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10 Times Identical Movies Were Released at the Same Time

10 Times Identical Movies Were Released at the Same Time
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VOICE OVER: Samantha Clinch WRITTEN BY: Joe Shetina
Ever notice how Hollywood seems to double up on ideas? We're looking at movies with nearly identical plots that hit theaters right around the same time, each offering its own spin. From dueling disaster flicks and competing animated ant adventures, to reality TV send-ups and White House action, these films forced audiences to pick a side and drew some legendary industry rivalries. Which similar movie won you over? Join the conversation in the comments!

#10: Mirror Mirror & Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

Before Disney began its live action remakes, fairy tale revisionism was having a moment. The story of Snow White was retold in both of these 2012 movies. Released in March, Mirror Mirror stars Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen envious of her stepdaughters beauty. More overtly comic, it pokes fun at the villains vanity. Huntsman, starring franchise fixtures Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth, went a more violent and dramatic route, leaning into the high fantasy element. Both movies offered something different, finding success at the box office and even competing against one another for the Best Costume Design Oscar.


#9: Fyre Fraud & Fyre (2019)

The 2017 Fyre Festival, which was a failure in every possible way, represented a new low in unearned hype and the smoke and mirrors of social media influencing. The disastrous music festival was the perfect subject for an investigative documentary. These dueling documentaries about the disastrous music festival also told a meta-story about dueling streaming services. Netflixs Fyre had been hyped for months when it dropped on the service in January 2019. Hulu took a guerilla approach, releasing their version just days ahead of them with little ramp-up. Allegations of unethical methods flew back and forth between the respective teams behind them. While Fyre got better reviews, both might be essential in exploring an event that soon became legendary.


#8: Dr. Strangelove & Fail-Safe (1964)

In the wake of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Sidney Lumet and Stanley Kubrick both made wildly different movies about a possible nuclear apocalypse. Fail-Safe remains faithful to the serious tone of its inspiration, with Henry Fonda playing an American president trying to stop a nuclear war with the Soviet Union after an accidental detonation. Dr. Strangelove is, largely, about the same exact thing. Only Stanley Kubrick saw so much irony and human folly in mutually assured destruction that he couldnt help but make a dark comedy. The similarities between them did not go unnoticed. Both released by Columbia, Kubrick actually tried to sue, saying that Fail-Safe too closely resembled the book they had adapted.


#7: Friends with Benefits & No Strings Attached (2011)

In both of these modern rom coms, two friends try to balance physical intimacy with no emotional attachments. It goes about as well as youd expect. Friends with Benefits stars Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake while No Strings Attached features Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Although they both had similar success at the box office, Kunis and Timberlakes version of the story fared much better with critics. The movies share more than a premise, though. Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman were just coming off of the psychological horror hit, Black Swan. Meanwhile, Portmans co-star in No Strings Attached is Ashton Kutcher, Kunis former co-star on That 70s Show and also her future husband.


#6: White House Down & Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

There must have been something in the water in Hollywood circa 2012. Around that time, two separate movies about a hostile takeover of the White House went into production. White House Down stars Channing Tatum as a Capitol Police officer fighting back against assassins who overtake 1600 Pennsylvania, with a president played by Jamie Foxx. Olympus Has Fallen sees a president played by Aaron Eckhart defended by Gerard Butlers Secret Service agent. If youre wondering which one wins the White House takeover contest, you might be disappointed. Both movies received similarly lukewarm reviews and did respectable business at the box office.


#5: The Matrix, Existenz & The Thirteenth Floor (1999)

As more and more people engaged with the Internet, virtual reality and simulations became a hot sci-fi topic at the turn of the century. In 1999, at least three major releases explored the anxiety of living life in a simulation. The Matrix and its philosophical red pill/blue pill dilemma still dominates our cultural understanding of this fear. The underrated Existenz by David Cronenberg is a lot weirder and even more grotesque in its story of a woman pursued through virtual reality. The Thirteenth Floor, yet another 1999 release about danger in simulated environments, features a simulated Los Angeles set in the 1930s. All of them are worth a look, but unsurprisingly The Matrix is the most successful both critically and commercially.


