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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?
|-
| ''[[Tintin (film)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'' || ''[[The Pirates Band of Misfits]]'', ''[[Ice Age]]
|-
| ''[[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 ''[[Ocean's Eleven]]'' and ''[[Traffic]]''. Both movies starred Ian Holm for some reason. || ''Kafka'' beat ''[[Naked Lunch]]'' to the punch by being released a little over a month earlier, but ''[[Naked Lunch]]'' is much more widely remembered nowadays.
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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|Colin Hanks]] (''OC''), but was already sick of [[Tom Green]] (''Harvard'').
|-
| ''[[The Green Hornet (film)|The Green Hornet]]'' || ''[[Green Lantern (film)|Green Lantern]]''<br /><br />''[[Green Arrow]]'' (on hold) || Green-themed superheroes.<br /><br />It isn't easy being green for [[Development Hell|would-be]] third contender, ''Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max''. ||One is based on a long-running second-tier ''[[Internet Backdraft|(perhaps)]]'' DC icon, one is based on a [[The Green Hornet|cult TV show]]. Both had to correct for [[Weaksauce Weakness|silly weaknesses]] (yellow and [[Sidekick Ex Machina|reliance on]] [[Bruce Lee]], respectively). ||''[[Cracked.com]]'' made [http://www.cracked.com/article_19015_green-lantern-vs.-green-hornet-telling-them-apart-5Bchart5D.html a chart] pointing out how similar the two movies were. In the end, ''Lantern'' got thrashed by critics and is proving to be a total disaster at the box office for [[Warner Bros]]., who were marketing it as their big movie for the summer of 2011. By contrast, ''Hornet'' got mixed reviews but made back its budget nearly twice over, so it looks to be the winner.
|-
| ''[[Antz]]'' || ''[[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]]'' ||The first example of Pixar and Dreamworks really dueling. Featuring ants as their main protagonists, the ant worker hero, who wants to stand out among the millions of other ants, falls for the ant princess, who seems an almost unattainable love interest. The ant hero goes on a long journey to a bug city, which is actually a pile of human garbage. And then he returns and gets the girl. ||Apart from the ants being protagonists, almost nothing else about the films was the same. [[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]] had a very cartoonish design, while [[Antz]] had a more realistic design of the insects. Antz had dark humor, dialogue and themes all around, while [[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]] was aimed at children. Just the same, thanks to the ants, they were ''both'' considered to be ripping ''each other'' off. (Fact is, Jeffery Katzenberg, though responsible for getting ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]]'' greenlit, had just been booted from Disney, was furious at them, and knew about the next Pixar project; the competition was intentional.)|| Both films were a success with both audiences and critics, as well as financially, but ''[[A Bug's Life|A Bugs Life]]'' won by bringing in $200,000,000 more than ''Antz'' thanks to appealing more to kids and better promotion.
|-
| ''[[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|space show with Muppets at the same time]]). ''Supernova'', meanwhile, had a HUGE budget and bigger stars like James Spader. ||''Pitch Black'' did more with it's little than ''Supernova'' did with its lot with a tight storyline and more interesting characters that did not lean on [[Eye Candy]]. It eventually spawned a pretty fat franchise with a sequel, an animated tie-in, a video game, etc. ''Supernova'' was usually graded as "it supersucks!"
