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This page is a list of similar films that were released at around the same time.
Occasionally, studios will be forced to war with one another when they simultaneously produce similar movies which are subsequently released within a short time from each other.
One very rare aversion, Warner Brothers bought the rights to ''[[The Tower]]'' and eight weeks later, 20th Century Fox bought the rights to ''The Glass Inferno'' so to avoid having similar films at the box office at the same time, they [[All Your Powers Combined|joined forces and combined]] the novels into ''[[The Towering Inferno]]''!
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| Initiators || Followers || Description || Misc || Winner?
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[Naked Lunch]]'' ||''Kafka'' ||Two 1991 movies that are centered around the works of two renowned but vastly different authors, [[William S. Burroughs]] and [[Franz Kafka]] respectively. Although the title of ''Naked Lunch'' implies otherwise (it probably being Burroughs' most (in)famous novel), neither movie is an adaptation of any single piece of their work, but focus on the themes present in them to create a single allegorical tale of their entire careers, with [[Author Avatar|fictionalized versions of the authors themselves as the protagonist]]. || ''Naked Lunch'' was directed by the Canadian [[Body Horror]] director [[David Cronenberg]], Kafka by the then-up-and-coming [[Steven Soderbergh]], best known for ''[[
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| ''Orange County'' || ''Stealing Harvard'' || 2002 films about two guys finagling their way into the good graces of a prestigious university. || || Neither did well at the box office, but Orange County is considered better and has a better following today. The public was introduced [[The Good Guys
|-
| ''[[The Green Hornet (
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[Pitch Black]]'' || ''[[Supernova]]'' ||Space movies featuring a [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]] -type crew that must survive a hostile environment and an [[Ax Crazy]] serial killer. Most of the crew are killed. ||''PB'' was made in Australia and on a budget that the Aussies considered huge, but in America was only middlin'. It featured Vin Diesel and Claudia Black(who was shooting her first scenes in a [[Sarcasm Mode|little-known]] [[Farscape
|-
| ''[[Titan
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[Melancholia]]'' || ''[[The Tree of Life]]'' ||Both are "big-budget art-house films" that feature [[Dysfunction Junction|dysfunctional]] [[Big Screwed-Up Family|family drama]] alongside [[Trippy Finale Syndrome|epic cosmic events]], with the visuals alternating between [[Faux Documentary|realistic shots in hand-held camera]] and [[Visual Effects of Awesome|gorgeous, elaborate takes]] of [[Scenery Porn|scaleless scenery and events]]. || ||Tie. ''Melancholia'' got better reviews and public praise, but while ''[[The Tree of Life]]'' polarized audiences and critics much more, it was more successful theatrically and got more rewards.
|-
| ''[[Madagascar]]'' || ''[[The Wild]]'' ||Both involve zoo animals escaping and going to Africa, one of whom is a lion character who doesn't really ''want'' to leave. ||It's worth noting that ''The Wild'' started production several years before ''Madagascar'', so this might be an example of the above feud, carried on by Pixar's [[Disney|parent company]]. || As far as box office receipts, ''Madagascar'' was a huge hit, and ''The Wild'' not so much.
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| ''[[Ratatouille]]'' || ''[[The Tale of Despereaux]]'' ||An incident involving a rat, some soup, and interactions with humans have wild repercussions. ||''Ratatouille'' is all about a rodent in the kitchen while ''Desperaux'''s soup-loving rat isn't the protagonist. ||''Despereaux'' was based on a best-selling children's book and had the [[All-Star Cast|flashier cast]] but ''Ratatouille'' won the day and the Best Animated Feature Oscar.
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| ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' || ''[[Shark Tale]]'' || Yet ''another'' Pixar/Dreamworks duel, this time with films about underwater creatures. ||That's about the only similarity. || Both got good reviews, but while ''[[Shark Tale]]'' did decently at the box office, ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' was a box office smash.
|-
|''[[Jurassic Park]]'' || ''[[Carnosaur (
|-
| ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' || ''[[The Thin Red Line]]'' ||Both films were released in 1998 to rave reviews. Both featured an all-star cast of actors clambering over each other to appear in bit parts; both featured a 30-minute extended bloody assault on a bunker in the first half of the film followed by a long tramp across the countryside punctuated by violence.<br /><br />One is in Europe, one is in the Pacific. Both had HBO [[Spiritual Successor]] miniseries. ||''SPR'' came out several months ahead and had the natural crowd appeal of Spielberg, while reclusive director Terence Malick spent extra time on ''TTRL''. Veterans groups complained ''TTRL'' was insufficiently sympathetic to the Allied cause, while critics complained that the second half of ''SPR'' was too mawkish. ||''Saving Private Ryan'' by far among the general public, while ''The Thin Red Line'' is still in heated contention with ''SPR'' among critics and film buffs. <br /><br />Of related series, ''[[The Pacific]]'' is more often compared to ''[[Band of Brothers]]'' than ''TTRL''.
