April 24, 2013 at 11:45 am

Strangely Similar Movies Released at the Same Time

by twistedsifter

 

Have you ever noticed two seemingly identical movies being released at the same time and wondered why Hollywood studios would do such a thing? While you may have first chalked it up to mere coincidence, a quick scroll through the list below suggests otherwise.

Earlier this week, Redditor CircadianHour compiled a list of ‘twin movies‘. As to why? Another commenter (tossedsaladandscram) suggests that competing studios often own similar movie scripts and if one studio gets wind that another is making a movie that is similar to a script they own they may try to make it and put it out earlier or around the same time.

A secondary reason, suggested by Ducksaucenem, implies the benefits of shared marketing and buzz, especially if Studio B has a smaller budget. Interestingly, this could be why studios prefer to buy exclusive rights to comics and graphic novels, so other studios can’t replicate the storyline.

Coincidence or not, below is a list of strangely similar movies released around the same time. Any suggestions for additional ‘twin movies’ please let me know in the comments!

[via CircadianHour on Reddit]

 

1. Armageddon | Deep Impact – 1998

Armageddon-and-Deep-Impact-1998

 

 

2. Babe | Gordy – 1995

Babe-and-Gordy-1995

 

 

3. The Prestige | The Illusionist – 2006

The-Prestige-&-The-Illusionist-2006

 

 

4. Chasing Liberty | First Daughter – 2004

Chasing-Liberty-and-First-Daughter-2004

 

 

5. Volcano | Dante’s Peak – 1997

Volcano-&-Dantes-Peak-1997

 

 

6. Antz | A Bug’s Life – 1998

Antz-and-A-Bugs-Life-1998

 

 

7. Turner & Hooch | K-9 – 1989

Turner-and-Hooch-&-K-9-1989

 

 

8. Olympus Has Fallen | White House Down – 2013

Olympus-Has-Fallen-&-White-House-Down-2013

 

 

9. Friends With Benefits | No Strings Attached – 2011

Friends-with-Benefits-and-No-Strings-Attached-2011

 

 

10. Shark Tale | Finding Nemo – 2004/2003

Shark-Tale-(2004)-&-Finding-Nemo-(2003)

 

 

11. Mirror Mirror | Snow White & the Huntsman – 2012

Mirror-Mirror-&-Snow-White-and-the-Huntsman-2012

 

 

12. Red Planet | Mission to Mars – 2000

Red-Planet-&-Mission-to-Mars-2000

 

 

13. Top Gun | Iron Eagle – 1986

Top-Gun-&-Iron-Eagle-1986

 

 

14. Capote | Infamous – 2006

Capote-and-Infamous-2006

 

 

15. Happy Feet | Surf’s Up – 2006/2007

Happy-Feet-(2006)-and-Surfs-Up-(2007)

 

 

16. Abyss | Leviathan – 1989

Abyss-and-Leviathan-1989

 

 

17. Stealing Harvard | Orange County – 2002

Stealing-Harvard-&-Orange-County-2002

 

 

18. Powder | Phenomenon – 1995/1996

Powder-(1995)-&-Phenomenon-(1996)

 

 

19. Tombstone | Wyatt Earp – 1994

Tombstone-(1993)-&-Wyatt-Earp-(1994)

 

 

20. The Wild | Madagascar – 2006/2005

The-Wild-(2006)-&-Madagascar-(2005)

 

 

21. Striptease | Showgirls – 1996/1995

Striptease-(1996)-&-Showgirls-(1995)-

 

 

22. The Truman Show | EDtv – 1998/1999

The-Truman-Show-(1998)-&-Ed-TV-(1999)

 

 

23. The Cave | The Descent – 2005

The-Cave-&-The-Descent-2005

 

 

24. Cop Out | The Other Guys – 2010

cop out and the other guys twin movies 2010 Strangely Similar Movies Released at the Same Time

 

 

25. After Earth | Oblivion – 2013

After-Earth-and-Oblivion-2013

 

 

 

 

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