Independence Day was an 1996 American science fiction action film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Emmerich and the film's producer Dean Devlin and it dominated the ratings on this day.
The film stars an ensemble cast of Wil Smith, Bill Pulman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell, Judd Hirsch, Margaret Colin, Randy Quaid, Robert Loggia, Vivacia A. Fox, James Rebhorn and Harvey Fierstein.
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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.
Upon its release 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.