|-
| ''Christopher Columbus: The Discovery'' || ''1492: Conquest of Paradise'' ||1992 was the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the Americas, and Alexander and Ilya Salkind (producers of the [[Superman (
|-
| ''[[Deep Impact]]'' || ''[[Armageddon]]'' ||Meteor-strike [[Disaster Movie|disaster movies]]. Neither films were imitations of each other ''per se'', but they revolved around different reactions to the same idea, one more dramatic, the other more action-based. ''Armageddon'' made more money, but scientists lauded the technical accuracy of ''Deep Impact''. ||Amusingly, in an early screening of ''Deep Impact'', Morgan Freeman is giving a speech in which he reassures his audience that life will go on after the meteor-hit, declaring, "There will be no armageddon." Too many viewers at the screening got the in-joke, however, and the [[Narm|uproarious laughter at what was meant as a dramatic scene]] induced the director to cut the line from the final print. ||Although ''[[Deep Impact]]'' is regarded as the better film, [[Armageddon]] wins with better box office and the fact that more people are aware of it 10 years after the fact, though that's not to say they ''[[Love It or Hate It|fondly]]'' remember it.
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[Twister]]'' || ''[[Tornado]][[Excited Show Title!|!]]'', ''[[Night of the Twisters]]'' || Yes, three films all dealing with tornadoes - ''Twister'' being a major Hollywood production, while the other two were [[Made for TV Movie|made for TV movies]]. || ''[[Twister]]'' was directed by Jan [[De Bont]] of ''[[
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| ''[[Dark City]]'', ''[[The Matrix]]'' || ''[[The Thirteenth Floor]]'', ''[[eXistenZ]]'' ||Each film centered around reality not being really real and [[It Was His Sled|just a simulation]] in the future, albeit for different reasons and created by different sources. ||Of course, the Matrix was a huge blockbuster, while ''Thirteenth Floor'' was viewed to be a copy. It's really not, as the two movies have almost nothing in common. The same applies to ''[[eXistenZ]]'', but with a generous helping of [[Body Horror]]. ||''[[The Matrix]]'' by a country mile. It re-used the exact same sets and camera angles as the previous ''[[Dark City]]'', causing much consternation by fans of the latter film such as [[Roger Ebert]].
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| ''[[No Country for Old Men]]'' || ''[[There Will Be Blood]]'' ||Auteur film about the dark heart of <s>America</s> a [[Memetic Badass|highly memorable]] [[Villain Protagonist]] isolated from humanity as he slowly eliminates his enemies in what looks like the desert of West Texas (where both movies were filmed). ||[[Bonus Points]] if you have to remember which film had the correct & apropos title.<br />[[Non-Indicative Name|Hint:]] One is about a middle-aged sociopath, one is about a serial murderer. || Tied. ''No Country'' won more awards at the Oscars of that year, including nabbing Best Picture, while TWBB is on many best-of lists. Lampshaded [https://web.archive.org/web/20131102134409/http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_130_if-movie-titles-were-honest_p35/#2 here]
|-
| ''Knock Off'' || ''[[Rush Hour]]'' ||''Rush Hour'' was a comedy-action movie teaming martial arts star Jackie Chan with comedian Chris Tucker. ''Knock Off'' had a similar set up by teaming Jean-Claude Van Damme with Rob Schneider. ||While many people have accused ''Knock Off'' of being a [[Exactly What It Says
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| ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' || ''[[Krull]]'' || Fantasy films from the 80s, each was set in an exotic world ruled by an evil force. A fortress must be penetrated. ||[[The Dark Crystal]] was done by [[Jim Henson]] which meant, of course, [[Muppet|animatronic puppets]] while [[Krull]] was live action. ||Each have their fans, so let's just say it's a draw and leave it at that.
|-
| ''[[Destination Moon]]'' (1950);<br /><br />''[[Tintin
|-
| ''[[Independence Day]]'' || ''The Arrival'' (also, ''[[Mars Attacks
|-
| ''[[The Illusionist (
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| ''[[Transformers
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| ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'' || ''Fail-Safe'' ||Both films feature the President of the United States collaborating with the Soviet Union to avert [[A Nuclear Error|imminent nuclear]] Armageddon. Interestingly the books were at war too, with ''Red Alert'', the precursor to ''Strangelove'', winning out. When Kubrick heard that ''Fail Safe'' was being made into a movie, he tied the production up in legal issues to get ''Strangelove'' out first. ||[[Black Comedy]] versus [[Nightmare Fuel]]. Though both are generally received as classics, ''Fail-Safe'' didn't feature [[Riding the Bomb|Slim Pickens riding a nuclear bomb to annihilation]], and that crucial oversight cost it in the long run. ||''Dr. Strangelove'' wins due to several Academy Award nominations and being regarded as the best satire in cinema history. The two movies share so many plot points that ''Fail-Safe'' tends to be [[Hilarious in Hindsight]].