|-
| ''[[Titan A.E.]]'' || ''[[Treasure Planet]]'' ||Final Bluth and Disney face-off. Fatherless boy tries to solve his [[Disappeared Dad|daddy issues]] by going on a space voyage in search of a long-lost treasure, hidden on a [[Big Dumb Object]], with a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|less-than-stellar]] crew of galactic [[Petting Zoo People]], one of whom is a [[Parental Substitute]], but proves to be [[The Mole]], using a [[I
|-
| ''[[127 Hours]]'' || ''[[Soul Surfer]]'' || Dramatic films about [[Real Life]] athletes who lose a limb. || ''Hours,'' from [[Danny Boyle]], focuses on Aron Ralston, a hiker who is forced to cut off his own arm to save himself after five days of having his arm trapped by a boulder. ''Surfer'', from Sean McNamara (the director of ''[[Bratz (film)|Bratz]]''), focuses on Bethany Hamilton, an evangelical Christian surfer who loses an arm from [[Everything's Even Worse with Sharks|a shark attack]]. The main difference between these two films is their intended audience: while ''Hours'' aims for a secular audience, ''Surfer'' is intended for the [
|-
| ''[[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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| ''[[Dante's Peak]]'' || ''[[Volcano]]'' ||Movies about volcanoes! The former is set in a small town, and is [[Very Loosely Based on a True Story|very loosely based on the Mt. St. Helens explosion]]. The latter is set in Los Angeles and is therefore much crazier in scale. ||As above, not ''exactly'' imitations, but these were both released around the same time and dueled each other with very similar plots. The former, incidentally, is considered notable for being one of the few popcorn disaster movies that actually [[Shown Their Work|tries for scientific accuracy]]. ||Surprisingly, ''Dante's Peak'' won, with $6 million more in box office receipts. ''Volcano'' gets the consolation prize of being shown on cable much more often. Heck, it's probably on right now somewhere!
|-
| ''[[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 ''[[Speed]]'' fame and co-written by [[Jurassic Park|Michale Crichton]] while ''Tornado!'' was written by [[The Last Samurai|John]] [[The Aviator|Logan]]. ''Night of the Twisters'' was based on a novel which was [[Based on a True Story]]. || Pretty much as expected: Hollywood won with ''Twister'' grossing over $200 million. The other two pretty much faded into footnotes; however, ''Night of the Twisters'' was able to outlast ''Tornado!'' thanks to more repeats on television. ''Twister'' still gets more showings on TV while the others do not.
|-
| ''[[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 on the Tin|Knock Off]] made to capitalize on ''Rush Hour'', they seem to be ignoring the fact that it was released a month before the better movie. ||''[[Rush Hour]]'' by a mile, which has also gone on to spawn 2 sequels.
|-
| ''[[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|Destination Moon]]'' (1950), unrelated || ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' ||''Moon'' was scientifically accurate, featured a script by [[Robert A. Heinlein]], and pretty much kicked off the "space adventure" genre of film; ''X-M'' featured [[Space Is Noisy|sound in space]], [[Space Friction|rockets stopping when the engines cut out]], and eventually ended up on ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. ||Another case of the ripoff making it into theaters first; ''Destination Moon'' was famously advertised as "Two years in the making!", and ''X-M'' took advantage of it. ||''[[Destination Moon]]'' (film).<br /><br />The 2-part ''Tintin'' series was [https://web.archive.org/web/20100620063826/http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3p.html#tintin more scientifically accurate and prescient] than either of them, and eerily similar in plot, but didn't cross the pond.
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| ''[[Independence Day]]'' || ''The Arrival'' (also, ''[[Mars Attacks!]]!'') ||[[Alien Invasion]] movies released in the summer of 1996 (or late autumn, in the case of ''[[Mars Attacks!]]!''). ||Aside from involving an alien invasion, they are ''nothing'' alike. ''[[Independence Day]]'' was the big-studio production with a big budget, big stars, big promotion and churned out an even bigger profit. ''The Arrival'' was intended to be more of a thoughtful thriller, with only one brand-name star (Charlie Sheen). It never had a chance. ||''ID4'': Can anyone actually remember ''The Arrival''? (Yes! The guy looked like [[Half-Life|Gordon Freeman]]!)
