List of films with similar themes and release dates

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In the film industry, two films with similar plots or themes may be released within a close period of time. Sometimes, this may be coincidental as the result of two studios independently hoping to capitalize on a current trend.

Other times, however, a script will be be bought and put into production by one studio, and a competing studio - which may hear about the production through word of mouth, trade papers (such as Variety), or through the internet - will put into production a film with a similar plotline, in an effort to capitalize on its box office potential.

Contents 1 2000s 2 1990s 3 1980s 4 1970s 5 1960s 6 1930s 7 External links

[edit] 2000s

• The film studio The Asylum has been criticised for releasing low-budget B-movies to ride on the coattails of their almost identical Hollywood counterparts, such as When a Killer Calls and The Da Vinci Treasure.
• V for Vendetta and Children of Men are both dystopian thrillers released six months apart in (2006). In both films, Great Britain is a police state beset by terrorism.
• Hoodwinked (2006) and Happily N'Ever After (2007) are both computer-animated films that send up fairy tales. Both also happen to feature Patrick Warburton and Andy Dick.
• Stranger Than Fiction in November 2006 and The Number 23 in February 2007. Both movies center on characters who believe a book is based on their own life.
• Invincible, Gridiron Gang, and Facing the Giants, all football movies about underdog football teams or players who rise above expectations, all released in the month of September of 2006.
• The Ant Bully (2006) and Bee Movie, scheduled to be released in 2007, are both CGI films involving insects who talk to humans. Also notable is that The Ant Bully is the third CGI movie focused around ants (following A Bug's Life and Antz.)
• Happy Feet (2006) and Surf's Up (2007) are both computer-animated films starring penguins.
• Flushed Away (2006) and Ratatouille (2007) are both animated (computer animated) films about rats.
• Hollywoodland and The Black Dahlia, were released within two weeks of each other in 2006 and deal with true-crime taking place in post-WWII Hollywood.
• The Illusionist and The Prestige, both released in 2006, are period films set in turn-of-the-century Europe about magicians. Strangely enough, earlier in 2006 Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson, stars of the film, The Prestige, also starred in Woody Allen's Scoop, a modern set film also involving murder and stage magic.
• United 93 and Flight 93, both released in 2006, depict the events aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked during the September 11, 2001 attacks, and at one point both were titled Flight 93. The movie World Trade Center, also about the September 11 attacks, was released just two months after United 93. Although both were controversial, there was no controversy over the films' similarities; attention was focused on their subject matter.
• Capote and Infamous, Capote was released in 2005 and Infamous is scheduled to be released in 2006. Both are independently produced films about Truman Capote writing his book In Cold Blood. Capote was widely acclaimed, with Philip Seymour Hoffman winning an Academy Award for his portrayal of Truman Capote.
• Racing Stripes and Charlotte's Web Live-action films released in 2005 and 2006 tell about farm animals.
• Æon Flux (2005) and Ultraviolet (2006), both films are about a dystopian future and share a similar stylized sleek setting. Powerful female leads try and undo the wrongs brought upon humanity by a powerful virus.
• National Treasure (2004), Sahara (2005), both involve an adventurer/explorer and his wise-cracking sidekick who are searching for a treasure that involves an American war, the American Revolution in National Treasure and the Civil War in Sahara. Both also involve a female doctor assisting them in their search.
• The Core (2003), Deep Core (TV movie) (2000) and Descent (2005) all involve a team of scientists descending deep into the earth to thwart a catastrophic series of disasters. All feature an incredible tunnelling machine, themes of self-sacrifice and tensions between military personnel and the civilian scientists involved. Descent in particular, a made-for-television movie produced by the Sci-Fi Channel and directed by Terry Cunningham, is strikingly reminiscent of The Core.
• Madagascar (2005) and The Wild (2006), both featuring zoo animals navigating the terrain of New York City, and later being introduced to their natural habitat. Madagascar was successful financially and critically. The Wild, on the other hand, was lambasted and frequently compared to Madagascar, even though it was initially conceived before that film.
• Sky High (2005) and Zoom (2006), both revolve around special high schools attended by superheroes. The setting is also reminiscent of the X-Men films, and Zoom was released within weeks of X-Men: The Last Stand.
• The Cave, The Descent, both released theatrically in 2005, and The Cavern (originally entitled WIthIN before Sony Pictures altered the title to bank off the success of The Cave) on DVD in 2006. All three films involve spelunking and terrifying subterranean life that hunts down the principal characters. The Descent was held as the superior of the three according to ticket sales and critical reviews.
• Elektra (2005) and Catwoman (2004). Two films, both based on female comic book characters (from Marvel and DC, respectively) who have unsteady love/hate relationships with (more popular) anti-heroes. Both characters started out as villainesses, then had spin-offs and adventures as "good characters".
• Garden State (2004) and Elizabethtown (2005), both feature young men who are miserable in their career when they learn of a family member dying. They return home, fall in love with a woman, and grieve for their dead family member. They must decide whether to return to their life or settle down with their new found love. After initially deciding to go back to their lives, they both change their minds and pursue love.
• Chasing Liberty (blasted as a bad retooling of Roman Holiday) and First Daughter, released in 2004, both center around the U.S. President's daughter seeking her personal freedom; both met with critical and box office disaster.
• Taking Lives and Twisted, released in 2004, both center around female cops tracking a serial killer, and, eerily, at one point, both films have a scene where the main character (a woman in both) wakes up in bed to find a dead body next to her. Both were critically lambasted for being too similar to each other.
• Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, released in 2003, both period adventure films set on the sea with epic battle scenes. Both captains are named Jack. The two films competed for multiple Academy awards.
• Gods and Generals and Cold Mountain, released in 2003, both conveyed plots surrounding the American Civil War. Cold Mountain became a success while Gods and Generals met critical and box office disaster, though its failure was due more to criticism by viewers than by critics.
• Road to Perdition and Gangs of New York, released in 2002, both period dramas about Irish gangsters, in which the protagonist is out for revenge against his father figure.
• Phone Booth and Liberty Stands Still, released in 2002, each involved a protagonist pinned to a specific location (a phone booth and hot dog vendor cart, respectively) by a sniper trying to impart their target with epiphanies about their flawed lives.
• The Crew and Space Cowboys, released in 2000, both involve a group of senior citizens who come out of retirement for one last job. Space Cowboys had the better critical response and fared better financially, while The Crew was a general flop.
• Red Planet and Mission to Mars, released in 2000, both about exploration of Mars. Only Mission to Mars, however, featured intelligent alien life and the origin of life on Earth.
• Scary Movie and Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth, released in 2000, parodied horror movies - in particular, both heavily relied on Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
• Home on the Range (2004) and Barnyard (2006), both are animated films with barnyard animal protagonists.
• The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze released in 2001 and Ice Age released in 2002, both have snow and prehistoric animals Together.

