In Independence Day (1996), the alien ships begin their coordinated attack on Earth on July 2.
The film’s invasion unfolds across the days leading up to the United States’ Independence Day. On July 2, enormous alien craft position themselves over major cities, and the extraterrestrials launch destructive attacks. Humanity’s counteroffensive reaches its decisive stage on July 4, which explains the film’s title.
The date is a common point of confusion because July 4 is the day associated with the final battle and the president’s famous speech. The movie therefore uses both dates prominently, but the initial assault begins two days earlier.
Directed by Roland Emmerich, Independence Day became one of the defining blockbuster successes of the 1990s. It starred Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, and Mary McDonnell, and its visual-effects spectacle helped shape later alien-invasion films.