Watch Order
0 / 2 watchedBoth films in release order, which is also story order.
About Independence Day
Independence Day from 1996 follows a group of Americans fighting off a global alien invasion on July 4 weekend. It was one of the biggest hits of the decade. Independence Day: Resurgence arrived in June 2016 and picks up 20 years later, with Earth using salvaged alien tech to defend against a larger attack.
A third film was planned as part of a trilogy but never moved forward after Resurgence underperformed. The series sits with Disney after the Fox merger and has no active production as of September 2026.
Good to know
There is no separate chronological order for these films. Resurgence is set 20 years after the first film, exactly matching the real gap between releases, so release order is story order. Watch the 1996 film first. The sequel reuses its plot beats on purpose and lands flat without that buildup. That is the main caveat.