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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 50-Foot Whatever|Giant Monsters]] smash cities and battle other giant monsters.||The Godzilla series started in the lead in the "Showa" era with more and better films, but the "Heisei" series for both were a marked change. Despite having only a trilogy, Gamera had the better and more successful films overall when it went into a more realistic, [[Darker and Edgier]] direction. It dropped it with its own attempt at a third series, leading to a repeat of the Showa status-quo for the Millenium.||''[[Godzilla]]'' has had much more staying power and is still having movies churned out.
|-
| ''[[Troy]];'' ''[[Kingdom of Heaven]];''<br />''[[King Arthur]]''<br />(all 2004) || ''[[300]]''<br />''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)]];''<br />''[[Centurion]]''<br />(respectively) || [[Demythtification|Demythtified]] [[Sword and Sandal]] (would be) [[Epic Movie|Epic]] [[Follow the Leader|inspired by success]] of ''[[Gladiator]]'' using cinematography from ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|LOTR]]'' and [[Shaky Cam|stuttercam]] from [[Saving Private Ryan|SPR]] to capture massive battle scenes, seasoned lightly with a single tasteful [[Shirtless Scene|love scene]]. The hero employs the ancient sword technique of [[Adrenaline Time|Ramping]]. ||''Troy'' and ''300'' seem doomed to comparison, despite having little in common besides being about Greeks. [[The Siege]] in the 2004 flicks fell victim to [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|Seinfeld Fatigue]] in the wake of a certain '03 [[The Lord of the Rings (film)|film]] and those ''Capital One'' ads. ''Kingdom'' was heavily [[Executive Meddling|cut up]] for the [[Vindicated by Cable|theatrical release]]. ||''[[300]]'' wins due to [[Fountain of Memes|popularity]]. ''[[Troy]]'' places thanks to [[Just Here for Godzilla|that one fight scene]] everyone wants to see. ''[[Kingdom of Heaven|Kingdom]]'' draws, due to the Directors Cut. ''[[King Arthur]]'' loses. ''[[Robin Hood (2010 film)]]'' is ''Gladiator'' [[Recycled in Space|WITH ROBIN HOOD!]] ''[[Centurion]]'' gets a leg up for being deliberately cheesy.
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| ''[[Tombstone]]'' || ''Wyatt Earp'' ||Historical westerns about . . . [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Wyatt Earp]]. ''Tombstone'' starred Kurt Russell, while ''Wyatt Earp'' starred Kevin Costner.||Costner was originally involved with ''Tombstone'' but left over disagreements regarding the script, deciding to make his own Earp pic. He even put pressure on studios to refuse distribution of ''Tombstone'', but guess which one made more money in the end... ||''Tombstone'' proved to be a hit and earned the better reviews, while ''Wyatt Earp'' flopped at the box office and got nominated for five Razzies.
|-
|''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' (2001) ||''[[Dungeons
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|''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]'' (2001) ||''[[Harry Potter (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' (2001)|| First installments of high-budget film adaptations of popular and beloved fantasy series, with an overlapping viewer demographic, released within a month's difference of each other. || || A tie, or, better said, both films win. Both LOTR and HP were incredible box-office hits, grossing about $900 mln each, successfully launching their respective film franchises, [[Visual Effects of Awesome|revolutionizing the use of CGI in movies]] and [[Genre Turning Point|greatly raising the prestige of the fantasy genre]].
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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).
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|''[[Paul Blart]]: Mall Cop'' ||''[[
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| ''[[U2]] 3D'' ||''[[Hannah Montana|Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert]]''||3-D concert films from early 2008. ||The U2 concert was shown at IMAX, while the ''Hannah Montana'' concert was shown in digital 3-D only. And one year later came the cheaper [[The Jonas Brothers|Jonas Brothers]] 3-D concert, which was also shown at IMAX. ||''Hannah Montana'' had a much bigger box office, but ''U2 3D'' was better received by critics.
