Warning: Spoilers for Independence Day: Resurgence are in play. If you haven't seen the film yet, bookmark this page and come back once you've been briefed.
After 20 years of absence, Independence Day: Resurgence looked like more of a disaster in its profit picture than it did in the actual film itself. With just $41.6 million in domestic box office, the Roland Emmerich directed sequel failed to secure the top spot at a weakly competitive box office. So the fact that a second sequel has already been planned may seem a bit premature, though if you remember the ending Resurgence, you pretty much know where this is going. Should Independence Day 3 get the green light, it's going to be an interstellar voyage, in the name of unity.
Empire recently caught up with Emmerich, who was not only talking up the release of Independence Day: Resurgence, but also made a bold proclamation for the next potential entry in his apocalyptic canon. The following prospective synopsis was proposed for Independence Day 3:
The next one will be an intergalactic journey. It'll be [set] maybe a year or two later, not 20 years [on]. I want to maintain this group of people, especially the young characters, and Jeff [Goldblum] and Brent [Spiner] will take part in it. It'll be fun to keep that group together.
This plotline is pretty much a given, considering Independence Day: Resurgence introduced, and closed with, a benevolent race of aliens making contact with humanity. Said race was one, of many, that found their planets ruined by the alien menace that kicked things off in Independence Day, only to form an alliance. Humanity has now been drafted into that alliance, which sees the surviving cast members of Independence Day: Resurgence leaving Earth to kick some alien ass.
Of course, the elephant in the room will be whether Independence Day: Resurgence can pull together the figures it needs to make a sequel look rewarding. With international grosses included, the film has grossed $143 million against a $165 million budget, which means breaking even might not be a problem.
But making a decent enough profit to justify a sequel is something that might not be as daunting in the coming weekends. While _The BFG _and _The Purge: Election Year_ are tracking weakly during their opening frame, there's a chance that Fox's latest would-be blockbuster could maintain a solid top 5 presence, further bolstered by the superior showing the film has had in international markets.
There's a lot of woulds and coulds that are in play at the moment, but Independence Day: Resurgence is in theaters now, and waiting for its potential audience to find it.
