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Double Trouble: ‘Independence Day’ Re-Released As Special Double Feature Ahead Of ‘Resurgence’

By Lynnette Southwood
Published on: 12:29 PST, Jun 4, 2016

What better way to celebrate the release of Independence Day: Resurgence than by re-releasing the original Independence Day with a special double feature showing of both disaster films. The special event is going down on June 23, courtesy of Fox, and it is a brilliant marketing ploy. MovieWeb made the announcement yesterday that select theaters will feature a double showing of the original and sequel starting with a 5 p.m. showing of the original Independence Day, and an 8 p.m. showing of Independence Day: Resurgence, all on the same ticket; a bargain for four-and-a-half hours of alien schooling.

Those tickets sales will count towards the opening day grosses, a marketing move that is going to reward the studio with major dividends. It’s a win for old and new fans of the franchise because it acts as a refresher for ID4 fans, and gives new ones an opportunity to catch up and still have the story fresh in their minds when IDR starts. It’s a bargain that comes with the bragging rights to gloat over viewing the film before the official release date.

The original Independence Day film was a massive hit that turned Will Smith into an A-list star and pocketed over $800 million in box office sales worldwide. Independence Day: Resurgence is poised to exceed that figure with the returning star power of original cast members Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, and Brent Spiner, who are joined by the new members of the franchise: Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher, Sela Ward, and Malika Monroe who are now charged with making sure the earth stays safe.

The story continues in three weeks, when fans will find out how the people of earth have lived their lives and prepared themselves after the threat of the alien invasion was stifled 20-years ago. With the knowledge that there is a maleficent force that is determined to destroy earth’s inhabitants, our wars have been forgotten, and all nations have come together to deal with this new threat by creating a global defense program, the Earth Space Defense (ESD), in anticipation of another attack — and as predicted, the aliens return with reinforcements to destroy the planet. Both sides have been studying the other; Earth has taken their technology to build weapons better able to fight the intruders, and the aliens have made better weapons and increased their numbers as an answer to the battle they lost two decades ago.

The sequel was directed by Roland Emmerich, who directed the first film, and is also credited with writing the script for IDR along with Dean Devlin and James Vanderbilt, James A.Woods & Nicolas Wright. Twenty years is a long time to wait for a sequel, so what took so long? According to CinemaBlend, Emmerich was waiting for technology to catch up to his vision.

“I had one big idea [for the movie] which was to create a totally different world that’s enhanced by alien technology and that the whole world was united. Secondly, I said ‘Okay, so, the Mothership this time, comes down to Earth and it’s as big as the Atlantic Ocean.’ These two ideas pretty much drive the film

While making 2012, another disaster movie, released in 2009 starring John Cusack, Emmerich realized that with digital cameras and lots of blue screen, he could make the film he wanted. From what the trailers reveal, he may have another blockbuster to add to his repertoire.

Tickets for the special Independence Day double feature event is June 23, and they will be going fast. They are available through Fandango and MovieTickets. Independence: Day Resurgence will have its official release June 24 through 20th Century Fox.

[Image via 20th Century Fox]

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