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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! The Genetic Opera]]''|| ''[[Repo Men]]'' || Both sci-fi films about a massive corporation in a [[Crapsack World]] that offers organ transplants to the masses, and who send "repo men" assassins to murder those who can't pay their debts. The former, also called Repo!, is a musical, while the latter is an action film based on the 2009 novel, ''Repossession Mambo''.<br />Despite the names, ''neither'' film is a sequel to the '84 SF cult classic ''[[Repo Man]]'', whose spiritual sequel ''[[Distaff Counterpart|Repo Chick]]'' was released in fall 2009. Confused yet? ||Although it has been reported that the concept for ''[[Repo Men]]'' was conceived in 2003, [https://web.archive.org/web/20150523211406/http://www.terrancezdunich.com/blog/?p=2804 some two years AFTER the stage version of Repo! debuted], the author's essay at the back of the novel reveals that ''Repossession Mambo'' was his first novel, the one he fell in love with but couldn't sell, and had been in parallel development with the screenplay since 2001. ||''Repo!'' did OK business in a very, ''very'' limited release (i.e. 11 screens nationally), and has since become a cult classic. ''[[Repo Men]]'s'' first weekend gross, although easily bigger, did not match its multi-million dollar production and advertising budget. It also has a lower percentage of positive reviews than ''Repo!'' on [[Rotten Tomatoes]].
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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.
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| ''[[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-Up|the Soviet Union]] to [[China Takes Over the World|the People's Republic of China]] (or [[Executive Meddling|North Korea]]) and moving the action from Colorado to Washington state. The second is an adaptation of the first book of an Australian [[Young Adult]] series published in the '90s that, while hugely popular in Australia (to the point of being compared to ''[[Harry Potter]]'' in cultural influence), [[Americans Hate Tingle|never caught on overseas]]. || So far, ''Tomorrow'' wins by default, as the ''[[Red Dawn]]'' remake, despite being finished and in the can, [[Development Hell|has had its release pushed back for years]] thanks to [[MGM]]'s financial woes and concerns about Chinese distribution (the reason why the villains were changed to North Koreans in post-production). It's currently set to be released in 2012.
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| ''[[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 Truman Show]]'' || ''[[EDtv]]'' || Both films revolve around a guy whose every moves are followed by TV cameras. ||''The Truman Show'' has its protagonist not be aware of the true nature of his life, and revolves around discovering it and attempting to escape. ''Ed TV'' has its protagonist living in the real world and signing up for the show, and him dealing with the ramifications on his life and loss of privacy. ||''The Truman Show'' is held in higher esteem due to its greater philosophical depth and dramatic weight, but ''[[EDtv]]'' is highly enjoyable comedy which has in hindsight proved remarkably prescient.
|-
| ''[[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 (film)|Iron Man]]'' || ''[[The Dark Knight]]'',<br /><br />(*''[[The Green Hornet (film)|The Green Hornet]]'') ||Two movies that came out the same summer (and one that [[Development Hell|would have]]) in which, after traumatic events, wealthy sons become masked super heroes with pimped-out mechanical aids; they also have butlers and/or a leggy [[Sassy Secretary]] (well, two out of three) and a really [[Cool Car|Cool]]/[[Weaponized Car]]. The heroes pose as apathetic playboys who own their own corporations and have a close friend/business partner who is also a minority. || Not only were Iron Man and The Dark Knight dueling movies, but they were also dueling between rival Super Hero Comic Companies during their release in 2008. ''Green Hornet'', on the other hand, was pushed back to Januray 2011 due to the studio converting to 3-D. ||Both ''Iron Man'' and ''Dark Knight'' received huge critical acclaim and did great at the box office, but ''The Dark Knight'' wins on a slight edge. Iron Man got a sequel sooner, but The Dark Knight did better critically and financially. And that's not to mention [[The Dark Knight]] winning the first ever acting Oscar for a Comic Book movie with [[Heath Ledger]] winning posthumously for his portrayal of [[The Joker]]. Green Hornet, when it [[Saved From Development Hell|finally was released]], it received mixed reviews and modest box office, which, in all fairness, is probably better than it would have done if it was released on time to compete with the other two.
