This year is the 250th anniversary of the United States, and even before the official celebrations begin, some people are already getting into a patriotic mood – at least according to Netflix viewers. Netflix recently shared data showing that the 1996 film Independence Day jumped to the #7 spot on its list of most popular movies during the first week of February. Since the movie became available on February 1st, it’s likely many viewers are simply enjoying Will Smith fighting aliens and may not even realize why 2026 is such an important year for the country.
This year marks a major milestone for both the United States and a beloved sci-fi film, as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. The movie launched Will Smith’s career from television to blockbuster stardom, becoming the first of many successful films for him. Its impact extended beyond Smith, also significantly raising the profiles of Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, and the filmmaking team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin.
‘Independence Day’ Helped Revive the Summer Blockbuster
Summer has always been a popular time for big movie releases. In fact, the 1975 film Jaws was so successful – with people lining up around the block to see it – that it actually gave the word “blockbuster” its name! Since then, many other iconic films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Back to the Future, Batman, and Jurassic Park have premiered in the summer and become huge hits with audiences.
As a movie fan, I always think back to how Independence Day really changed things. Before that, big blockbusters weren’t necessarily tied to the summer months, but that film proved summer was the perfect time to launch a huge spectacle. Suddenly, everyone started releasing their biggest movies then! We got Men in Black and Air Force One in ’97, then Saving Private Ryan and Armageddon the next year, and even Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and The Mummy in ’99. It’s been that way ever since – just look at recent summers with movies like Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, Barbie, Oppenheimer, and now Deadpool & Wolverine. It really cemented summer as blockbuster season!
A One-and-Done Success
20th Century Fox
Soon after Independence Day came out, the filmmakers, Emmerich and Devlin, talked about making three movies in total. It took two decades, but they eventually released Independence Day: Resurgence, which brought back some of the original actors, including Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman. However, Will Smith didn’t return, and it was established that his character had died in the years between the films.
Smith was originally committed to the project for a long time, and the script was built around his character. But when he received an offer to play Deadshot in Suicide Squad as filming for Resurgence approached, he chose the DC role. This created significant story problems because of his scheduling conflict.
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As a big movie fan, I have to admit the sequel, Resurgence, just didn’t live up to the original. It didn’t impress critics or audiences, and honestly, it didn’t even reach the level of a typical summer blockbuster. And it came out at a really crowded time! It felt like every week another sequel was hitting theaters – that summer alone we had Captain America: Civil War, Neighbors 2, X-Men: Apocalypse, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Conjuring 2, Now You See Me 2, Finding Dory, The Purge: Election Year, Star Trek Beyond, Ice Age, Jason Bourne, and Mechanic: Resurrection all vying for attention. It was a lot to keep up with!
Despite the movie’s ending hinting at a sequel, there are currently no confirmed plans to continue the story.
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2026-02-14 03:33