[edit] 1990s

• Dark City (1998), The Thirteenth Floor (1999), eXistenZ (1999) and The Matrix (1999) all deal with the concept of a false world. The Matrix even reused some of Dark City's sets.
• The Truman Show (1998) and EdTV (1999) are both about people who spend their lives as a reality TV star. Both also happen to feature the actor Harry Shearer. Like the above films, The Truman Show also deals with a false world of sorts.
• A Bug's Life and Antz, released in 1998, both are computer animated features with individualist ants in colonies under threat.
• Toy Story and Small Soldiers, both feature children's toys as the main characters.
• Deep Impact and Armageddon, released in 1998, were films that featured ensemble casts, both concerned a celestial body hitting the Earth, and both were major hits worldwide. Television network NBC also aired their miniseries Asteroid in 1998, and Meteorites and Doomsday Rock were shown on other networks the same year.
• Sliding Doors and Run Lola Run, released in 1998, explore parallel universes initiated by minor events in multiple scenarios, influenced by the work of Krzysztof Kieślowski.
• Elizabeth and Shakespeare In Love, released in 1998, both are set in Elizabethan times with Elizabeth I as a main character. Strangely enough, both also star actors Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush. The two films competed for multiple Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Actress. As a rare moment in the Academy Awards history, two actresses received nominations for the same role in the same year: Cate Blanchett was nominated the Best Actress for the role of Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth, while Judi Dench was nominated (and won) the Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of the same queen in Shakespeare In Love.
• The Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, both about American soldiers in World War II. Both movies went on to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture against two other films that were similarly-themed: Elizabeth and Shakespeare In Love (which won).
• Dead Man on Campus and The Curve, released in 1998, are both movies about two college students attempting to make their third roommate commit suicide, based on the urban legend that in such an event they will pass by catastrophe (receive a 4.0 GPA).
• Prefontaine (1997) and Without Limits (1998), both centered around American runner Steve Prefontaine.
• Independence Day, Mars Attacks! and The Arrival, released in 1996, all have to do with an alien invasion.
• Dante's Peak and Volcano, released in 1997, both deal with people containing the eruption of a volcano. Dante's Peak was successful, while Volcano was a flop domestically. The made-for-TV movie Volcano: Fire On The Mountain arguably takes its cues from Dante's Peak.
• Twister and its made-for-TV counterparts Tornado! and Night of the Twisters, all released in 1996, are all about tornado events which bring two people together — a meteorologist couple on the verge of divorce in Twister, and a boy and his stepfather in Night of the Twisters.
• Babe and Gordy, released in 1995, both deal with talking pigs. Babe was a critical and commercial success, while Gordy was a failure in both arenas.
• Braveheart and Rob Roy, released in 1995, both deal with an important Scottish hero -- in Braveheart's case, William Wallace and Rob Roy's, Rob Roy MacGregor.
• Father of the Bride Part II and Nine Months, released in 1995, both have the main characters in a mid-life crisis as they find out their significant other is pregnant. Although in Father of the Bride Part II, Steve Martin's character has a daughter who is also pregnant, many of the plot points are still the same.
• Rookie of the Year (1993) and Little Big League (1994), have as main characters preteen boys who find themselves thrust into pivotal roles (starting pitcher and manager respectively) in poorly-performing Major League Baseball teams (the Chicago Cubs in RotY and the Minnesota Twins in LBL), and turning those franchises' fortunes around.
• Groundhog Day and 12:01, released in 1993, both feature a main character that is trapped in a daily time loop.
• Tombstone (1993) and Wyatt Earp (1994), both are dramatizations of the life of Wyatt Earp, his family, and their exploits in Tombstone, Arizona.
• 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery, released in 1992, dealing with Colombus' so-called "discovery" of the New World. These films were released to commemorate the 500th anniversary of this discovery.
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Robin Hood were both released in 1991.
• Kafka (1991) and Shadows and Fog (1992) are both black and white films influenced by German Expressionism and the writings of Franz Kafka. The Trial, adapted from Kafka's novel, was produced a year later, in 1993.
• Peacemaker and Dark Angel (a.k.a "I Come In Peace") were both released in 1990. Both films feature a human caught between an alien police officer and a criminal who have come to earth to continue their fight. Peacemaker was direct to cable.