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| ''[[Defendor]]'' || ''[[Kick-Ass (film)|Kick Ass]]'' ''[[Super]]'' || Three movies about average people trying to become gadget based low budget vigilantes and end up having brushes with local organized crime. ||The major difference definitely falls in the personalities of the superheroes. Kick-Ass is an average nerdy teen while Defendor is a mentally disturbed homeless man that has delusions of certain supervillians. ''Super'''s Crimson Bolt suffers similar deranged illusions, but is slightly more stable. ''Kick Ass'' becomes more stylized as it goes along while the other two have a more realistic look to them. This could be chalked up to budget differences, as Kick Ass (while low budget by Hollywood standards) cost over ten times as much as either of the other two. ||''Super'' was released only on select arthouse theater screens, limiting its mainstream marketability and received mixed reviews but was a success on VOD. ''Defendor'' had a limited release and will likely have a cult status. ''Kick Ass'' was a commercial success and received mostly positive reviews ([[Roger Ebert]] ''hated'' it, some others were kinder).
|-
| ''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 [[Facebook]] movie." || No contest -- ''The Social Network'' grossed far more, received much better reviews, won three [[Academy Award
|-
| ''Catfish'' || ''The Virginity Hit'' || Internet sites ([[Facebook]] and [[YouTube]], respectively) are used to chronicle uncomfortable intimate relationships. ||''Catfish'' is a documentary while ''Virginity'' is a regular comedy shot with [[Jittercam]]. Both have had controversy in that ''Catfish'' is suspected of being fake (not helping was the director's next project being the third ''[[Parnormal Activity]]'' film) and ''Virginity'''s ads coincided with (or possibly inspired) two real-life college students to film their roommate's intimate encounter, outing him as gay and causing him to kill himself. ||''Catfish'' wins this one as its success in limited release far surpasses ''The Virginity Hit'', which had one of the worst nationwide openings in recent memory. ''The Virginity Hit'' had [[Victorious|Matt Bennett]] though, so time will tell.
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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.
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| ''[[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|Bridges' son]].
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| ''[[No Strings Attached]]'' || ''[[Friends with Benefits (film)|Friends With Benefits]]'' || [[Rom Com]] starring combinations of a member of ''[[That '70s Show]]'' and ''[[Black Swan]]'' (Ashton Kutcher & [[Natalie Portman]] and [[Mila Kunis]] & [[Justin Timberlake]], respectively) wherein the question of [[Friends with Benefits|"can we have sex and still be friends?"]] is pondered. || || Both films were modestly successful box-office wise, though ''Friends'' wins with its mostly positive reviews compared to ''Strings''' mixed critical reaction.
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| ''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'' || ''[[The Dark]]'' || Supernatural horror about a mother searching for her daughter and comes across the identical ghost of a little girl who wants to take her daughter's place. Mother has to search a mysterious 'Otherworld' to find her daughter. Sean Bean plays the dad in both. || Both films feature religious cults, an Otherworld, missing daughters and a Mama Bear as the main protagonist. Interestingly with ''Silent Hill''; its original story was about about a father going to look for his daughter but the director thought it was more in character for a mother to care enough to go through hell to save their child. || ''Silent Hill'' was pretty well received for a video game adaptation, while few even seem to know of ''The Dark's'' existence.
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| ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]'' || ''[[Green Lantern (film)|Green Lantern]]'' || Superhero movies with the involvement of forces from beyond our world, whether alien or divine. || Another Marvel vs. DC duel. || ''Thor'' got much better reviews, and performed better at the box office.