|-
| ''[[Godzilla]]'' || ''[[Gamera]]'' ||[[Attack of the
|-
| ''[[Troy]];'' ''[[Kingdom of Heaven]];''<br />''[[King Arthur]]''<br />(all 2004) || ''[[
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| ''[[Tombstone]]'' || ''Wyatt Earp'' ||Historical westerns about . . . [[Exactly What It Says
|-
|''[[The Lord of the Rings (
|-
|''[[The Lord of the Rings (
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|''[[The Descent (
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| ''[[Despicable Me]]'' || ''[[Megamind]]'' ||Animated movies released in the same year about a [[Villain Protagonist]].||''Despicable Me'' has also been called [[Batman|Penguin]]: The Movie due to the main character's visual similarities. ''Megamind'' has been referred to as [[Monsters vs. Aliens|Gallaxhar]]: The Movie. Again, for similar looks.||''Despicable Me'', period. It has gotten both better reviews and almost twice the revenue compared to ''Megamind'' (but ''Megamind'' is well on its way to becoming a [[Cult Classic]]).
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| ''[[The Abyss]]'' ||''Deep Star Six'' and ''[[Leviathan (
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| ''[[Alien|Alien: Resurrection]]'' ||''[[Deep Rising]]'' ||A [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|rag-tag bunch]] of pirates/mercenaries, joined by the protagonist(s) and a number of original crew members (including the human villain, who decide later on that now would be the perfect time to [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|back-stab]] the survivors) try to escape from the bowels of [[Ghost Ship|a ship]] that’s hopelessly infested with a group of extremely lethal predators after the former crew [[Everybody's Dead, Dave|has departed/vanished]]. Both prominently feature an extended underwater action set-piece at some point. ||''[[Deep Rising]]'' came out in January 1998, ''[[Alien|Resurrection]]'' in November 1997. The latter had been in gestation far longer than that (pretty much since the release of the third film in 1992), but early script versions differ significantly from the movie that ultimately ended up in theatres. ''Alien: Resurrection'' was helmed by French director [[Jean Pierre Jeunet]], ''Deep Rising'' by [[Stephen Sommers]]. || ''[[Alien|Resurrection]]'' was the bigger film by far, with more big-name-stars, a larger budget, and an extensive marketing campaign. It failed to become the financial blockbuster-success that [[Twentieth Century Fox]] had hoped for however, and is considered [[Sequelitis|a major drop-down in quality]] from previous instalments of [[Alien|the series]]. ''[[Deep Rising]]'', while less successful financially by comparison, has gained a bit of a cult following primarily due to the [[Guilty Pleasure|sheer enjoyability of the movie]] and its habit of never taking itself seriously.
|-
| ''[[Sex and
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| ''[[Sky High]]'' ||''Zoom's Academy for Superheroes''||Kid superheroes learn to use their powers||''Very'' different, if you give ''Zoom'' a chance. There's very little substance hung on ''Zoom'''s plot scaffold. Notably, ''Zoom'' is one former superhero employed by the military training youngsters, instead of the full-fledged institution implied by the title.||''[[Sky High]]'' made back over double its budget and earned favorable reviews, while ''Zoom'' flopped and earned Tim Allen a Razzie nom.
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| ''[[The Film of the Book|Inkheart]]'' || ''[[Parental Substitute|Bedtime Stories]]'' ||Some kid brings stories to life. ||Only superficially similar. ''Inkheart'' is a modern-fantasy adventure tale centered around a young teen while ''Bedtime Stories'' is a more lighthearted [[Adam Sandler]] vehicle involving much younger children. The "stories come to life" is played for tension and action in the former while it is played for laughs and poignancy in the latter. ||Neither film was well-liked by critics, but ''Bedtime Stories'' pulled in over $100 million in the US alone (and $200 million worldwide), while ''Inkheart'' was a flop, earning only $17 million domestically (its worldwide gross of $70 million was barely enough to recoup its budget).
|-
|''[[Paul Blart]]: Mall Cop'' ||''[[
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[Capote]]'' || ''Infamous'' ||Truman Capote during the years he was writing ''[[In Cold Blood]]''. ||Capote came out first, with Philip Seymour Hoffman winning an Oscar for his performance, along dozens of other awards and nominations for the film. ''Infamous'' opened a year later, and was largely ignored save for [http://www.theonion.com/articles/oscars-create-new-truman-capote-biopic-category,5482/ a satirical Onion article] [[Follow the Leader|about a slew of new films about Capote coming out]]. || ''[[Capote]]''
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| ''[[
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| ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' || ''Big Momma's House'' ||Once edgy black comedians in fat drag.||''Nutty Professor II'' has [[Eddie Murphy]] [[Acting for Two|playing multiple characters]], while ''Big Momma's House'' had [[Martin Lawrence]] play a character who dressed up as the titular "Big Momma". || ''The Klumps'' made more money.
