Before Independence Day, Vivica A. Fox is taking some time to think about her acting journey in a movie series called “Independence Day,” which revolves around an invasion by aliens. She is specifically reflecting on the period when Will Smith was part of the franchise and also when he was not involved.
During a recent interview with the AV Club, Fox expressed that she was not a fan of “Independence Day: Resurgence,” the sequel that was released 20 years after the original “Independence Day” film in 1996.
In the 2016 sequel, Fox returned to play her character as Jasmine Hiller, but Will Smith did not reprise his role as Captain Steven Hiller, much to the anticipate of fans.
“I just didn’t feel like it was good, and it lived up to the first one. I really feel we missed out by not…bringing Will Smith back”, Fox told AV Club.
Vivica A. Fox shares the film’s performance without Will Smith
While “most of the original cast” made a comeback for “Independence Day: Resurgence,” Fox mentioned that Will’s absence was a massive missing piece. She believed that Will’s absence hindered the success of the film.
In the 2016 sequel of the film, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, and Brent Spiner returned to take on their roles. Additionally, the movie introduced new vast members, including Liam Hemsworth, Maika Monroe, and Jessie T. Usher.
Also read: Will Smith And Margot Robbie Affair Rumors: Here’s What We Know
“I’m going to keep it real,” Fox continued in the interview, “I was at the premier, and I was like, ‘Mmm, let’s see how the fans are going to feel about this.” She mentioned that she received a lot of feedback on Twitter, and fans expressed their opinions about the film.
As reported by Entertainment Weekly in 2016, Smith stated that he decided not to be a part of the sequel and instead chose to join the cast of Suicide Squad because he wanted to explore new opportunities. He explained, “I had to choose between the two of those..trying to go forward versus clinging and clawing backward”.
According to reports, Smith expressed his intention to actively pursue new things in order to potentially discover a new era of growth and success. He mentioned his desire to “aggressively go forward and do new things.”
It was later revealed that Smith demanded a $50 million paycheck to reprise his role in the sequel “Independence Day: Resurgence,” which the studio declined.
Director Roland Emmerich stated that Smith’s return would have been too expensive, and his name alone would overshadow the movie.
In different news, earlier this year, Smith shared a heartfelt moment of watching his daughter Willow perform at Coachella, which he shared footage of.
Also read: Independence Extravaganza: Discover The Best July 4th Fireworks Displays In Inland Empire.
Independence Day box office performance
Upon its release on July 3, 1996, “Independence Day” shattered box office records and quickly gained immense popularity with audiences, and received positive reviews from critics.
However, when “Resurgence” arrived in theaters two decades later, it performed poorly at the box office and received predominantly negative reviews. The disaster film got a dismal 29% rotten tomato rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes.
To provide context, the original film released in 1996 earned approx $10 million more in its opening weekend domestically compared to the 2016 sequel. It’s worth noting that this comparison does not account for inflation.
1996 Independence Day film was the highest-grossing film of the year, surpassing both “Twister” and “Mission: Impossible.”