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| ''[[Battle: Los Angeles]]'' || ''[[Skyline]]'' || Aliens attack Los Angeles. || ''Battle Los Angeles'' began production first and focuses solely on the military fighting aliens. ''Skyline'' began production after (but got released first) and focuses on the military and regular people fighting aliens. || Both ''Skyline'' and ''Battle Los Angeles'' were panned by critics (though the latter not quite as badly). However, audiences reacted ''much'' more favorably to ''Battle Los Angeles'', and while ''Skyline'' made a profit ($65 million worldwide on a $10 million budget), ''Battle Los Angeles'' (costing $100 million) made close to as much in its opening weekend as ''Skyline'' made during its entire run. ''Battle Los Angeles'' is the clear winner when all is said and done. To say nothing about a lawsuit that occurred between both [[Sony]] and effects studio [[Hydraulx]]<ref>
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| ''[[Skyline]]'' || ''The Darkest Hour'' || Independently-produced films about [[Alien Invasion|alien invasions]] in major cities. || ''Skyline'' is set in [[Los Angeles]], while ''The Darkest Hour'' is set in [[Moscow]] and was produced by Timur Bekmambetov (of ''[[Night Watch (novel)|Night Watch]]'' and ''[[Wanted]]'' fame). || Both films were ravaged by critics, though ''Skyline'' managed to make a lot more money on a much smaller budget than ''The Darkest Hour'', which [[Box Office Bomb|bombed at the box office]].
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| ''[[You Only Live Twice]]'' || ''[[Casino Royale 1967]]'' || [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] films. || The former is an official Bond film, while the latter is a parody made by the man who held the rights to that particular novel. Bond's production company eventually got the rights to ''Casino Royale'', both novel (which was adapted as the first [[Daniel Craig]] Bond) and movie. || ''You Only Live Twice'', which had better reviews and box office. ''Casino Royale'' is widely considered a train wreck whose only lasting appeal is the Burt Bacharach score.
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| ''[[Octopussy]]'' || ''[[Never Say Never Again]]'' || Again, [[James Bond (film)|James Bond]] films. The former is official, and the latter is a remake of ''[[Thunderball]]'', done by the guy who had the rights to said novel. || Similar to the above, the former is official, and the latter is a remake of ''[[Thunderball]]'' done by the guy who owned the rights to said novel. The latter has the return of [[Sean Connery]] as
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| ''[[Pontypool]]'' || ''[[Dead Air/Disambig|Dead Air]]'' || 2009 films about a viral infection that turns people into [[Our Zombies Are Different|mindless and violent lunatics]], both from the perspective of a DJ stuck inside the recording studio while everything is going to hell. || In ''Pontypool'' it is ''language itself'' that triggers the infection, while in ''[[Dead Air]]'' the cause is a more conventional terrorist attack. || ''Pontypool'' has gained better reviews overall.
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| ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (film)|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' || ''[[Van Helsing]]'' || [[Crossover|Characters from multiple stories]] team up to save or destroy the world. [[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]] feature in both. || [[Xtreme Kool Letterz|"LXG"]]'s team comes from classic, mostly public-domain stories while "Van Helsing"'s monsters [[Universal Horror|are all from Universal Studios]] (fun fact: the original plan was a direct sequel/prequel to "Bram Stoker's Dracula" but Anthony Hopkins was too old). || Both did all right but a sequel is highly unlikely.
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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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| ''[[The Muppets (film)|The Muppets]]'' || ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks|Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked]]'' || [[Long Runner]] franchise-based family movies where [[Funny Animal]] characters interact with humans (portrayed by celebrity actors). Both movies feature various musical numbers. || While ''Alvin 3'' mostly relied on [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]] and crude humor to appeal to older audiences, and was a sequel to a kids' movie that had already been a big hit, ''The Muppets'' relied on nostalgia for [[Jim Henson]]'s brand of entertainment as seen on ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. Also notable is that ''Alvin 3'''s Funny Animals were rendered in CGI (a bigger draw for kids), whereas the ones in ''The Muppets'' were... well, [[Captain Obvious|Muppets]].|| ''The Muppets'' got rave reviews and decent box office returns, but thanks to ''[[Twilight (novel)|Breaking Dawn]]'', wasn't able to perform as well as it potentially could have. ''Alvin 3'', on the other hand, was savaged by critics, but made more money than ''The Muppets''. This [[The Princess and the Frog|wasn't the first time]] that a ''Chipmunks'' movie [[Critical Dissonance|beat out better-reviewed competition]] from Disney.
