“What’s next?” Now that ‘Independence Day’ has returned to theaters after two decades and a number of false starts, that is the first question on everyone’s mind concerning the franchise. And with ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ hitting Blu-ray this week, curiosity is at a peak.
Questions regarding the future of ‘Independence Day’ are especially pointed given the sequel’s lukewarm critical reception and, perhaps more importantly, its box office performance. While ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ was hardly a failure (grossing roughly $386 on a production budget of $165 million), it was hardly the resounding success that the original film was. While even this underperformance doesn’t necessarily spell doom for future installments, it does make it somewhat less likely that it will be the perennial sci-fi blockbuster franchise that 20th Century Fox was hoping for. This is especially frustrating for fans given that (unlike the original) ‘Resurgence’ made a specific point of leaving the door open for further sequels. And no one, it seems is more conscious of this than director and series creator Roland Emmerich.
In a recent interview promoting the home video release of ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’, the question of the series’ future was naturally raised, leading Emmerich to admit that things were very much up in the air, with no official decision having been reached yet. The director was quick to emphasize that nothing had been ruled out, adding “Next week I have a meeting with them [20th Century Fox]… I mean, it set things up for a sequel, but let’s see what happens.”
Of particular interest, though, is that Emmerich alluded to the possibility of continuing the story on television, saying that the possibility had been discussed. Though he declined to offer any further details (if any even exist at this point), the lackluster box office performance of ‘Resurgence’ would seem to suggest that if the franchise is to continue, a lower budget television entry may be a stronger possibility at this time than a third theatrical outing.
‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ is now available on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital formats.
