‘Independence Day’ Is a Free Streaming Hit on Tubi

The Fourth of July may be six months out, but Will Smith’s 1996 blockbuster is number one on the Tubi Top 10 chart. Independence Day was the film that launched Smith’s career into orbit, particularly with the one-two punch of ID4 and Men in Black a year later.

Directed by Roland Emmerichproduced by his creative partner, Dean Devlinand written by both, Independence Day was the most highly anticipated movie of 1996. Twister had opened early in the summer on May 10, which was considered odd at the time, and there weren’t any other movies to compete with when ID4 finally opened on July 3. Made on a production budget of $75 million, it eventually earned a sizzling $817.4 million worldwide.

The film follows the invasion of Earth by aliens bent on its destruction, and featured what was then considered a shocking scene: the White House being blown up. Smith plays Captain Stephen Hiller, a pilot in the U.S. Marines. He’s joined by Bill Pullman as the President, Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson (a technician), Randy Quaid as an alcoholic and somewhat crazy former pilot (more or less “Cousin Eddie in space”), and even Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation himself, Brent Spiner, who shows up as a sort of mad scientist.

The film is as over-the-top as can bewith impressive visual effects – the flying saucers are as large as cities – and enough action to please the crowd. Sure, Levinson uploading a computer virus to the alien ship from his Mac was a stretch (“Think different”), but the film did enough to earn its $306 million domestic haul.

20th Century Fox wanted a sequel, but Emmerich and Devlin were already offered big bucks to direct and produce the American Godzilla film in 1998 (which was so bad, Lucasfilm took a shot at it on the Star Wars website). Smith was already a major star and, despite Wild Wild Weststarred in multiple hit films, even earning several awards and nominations.

‘Independence Day’ Helped Usher in the Return of the Sci-Fi & Disaster Blockbuster

Between Independence Day and Twister, summer blockbusters changed course. Within a few years, disaster films like the underrated Dante’s Peak (1997) and Armageddon (1998), and sci-fi fare such as The Matrix trilogy and the Star Wars prequels became the norm.

Prior to these two films, it seemed like most action films consisted of ‘Die Hard on a… ‘ Or starred action heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, or any number of 1980s stars. By the 2000s and 2010s, the superhero film took over as the preferred blockbuster of audiences.

Eventually, Fox got its sequel, the 2016 misfire, Independence Day: Resurgencewhich Smith wisely sat out. Resurgence follows a new invasion 20 years laterwith only Pullman and Goldblum returning, plus Liam Hemsworth and Maika Monroe joining the cast. It was a critical and box office misfire, and really should have come out within two to three years of the original.

ID4 really was a movie of its time, a mid-90s sci-fi / disaster blockbusterand the sequel felt dated and ultimately a retread. Could Smith have helped out? Maybe, but the producers decided to kill his character off-screen. Dumb and Dumber is similar in a way, being a film of its era, a mid-90s Jim Carrey comedy. Its 2014 sequel also felt dated and a retread. Top Gun: Maverick brought a fresh take, which helped it succeed critically and financially.

Watch Independence Day for free on Tubi.