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|''[[Mission to Mars]]''||''Red Planet'' and ''[[Ghosts of Mars]]''||Movies about going to Mars!||''M2M'' was ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey
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| ''[[Gordy]]'' || ''[[Babe]]'' ||Live action movies that involve talking pigs, both released in 1995.||''Gordy'' was released first and was not very successful critically or commercially. ''Babe'' ended up being a smash hit, getting a sequel (though the sequel [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?|bombed pretty badly]]). ||''[[Babe]]'' is considered one of the greatest family films ever made (and certainly the best-ever with talking animals). It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[
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| ''[[The Curious Case of Benjamin Button]]'' || ''[[The Time
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| ''[[
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| ''[[Catch-22]]'' || ''[[
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| ''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'' || ''[[Cinderella Man]]'' ||Two emotional and evocative stories involving boxing, released in 2005. Both movies feature underdog stories of fighters trying to succeed where others would have them fail, each with the support of an engaging mentor. One ends happy, while the other one? Not so much.<br /><br />''[[The Fighter]]'' came out in 2010, a bit late to make weight, but it coulda' been a contender. ||This is a rare case of two excellent movies that happened to be released in the same year, instead of a studio quickly greenlighting a cheap imitation of the first. Both were directed by powerhouse directors (Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard), both with stellar casts and critical acclaim. Poor promotion doomed ''Cinderella Man'' at the box-office, while ''Million Dollar Baby'' was released during a more opportune time of the year, and was far more successful. ''Million Dollar Baby'' took home the Oscar, while ''Cinderella Man'' was mostly forgotten by the time nominations came around. ||''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'', though really, everyone wins. See both movies.
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| ''[[Paranormal Activity]]'' || ''[[The Fourth Kind]]'' || (very) Loosely-[[Based on a True Story]] films that use videotaped sequences to enhance the realism. || ''Paranormal'' is a [[Faux Documentary]] while ''Fourth'' is a more conventional film. || In terms of the cost-to-earnings ratio ''Paranormal'' is the clear winner, being a $15,000 [[YouTube]] series that earned millions (and sequels!).
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| ''[[Open Season]]'' || ''[[Over the Hedge (
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| ''[[The Legend of the Titanic]]'' || ''[[Titanic:
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| ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' || ''[[The Howling]]'' || Two 1981 horror/comedy movies about werewolves. They were the first of their kind to show an "actual" trasformation scene of men turning into wolves. || ''The Howling'' has six sequels, all crappy stuff; AAWIL only has one, ''[[An American Werewolf in Paris]]'', which was mediocre at best. || ''American Werewolf'' is the better remembered of the two and became something of a cult classic, although ''Howling'' came first by a couple of months.
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| ''[[Chasing Liberty]]'' || ''[[First Daughter]]'' ||Could these two films, both released in 2004, have a more similar plot? They're both romantic comedies about a [[The President's Daughter|First Daughter]] who falls in love with a seemingly ordinary young man, only to discover that he's actually an undercover Secret Service. ||It's unclear which movie is a copy of which; ''Chasing Liberty'' was released in January, eight months before the release of ''First Daughter'', but it's uncertain which entered development first. ||Neither; both films were easily forgettable romantic comedies which made little impact at the box office.
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| ''[[The Road]]'' || ''[[The Book of Eli]]'' ||Both are [[Apocalypse How|Post-Apocalyptic]]-themed movies with a male protagonist safeguarding something they hold dear. The former is trying to survive with his son and the latter is keeping the [[The Bible
|-
| ''[[The
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| ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' || ''[[Gremlins]]'' ||Both movies are comedies about ghouls threatening a society of humans. ||''Ghostbusters'' was about 3 scientists who start a business in catching ghosts and eventually deal with evil gods. ''Gremlins'' was about a teenage boy named Billy who gets a Mogwai named Gizmo as a pet, and after accidentally spilling water on poor Gizmo, new Mogwais, led by Stripe, appear and wreak havoc. ||On their opening weekend, ''Ghostbusters'' came out on top at the box office, and was praised by critics and audiences alike, which led to [[The Real Ghostbusters|a cartoon series]] and a sequel. But ''Gremlins'' wasn't a total flop as it was the runner-up in the first 6 weeks, and it too also had a sequel.
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| ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'' || ''[[An American Tail]]'' ||Both animated movies featuring talking mice in the 1800's, released in 1986 within about four months of each other, with ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'' being released first. ||Not in ''direct'' competition as the films have nothing at all in common but the species of their protagonists and the approximate time period. Still, Disney and Bluth's animation studio did have their eyes on one another. Before this, no other animation studio had been successful in dethroning Disney in the animated film department, and Spielberg and Bluth were attempting to accomplish just that. Understandably, Disney wasn't too worried... at first. ||''[[An American Tail]]'' became the biggest box office success for an animated film ever for its time, and the first to out-perform Disney. Disney re-releasing ''[[Lady and
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| ''[[Oliver and Company]]'' || ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' || Similar to the above, Bluth and Disney faced off again in 1988/1989 with films featuring dogs, little girls, and orphans. Charlie and Dodger look awfully similar, too. || ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'', released second, had to compete at the box office (and with the critics) against ''[[The Little Mermaid]]''. ||Both received lukewarm reviews. ''[[Oliver and Company]]'' vastly outperformed ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' at the box office, but ''[[All Dogs Go to Heaven]]'' became a hit on VHS and spawned a sequel and a TV series, while ''[[Oliver and Company]]'' remains one of Disney's least-remembered films.
|-
|''[[Repo!