#4: The Truman Show (1998) & EDtv (1999)


In the late 90s, reality TV was still in its nascent stage, seen more as a dystopian oddity than a true cultural phenomenon. These two movies were a response. The Truman Show stars Jim Carrey as a man who experiences a spiritual crisis when he realizes hes been the unwitting star of a TV show since birth. All of his family, friends, and neighbors are actors. EDtv, while more overtly wacky, actually presents a more familiar version of what would become reality TV, as its main character chooses to live his life in front of cameras 24/7. Though it features a delightful performance from Matthew McConaughey, it was released too soon after The Truman Show to have a chance with critics or audiences.


#3: Dantes Peak & Volcano (1997)

Released two months apart, these disaster movies pitted modern science against the awesome and destructive power of volcanic eruptions. Pierce Brosnan stars in Dantes Peak as a volcanologist sent to investigate seismic activity near a long-dormant volcano in the Pacific Northwest. Volcano sees Tommy Lee Jones having to deal with the formation of a volcano under Los Angeles itself. Although both were considered pretty mediocre, Volcano got slightly better reviews at the time. Dantes Peak gets points for making more money, being more scientifically accurate, and having one of the most upsetting deaths in any disaster movie.


#2: Antz & A Bugs Life (1998)

DreamWorks bug movie was actually a leftover pitch from co-founder Jeffrey Katzenbergs days working for Disney. It focuses on an anxious ant whose individual nature goes against the community of other ants. A Bugs Life by Disney-Pixar features a similar storyline of an ant cast out of his colony who must save them all from predator insects. Conflict erupted between former colleagues and friends Katzenberg and Pixars John Lasseter and even Pixars backer, tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs. Accusations of plagiarism ignited a press war. DreamWorks even bumped up Antzs release date to compete with A Bugs Life. Despite their rivals best efforts, Pixar won out. Their movie was simply more suited to a younger audience, and the reviews and ticket sales reflected that.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.


The Illusionist & The Prestige (2006)

Two 2006 Movies About Magicians & Illusion Set in the 19th Century


Tombstone (1993) & Wyatt Earp (1994)

These Two Star-Studded Westerns Covered the Famed Gunfight at the O.K. Corral


Capote (2005) & Infamous (2006)

Two Biopics of Writer Truman Capote Were Released Within a Year of Each Other


Happy Feet (2006) & Surfs Up (2007)

Animated Penguins Were All the Rage


Elvis (2022) & Priscilla (2023)

Two Biopics with Wildly Different Takes on the Same Relationship


#1: Armageddon & Deep Impact (1998)

Your preference might depend more on what you value most in a movie like this. Do you want scientific accuracy and human emotion, or do you want to see the crash, boom, bang of meteor debris raining down on a city and see a bunch of rowdy guys go into space? Armageddon and Deep Impact both present two vastly different versions of the same story. How do humans respond to a world-ending meteor? Deep Impact takes a shockingly real and studied approach, showing the limits of our power when confronted with the cosmos. Armageddon is a testament to how blowing stuff up is sometimes the best answer. Two guesses which one made more money.


In a contest of similar movies, which gets your vote? Tell us in the comments.

MsMojo twin movies similar movies Armageddon Deep Impact Antz A Bug's Life Dante's Peak Volcano Friends with Benefits No Strings Attached White House Down Olympus Has Fallen Dr. Strangelove Fail-Safe The Truman Show EDtv Mirror Mirror Snow White and the Huntsman Fyre Fyre Fraud The Matrix eXistenZ The Thirteenth Floor The Prestige The Illusionist Tombstone Wyatt Earp Capote Infamous Happy Feet Surf's Up
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