characters plot strategy against the aliens; and a big action sequence in which it's often difficult to tell the difference between the good-guy spaceships and the bad-guy spaceships. Rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat."^[100] Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a negative review, saying, "This should be dumb fun. It's just dumb."^[101] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 1/5 stars, describing it as a "planet-smashingly boring sci-fi sequel."^[102] Dave Palmer of The Reel Deal gave the film 2/10, saying, "The final shot of the film is a set up for another sequel, and I just pray to God aliens come and wipe us out before that day comes."^[103] Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club criticized the film as an example of Hollywood's current business model of "preemptive franchising," stating that "The movie's dips into all-out space opera (interstellar travel, more alien species, etc.) are only meant to get the audience pumped for a movie that doesn't yet exist, making the undistinguished climax seem like a skirmish."^[104] Robbie Collin of The Telegraph gave it 2/5 stars, saying it shows "no signs of intelligent life."^[105] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media says that the film "isn't going to wow anyone who's seen the original," and it may satisfy younger audiences who care about the battle sequences, "but overall this isn't a satisfying sequel."^[106]

Dan Jolin of Empire gave the film a positive review, saying it was "spectacular as you'd hope from a sequel to the 1996 planet-toaster, and as amusingly cheesy. You'll enjoy yourself enough that you won't even miss Will Smith."^[107] Guy Lodge of Variety gave the film a positive review, calling it "a silly but spectacular sequel".^[108] Lucy O'Brien of IGN gave the film an 8/10, saying, "a silly, cheesy, spectacle-driven blockbuster with heart, Independence Day: Resurgence is a refreshing antidote to the grim and the serious sentiment we've seen trending in sci-fi flicks of recent years. While its plot is messy and it's stuffed with too many characters, I dare you not to leave the theatre with a guilt-free smile on your face."^[109] Also rating the film an 8/10 was Jack Bottomley of Starburst, who wrote, "Emmerich's film is stupid and entertaining and sometimes stupidly entertaining but unlike his misfires 10,000 BC and Godzilla, it realises this fact and embraces it as a facet of the movie's character, taking its popcorn-munching entertainment to ridiculous levels in terms of grand scale and enjoyment."^[110] Ealasaid A. Haas of The Mercury News gave the film a mediocre review, saying that "It was okay."^[111]

Accolades

Nominations

Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
Teen Choice Awards	Choice Summer Movie	Independence Day: Resurgence	Nominated	[112]
	Choice Summer Movie Star: Male	Liam Hemsworth	Nominated

Won

Award	Category	Nominee	Result
CinemaCon Award	Ensemble of the Universe	Liam Hemsworth Jeff Goldblum Bill Pullman Maika Monroe Jessie T. Usher Sela Ward Vivica A. Fox Brent Spiner	Won

Possible sequel

In an interview with Empire magazine, Emmerich stated that a third film could be made, depending on the success of the second one. He also said that audiences would not have to wait as long as they did for the second in the series.^[113] According to Emmerich, the third film will depict an intergalactic journey, possibly set a year or two later since he wants to maintain the same group of people, especially the young characters.^[114]

See also

• 2016 in science fiction
• Independence Day (book series)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Independence Day: Resurgence.

• Official website
• Independence Day: Resurgence at the Internet Movie Database
• Independence Day: Resurgence at Box Office Mojo
• Independence Day: Resurgence at Metacritic
• Independence Day: Resurgence at Rotten Tomatoes
• Independence Day: Resurgence review' at AllMovie by Daniel Gelb (rating 2/5)
• Interactive website: "The War of 1996"
• Interactive website: "independence day 2016 USA"