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|''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]''|| ''The Pirate Movie'' || Both are adaptations of the famous [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] operetta ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' released around 1982-1983. The former is a filmed rendition of the then-running Broadway revival with much of the same cast; the latter is a very-loose rendition of the story with a few of the same songs (and some [[Movie Bonus Song|extras]]) and a generally 80's feel. || ''The Pirate Movie'' got to theaters first, in the midst of ''Penzance's'' Broadway run, and quickly faded away. Although a box-office bomb itself, the failure of ''Penzance'' was caused by [[Executive Meddling]], not lack of interest. ''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'' actually enjoyed a long run in ''one'' of the '''''92''''' theaters that showed it. ||''[[The Pirates of Penzance]]'', with a higher [[Rotten Tomatoes]] score and a Golden Globe nom for Best Actress. ''The Pirate Movie'' bombed critically and earned a few Razzie nominations.
|-
| ''[[Machete]]'' || ''[[The Expendables]]'' ||Both films feature [[Rule of Cool|outrageous special effects and stunts]] to tell a barely-there story and feature numerous oldschool actors returning to type of roles that made them famous, gleefully employing the [[Nostalgia Filter]] all the while. || ''Machete'' is a loving [[Homage]] to over-the-top 70's [[Exploitation Film|exploitation films]] directed by [[Robert Rodriguez]] and featuring a star-studded cast; ''Expendables'' has the participation of 80's action stars [[Sylvester Stallone]] (who directed, wrote and plays the lead) [[Die Hard
|-
| ''[[Red Dawn]]'' (the remake) || ''[[The Tomorrow Series|Tomorrow, When the War Began]]'' || Foreign armies invade small-town America/Australia, and a group of teenagers take to the hills to fight back guerrilla-style. || The first is a remake of the classic 1984 [[Cold War]] action movie, updating the villains from [[The Great Politics Mess
|-
| ''[[Alpha and Omega]]'' || ''[[Rio]]'', and ''Newt'' || All three films involve two animals of the same species, opposite genders, and (at least confirmed in the cases of ''Newt'' and ''Alpha'') [[Slap Slap Kiss|opposite personalities]] being put together for the purposes of repopulating their species. ''Alpha and Omega'' came out in Fall 2010 (and was the final film for its late star, Dennis Hopper), ''Rio'' in 2011, and ''Newt'' would have come out in 2012. Pixar canceled ''Newt'' so that they could avoid the
|-
| ''[[Killers]]'' || ''[[Knight and Day]]'' || A hitman and a normal gal who gets caught up in his spy-based hi-jinks. ''[[The Tourist]]'' also looks rather similar to those films, only the gender roles are reversed. || ||''Knight and Day'' fared somewhat better as it received relatively decent reviews, and even though it opened to disappointing numbers it made over $200 million, whereas ''Killers'' wasn't screened for critics (and those that did see it didn't like it much to say the least) and barely made back its budget.
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| ''The Back-Up Plan'' || ''The Switch'' (formerly ''[[Noodle Implements|The Baster]]'') || Rom-coms about [[Hilarity Ensues|hilarity ensuing]] after a single woman undergoes artificial insemination. || ''Back-Up'' is thouroughly a [[Chick Flick]] while ''Switch'' is more about the effect this has on the male characters. ||Neither; although ''The Switch'' received slightly better reviews than ''Back-Up,'' both opened to disappointing numbers.
|-
| ''[[Buried]]'' || ''[[
|-
| ''[[Chapter 27]]'' || ''[[The Killing Of John Lennon]]'' || Docudramas about Mark David Chapman in the days / months (respectively) before he murdered John Lennon. ||Chapter 27 covers just the three days before the event, TKOJL covers months beforehand. Chapter 27 is far more well-known, TKOJL was much-lower budget and less commercial. Chapter 27 had Jared Leto [[Dyeing for Your Art|put on a lot of weight for the role]], TKOJL didn't. ||Neither film is considered very good.