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| ''[[The Avengers (film)|The Avengers]]'' || ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' || Superhero films based on [[Marvel Comics]] and [[DC Comics]]. ''The Avengers'' is a team-up movie featuring (some of) [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Marvel's greatest superheroes]] - [[Iron Man]], [[Captain America (comics)]], [[The Mighty Thor|Thor]] and others. ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is about [[Batman]]. || Both movies are the culmination of their respective franchises spanning over several years. ''The Avengers'' is the climax of the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] to date (although more films are planned), while ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' is the definite end of [[Christopher Nolan]]'s [[Dark Knight Trilogy]]. || Hard to say until both films are released. Critically at least, the Batman movies directed by Nolan have fared better than the Marvel movies by several different directors (''The Avengers'' is helmed by [[Joss Whedon]]). But box office-wise, both franchises are licenses to print money. (Somewhat obscured amidst the massive hype for both movies is [[Take a Third Option|a third major superhero film,]] a [[Continuity Reboot]] of the ''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]]'' film series called ''[[The Amazing Spider-Man]]''.)
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| ''[[Rogue (film)|Rogue]]'' || ''Black Water'' ||Two, 2007 Australian movies about crocodiles that were based on true stories released within months of one another.||Rogue stars [[Pitch Black|Rhada Mitchell]], [[One Hour Photo|Michael Varten]] and a then unknown Sam Worthington and was directed by [[Wolf Creek|Greg Mclean]]. Black Water's stars are more or less unknown outside of Australian. ||Both movies faired poorly at the box office, but Rogue has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the CGI crocodile impressed across the board. Black Water was not as well received and though they utilised footage of real crocodiles, some critics felt this led to a great amount of inconsistency.
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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-Actor Vehicle|non-actor vehicles]]. Both involve alumni of the 1978 blockbuster ''[[Grease]]'': producer Allan Carr and screenwriter Bronte Woodard with the former, and lead actress Olivia Newton-John with the latter. (Carr wanted Newton-John for the female lead in ''Can't Stop'', but it didn't work out.) || The former fictionalizes the creation and rise to stardom of [[The Village People]] and intertwines it with a romance between an uptight lawyer (Bruce Jenner) and a feisty ex-model (Valerie Perrine). The latter is a fantasy about a Greek Muse (Newton-John) who inspires a struggling artist (Michael Beck) to open a lavish roller disco; complications ensue when she falls in love with him. || ''Can't Stop'' opened in June, ''Xanadu'' in
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| ''[[Legend (film)|Legend]]'' || ''[[Labyrinth]]'' || Big-budget, lavishly designed and special effects-heavy fantasies with a youthful hero/heroine and newfound fantastical companions on a quest to face off with a [[Big Bad]] and right a terrible wrong. A major plot point has the seductive, [[Large Ham]] villain (played by [[Tim Curry]] in the former, [[David Bowie]] in the latter) attempting to woo the leading lady. Both films share a cinematographer (Alex Thomson). While in the U.K. they were Christmas releases for 1985 and '86, respectively, the North American releases were but two months apart in the spring/summer of '86. || The two movies take [[
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| ''[[
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| ''Pixels'' || ''[[Wreck-It Ralph]]''|| [[All CGI Cartoon]] about video game characters || ''Pixels'' is an expansion of a short film, and appears to be about video game characters invading the real world. ''[[Wreck-It Ralph]]'' is a Disney feature about an [[Expy]] of [[Donkey Kong]] and [[Popeye (comic strip)|Bluto]] trying to prove he has what it takes to be a hero. || Too soon to tell.