[edit] 1980s

• The Abyss, Deepstar Six, Leviathan, The Evil Below, and Lords of the Deep were all released in 1989 and are underwater thrillers involving explorers discovering strange new (and in most of the movies hostile) creatures in the ocean.
• Big, Vice Versa, and 18 Again! were all released in 1988 and portray youngsters who reverse roles with or as older men.
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Romancing the Stone and The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik-Yak were all released in 1984 with the Richard Chamberlain film King Solomon's Mines following in 1985. With plots all vaguely similar, Romancing, Gwendoline and Mines were following the Indiana Jones sequel as part of the glut of adventure movies that came out in the eighties following the success of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
• Never Say Never Again (a remake of Thunderball) and Octopussy are both James Bond films that were released by different studios in 1983.
• An American Tail and The Great Mouse Detective both released in 1986 both Animated feature films starring mice.
• Platoon (1986), Full Metal Jacket (1987) and Hamburger Hill (1987) all featured US soldiers in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Later Born on the Fourth of July and Casualties of War were both released in 1989, with similar Vietnam themes.
• Turner & Hooch (1989) and K-9 (1989) are both movies where a police officer gets a dog for a partner.
• Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Valmont (1989) are both versions of the novel Les liaisons dangereuses. Interestingly, the last name of the character Sebastian in the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions (yet another version of Les liaisons dangereuses) is also Valmont.
• Weird Science, Real Genius, and My Science Project, which all debuted in August 1985, featured teens dabbling in mad science and predictably winding up in over their heads.
• Two competing 1984 films featured the destruction and difficulties of American farming families. Country starred Jessica Lange and Sam Shepard, while The River starred Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek.

[edit] 1970s

• The Gambler and California Split portray Jewish protagonists, addicted to gambling on a downward spiral. They were released two months apart in 1974.
• The Conversation and The Parallax View are paranoid thrillers about an assassination that were released in April and June of 1974.
• Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, released within months of each other in 1973, are both adaptations of Broadway musicals based on the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ Superstar, the darker, more rock-oriented piece, was more successful from both critical and financial standpoints than Godspell.
• John Boorman's Leo the Last and Hal Ashby's The Landlord were released in the United States a week apart in May 1970. Both deal with issues of class and race and feature an upper-class white man who moves into a lower-class black neighborhood and gets involved with the residents.

[edit] 1960s

• Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove and Sidney Lumet's Fail-Safe were both released within months of one another in 1964 and deal with the concept of accidental nuclear war, although Dr. Strangelove is satire, while Fail-Safe is melodrama. Dr Strangelove was originally slated for release in November 1963 but was postponed due to the death of President John F. Kennedy.

[edit] 1930s

• William Wyler's Jezebel (1938) was reportedly created for Bette Davis when she failed to win the highly coveted role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind (1939). Both films were about feisty, independent Southern belles during the American Civil War.
• John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) and John Cromwell's Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940).

[edit] External links

• Discussion page on the subject