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[Evita]]'' || ''Eva Peron: The True Story'' || Both films are biopics of former Argentinian First Lady Eva Peron, the "Spiritual Leader of the Nation". The former is the film version of the [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] musical; the latter is an Argentinian-produced biopic. || ''Eva Peron'' was put into production by the Argentinian Government to [[Take That|counter]] the musical's less-than-flattering account of Peron. Both films were released in the U.S. a week apart in December, 1996. ||''[[Evita]]'' ended up getting the most notice, including the [[Academy Award]] for its song "You Must Love Me."
|-
| ''[[Iron Man (
|-
| ''[[Avatar (
|-
| ''[[Defendor]]'' || ''[[Kick
|-
| ''Middle Men'' || ''[[The Social Network]]'' || Origin stories about the start of internet revolutions by rather ordinary men, and the hazards of falling out with one's partners after making a great deal of money. || ''Middle Men'' is about the development of [[The Rule of First Adopters|online porn]], while ''The Social Network'' is "the [[
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| ''Catfish'' || ''The Virginity Hit'' || Internet sites ([[
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| ''[[Funny People]]'' || ''[[The Ugly Truth]]'' || Comedy films from the people behind ''Knocked Up'', both released in the summer of 2009. Director [[Judd Apatow]] and lead actor Seth Rogen made ''Funny People'', whereas lead actress Katherine Heigl was the female lead in ''The Ugly Truth''. || In the intervening two years, Heigl had burned her bridges with Apatow and Rogen in a series of rather opinionated interviews. || ''Funny People'' was better reviewed, but grossed barely a third of what ''The Ugly Truth'' managed worldwide.
|-
| ''[[Dark Moon]]'' || ''Apollo 18'' || [[Found Footage Films]] about a previously unknown Apollo 18 moon landing, and what the astronauts found there. || ''[[Dark Moon]]'' seems to have been in production longer, but ''Apollo 18'' hit the cinemas first. || The results remain to be seen.
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| ''[[Inside Job]]'' || ''[[I Want Your Money]]'' || Competing documentaries about the ongoing economics crisis, released one week apart in October 2010. ||While the former places the blame on both capitalism and politics, the latter (a [[Documentary of Lies]]) places all of the blame on [[Barack Obama]] (who wasn't even President when it happened). || ''[[Inside Job]]'' was critically acclaimed, became an arthouse hit and won an Oscar, ''[[I Want Your Money]]'' was critically savaged and only lasted a week in most theatres.
|-
| ''[[Crazy Heart]]'' || ''[[Country Strong]]'' || Troubled country singers (played by Oscar winners who do their own singing) make comebacks while trying to navigate potential new loves and [[Younger and Hipper]] rivals. || While ''Crazy Heart''{{'}}s male protagonist is long past his prime, ''Country Stong''{{'}}s female protagonist is still wildly popular. ||''Crazy Heart'' earned [[Jeff Bridges]] an Oscar; ''Country Strong''... ''really'' didn't go that way for [[Gwyneth Paltrow]]. Also, in a roundabout way Paltrow's character falls for [[Tron: Legacy
|-
| ''[[No Strings Attached]]'' || ''[[Friends
|-
| ''[[Silent Hill (
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| ''[[Ninja Assassin]]'' || ''Ninja'' || A movie about [[Badass]] Ninjas. || ''Ninja Assassin'' was produced by the creators of ''[[The Matrix]]'' and starts Korean pop star Rain, while ''Ninja'' was directed by director Isaac Florentine and was a [[Direct to Video]] release. || ''Ninja Assassin''. No contest.
|-
| ''[[Thor (
|-
| ''[[Battle: Los Angeles]]'' || ''[[
|-
| ''[[
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| ''[[Underworld Evolution]]'' || ''[[Ultraviolet]]'' || Comic book movie sans an actual comic (''Ultraviolet'' even starts with fake comics that the film's based on). A vampire war/rebellion led by a shapely [[Action Girl]]. || It seems that most of ''Ultraviolet'''s vampire references (the heroine and her pals are infected with a virus that mimics vampirism; the [[MacGuffin]] is a possible cure) were cut out so as to distance itself from ''Underworld'', which led to some audience confusion. || ''Underworld: Evolution'' did well enough to continue the franchise with at least two more sequels. ''Ultraviolet'', while visually striking, didn't do well enough to start its franchise.
|-
| ''[[Underworld (
|-
| ''[[The Horror Show]]'' || ''[[Shocker]]'' || Both movies center around [[Serial Killer|serial killers]] who meet their demise in the electric chair. The killer in question has made supernatural precautions and returns from death to torment those who captured him. || Both films were released 1989 with a six month gap between them. || Neither faired well in the box office, but ''Shocker'' at least made its money back.
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| ''[[The Blind Side]]'' || ''[[Precious]]'' || Big-boned, illiterate African American teens from the inner-city find hope and redepmtion from their teachers and their friends. {{spoiler|One goes on to a have a career in the NFL while another dies of AIDS in the sequel novel}}. || ''Blind Side'' was based on a true story while ''Precious'' is a fictional (but depressingly plausible) novel. || Both won Oscars in the actress categories for their characters' mothers (Sandra Bullock as [[Mama Bear|Leigh Anne Touhy]] and Mo'Nique as [[Evil Matriarch|Mary Jones]]) and an episode of ''[[Law and Order SVU]]'' managed to combine the two (''Blind Side'''s lead actor and his evil, abusive (to her sister, not her son) mother).