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| ''[[Recess: School's Out]]'' || ''[[Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius]]'' || A group of elementary school kids save the world with a 2001 release date || ''Recess: School's Out'' was based [[Recess|on the Disney TV show]] and focused on the main six trying to stop a madman from getting rid of summer vacation, while ''Jimmy Neutron'' served as a pilot to it's Nickelodeon TV series and focused on Jimmy and the rest of the kids in town to save their parents from being killed by aliens. Also, ''Neutron'' was in CGI, while ''Recess'' had traditional animation. And while ''Recess'' didn't have much competition, ''Neutron'' was competing with ''[[Monsters, Inc.]]''. || Both movies were loved by critics and did well in the box office, though ''Neutron'' had a somewhat larger gross and was nominated for an Oscar (As it wasn't based on a TV show like ''Recess''). ''Neutron'' followed with a TV series, while ''Recess'' followed with it's show being [[Uncancelled]] (as the movie was going to serve as the finale) and gaining two sequels (released [[Direct to Video]])
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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 the Woods]]'' || ''Detention'' || [[Post Modernism|Post-modern]], [[Genre Busting]] takes on the [[Horror]] genre that were released the same weekend. || ''Detention'' was made by Joseph Kahn,<ref>Maker of the [[Cult Classic]] action film ''[[Torque]]'', a [[Stealth Parody]] of ''[[The Fast and the Furious]]''</ref>
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| ''[[John Carter (film)|John Carter]]'' || ''[[The Hunger Games (film)|The Hunger Games]]'' || Spring 2012 YA-novel-based scifi adventures. ''Carter'' is in the "originator" slot because it opened two weeks earlier. || ''JC'''s [[John Carter of Mars|source material]] is hugely influential in speculative-fiction circles (leading to ''buckets'' of [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny]]), set on an [[Science Marches On|alien-populated Mars]] and peaked in popularity 80 years ago. ''[[The Hunger Games (novel)|THG]]'' critiques [[Reality TV]], is set in a dystopic future America and is at the height of its popularity ''now''. || While ''JC'' got good reviews and most people who actually saw it loved it, it [[Box Office Bomb|flopped so hard]] that Disney took a nearly $100 million writedown. ''THG'' was well received by critics, set a new box office record for a non-sequel, made its $90 million budget back by Friday evening and went on to a monthlong run as #1 movie in the US, hitting the $500 million mark on its fourth weekend. The [http://www.washingtonpost.com/conversations/hunger-games-effect-judging-movie-adaptations/2012/03/26/gIQA5Y5McS_discussion.html press] is [http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/27/opinion/seymour-hunger-games-john-carter/index.html already] [https://web.archive.org/web/20130201043433/http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/BMITW/news/?a=57059 dissecting] what Disney's marketing team got wrong and what Lionsgate's got right.
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| ''[[Emma (film)|Emma]]'' || ''[[Emma (film)|Emma]]'' ||Prestige adaptations of [[Jane Austen]]'s last completed novel starring rising stars supported by the best the British repertory had to offer.||The McGrath/Paltrow/Northam adaptation was a theatrical release from primarily American creators (the director, studio, and eponymous lead). The Davies/Beckinsale/Strong production was a telefilm from Britain's ITV, springboarding off the success of Davies and producer Sue Birtwistle's previous ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'' miniseries. ||The McGrath/Paltrow/Northam film tends to have a slight edge, due to its friendlier, sweeter timbre. However, both tend to be fondly remembered (except by fans of the other version). When the 2009 BBC miniseries was released, many simply added a third adaptation to their list of favorite ''[[Emma]]'' adaptations. (As a side note, Austen films tend to be duelling movies given the passion and long memories of the fanbase. The clustering of film and television releases from 1995-1996 and 2005-2009 highlighted this fact.)
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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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| ''[[Iron Eagle]]'' || ''[[Top Gun]]'' ||Two films about young recruits in
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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]]
▲[[Category:Dueling Movies]]
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