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| ''[[Shutter Island]]'' || ''[[Inception]]'' || 2010 [[Mind Screw]] thrillers starring [[Leonardo
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| ''Inception'' || ''[[The Adjustment Bureau]]'', ''[[Limitless]]'', ''[[Source Code]]'' || Action movies with strong philosphical/Mind Screw elements. || ''[[
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| ''[[
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| ''K-9'' || ''Turner And Hooch'' || "Police officer teamed up with dog" flicks, both released within a few months of each other in 1989. || ''K-9'' was released first, and co-starred Jim Belushi and an Alsatian, while ''Turner and Hooch'' teamed [[Tom Hanks]] with a French mastiff. {{spoiler|Oh, and the dog in ''K-9'' survived, but his counterpart in ''Turner and Hooch'' was... less lucky}}.|| A draw. ''Turner and Hooch'' grossed a bit more at the box office, but ''K-9'' got two direct-to-video sequels, while ''Turner and Hooch'' only managed a failed TV pilot. Neither film was particularly well reviewed.
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| ''[[Bad Teacher]]'' || ''[[Larry Crowne]]'' || Female teachers (high school and community college, respectively) engage in bad behavior. || ''Larry Crowne'' has the star-power of [[Tom Hanks]] and [[Julia Roberts]] (plus an [[Colbert Bump|Oprah-bump]]) while ''Bad Teacher'' has ex-lovers [[Cameron Diaz]] and [[Justin Timberlake]]. || Neither film did well with critics, but ''Bad Teacher'' has made more money.
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| ''Bad Teacher'' || ''[[
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| ''Bad Teacher'' || ''[[Young Adult (
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| ''[[Monsters, Inc.]]'' || ''[[Ice Age]]'' || Two kid-friendly animated comedy/adventure movies, released within 5 months of each other in 2001-2002. In each, a team of odd-looking but lovable-when-you-get-to-know-them creatures endures many hazards as they strive to deliver a cute toddler to safety. || MI is set in an imaginatively detailed alternate world (Pixar showing its strengths), populated by fanciful 'monsters'. IA stars actual (if now-extinct) species, residing in prehistoric Earth. || ''Monsters, Inc.'' won greater critical acclaim (a 95% rating at Rotten Tomatoes and nomination for Best Animated Picture), and had a higher box-office take. But ''Ice Age'' is not a distant second; it did respectably in both departments (78% RT rating), and spawned two sequels (with a third scheduled for release in 2012.)
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| ''Terminal Velocity'' || ''Drop Zone'' || Films based around Special Forces skydivers, both released in late 1994. || ''Drop Zone'' was supposed to be released first, but reshoots ended up delaying it until after ''Terminal Velocity'' was released. Both films also starred actors who have experienced personal trouble in recent years -- [[Charlie Sheen]] was the star of ''Terminal Velocity'', while Wesley Snipes was the lead for ''Drop Zone''. || Absolutely no winners here. Both films got horrible reviews and failed miserably at the box office, with neither film making back even half of its budget and marketing costs.
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| ''[[Braveheart]]'' || ''[[Rob Roy]]'' || Films featuring legendary Scottish heroes sticking it the evil and fruity English. || || While both were criticised for their... [[Artistic License History|liberties with history]], ''Braveheart'' grossed far higher in the BO and took home the Best Picture Oscar, while ''Rob Roy'' barely made back its budget (though it still received good reviews). ''Rob Roy'' is now largely forgotten while ''Braveheart'', despite having a good reputation and influence, has had some [[Hype Backlash]] and is the punchline of many a Scottish comedian.
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| ''[[
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| ''[[
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| ''[[
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| ''[[Mirror Mirror (
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| ''[[Cowboys and Aliens (
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| ''[[Big Fat Liar]]'' || ''[[Max
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| ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (
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| ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' || ''S.F.W.'' || Movies released in 1994 that satirize [[If It Bleeds, It Leads|the news media's obsession with violence]]. || The main characters in ''NBK'' are [[Villain Protagonist
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| ''[[War Of The Buttons]]'' || ''The New War Of The Buttons'' || Rival French productions in 2011 based on the exact same source material (the work had just gone into the public domain). However, the "new" one is set during World War II, and its rival during the War of Algeria, so they deal with differing issues (the original novel was set in the peaceful "Belle Epoque"). || ''War Of The Buttons'' was pitched first and has unknown actors in the cast. ''The New War Of The Buttons'' was pitched five months later and has a few name actors (such as Guillaume Canet and Laetitia Casta) in its cast. Both films ended up opening a week apart. || ''War Of The Buttons'' had the bigger opening but it's too soon to tell.
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| ''Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory'' || ''West of Memphis'' || Documentaries about the West Memphis 3 and the near two decade-long battle to prove their innocence. || ''Purgatory'' is the final chapter of the ''Paradise Lost'' series and is directed by Joe Berlinger, ''West of Memphis'' was produced by [[Peter Jackson]] and actually has Damien Echols (one of the West Memphis 3) as a producer, making that film more or less a first-person account of the events. || ''Purgatory'' has been amassing near-unanimous acclaim and is on the Oscar documentary shortlist, ''West of Memphis'' is currently in post-production. Both are awaiting theatrical release.
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| ''[[Young Adult (
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| ''[[Soul Surfer]]'' || ''[[
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| ''Lovelace'' || ''Inferno'' || Competing biopics about the famed porn star Linda Lovelace. || ''Inferno'' was in development first and originally had [[Lindsay Lohan]] attached to star (Malin Akerman has replaced her) while ''Lovelace'' is being fast-tracked by Millennium Films to beat ''Inferno'' to theatres (and will have [[Amanda Seyfried]] starring). || ''Lovelace'' wins before release as ''Inferno'' felt apart due to budget issues.
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| ''[[Prep and Landing]]'' (TV special) || ''[[Arthur Christmas]]'' || Stories sharing a similar concept of Santa Claus and his elves using advanced technology and secret agent techniques to [[How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys?|deliver all those toys]] though soon, one child's Christmas has to be saved.|| The original special and Arthur Christmas were put in development close to the same time, though as a film, ''Arthur Christmas'' took longer. While ''Prep and Landing'' focused primarily on the elves and hid the faces of the Clauses, the story of ''Arthur Christmas'' focuses on the Claus family relationships. || ''Prep and Landing'' was successful enough on ABC to receive a follow-up short and a sequel. ''Arthur Christmas'', on the other hand, had trouble at the box-office when faced with ''[[The Muppets (
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| ''[[Hugo]]'' || ''[[Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close]]'' || From ''Entertainment Weekly'': [[All-Star Cast]] movie about young boy who goes on a journey of discovery after finding a mysterious key left by his dead father and helps an old man. || ''Hugo'' takes place in Paris in [[The Thirties]] (lovingly recreated by Scorsese) while ''Extremely Loud'' takes place before and after 9/11 ([[Present Day Past|which Hollywood hasn't yet grasped is no longer]] [[The Present Day]]). || ''Hugo,'' by a wide critical and [[Academy Award|award-winning]] margin.
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| ''[[The Muppets (
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| ''[[The Avengers (
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| ''[[Rogue (
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| ''[[Victor Victoria]]'' || ''[[Tootsie]]'' || 1982 comedies in which an out-of-work performer resorts to posing as the opposite gender to get a job. Career success comes with romantic challenges due to having to keep up the charade. || The former film is about a woman masquerading as a man (selling "himself" as a female impersonator) in 1930s Paris, and is a diegetic musical; the latter has a man masquerading as a woman to land a [[Soap Opera]] role in what was then present-day New York City. || The movies were released far enough apart (March and December) that they didn't step on each other's toes, and both got great reviews. ''Tootsie'' turned out to be the second biggest box-office hit of 1982 and made it to #2 on the AFI's list of the 100 funniest comedies in 2000 (the movie that beat it? ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'') -- but ''[[Victor Victoria]]'' also did well financially, is #76 on that list, and had an unsuccessful [[Screen to Stage Adaptation]] in 1995. Both movies received a clutch of [[Academy Award]] nominations and each won one (Song Score for the former, Supporting Actress for the latter). Everybody came out a winner on this one.
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| ''Can't Stop the Music'' || ''[[Xanadu]]'' || 1980 disco musicals, each with a $20 million budget, that double as [[Non
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| ''[[Legend (
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| ''[[
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| ''Pixels'' || ''[[Wreck
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| ''[[Recess:
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| ''[[Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter]]'' || ''Lincoln'' || Films about [[Abraham Lincoln]], opening six months apart. || One of them is slightly more historically accurate than the other (hint: it's the one directed by [[Steven Spielberg]] and starring [[Daniel Day
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| ''[[The Cabin in
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| ''[[John Carter (
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| ''[[Emma (
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| ''Rags'' || ''Make It Shine'' ||TV movie about a teen boy who wants to be a singing star but has a disapproving father. Elsewhere, successful African-American female pop star wishes to sing her own music her own way. The two meet up and (presumably) achieve their respective goals. ||''Rags'' is [[Nickelodeon]] and ''Let It Shine'' is [[Disney Channel]]. ||Too soon to tell, as ''Rags'' premiered May 28 and ''Let It Shine'' is due to premiere June 15.
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| ''[[
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| ''[[Captain Marvel (film)|Captain Marvel]]'' || ''[[Shazam! (film)|Shazam!]]'' ||Two superhero movies starring a (different) hero named Captain Marvel.|| || Brie Larson's charisma black hole gives her less chemistry with her cast than the CGI cat, sinking ''Captain Marvel'' on top of other issues. ''Shazam!'' came off [[Sleeper Hit]] ''[[Aquaman (film)|Aquaman]]'' to good reception.
|}
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Trivia Trope]]
[[Category:Meta Concepts]]
[[Category:Film Tropes]]
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