Two movies with the same plot enter theaters at the same time, but usually only one emerges on top. It’s pretty amazing how often “twin movies” end up being released around the same time, after having been produced independently at different studios. Sometimes, both movies are great, but more often, when two movies with the same plot hit screens around the same time, one is clearly the superior work. Let’s dive into some of the most notable examples.
Dante’s Peak Vs. Volcano
You have to start this list by putting these disaster films at the top. Dante’s Peak, released in February of 1997, and Volcano, released in April of ‘97, have much in common. Both are about fictional, dormant volcanos that surprise scientists, both have stellar casts, and both are, frankly, pretty terrible.
The most ridiculous aspect would have been how both were under production at the same time, if the plots of each weren’t so ridiculous themselves. Disaster movies are always a risky undertaking, and in this case, both fail, though Dante's Peak did win, by a lot, at the box office.
No Strings Attached Vs. Friends With Benefits
On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, you have these two delightful rom-coms. No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher (January 2011), and Friends With Benefits (July 2011) with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis are not just twin movies, either. There's a whole lot more that connects these two, including that both made about the same amount of money at the box office.
Besides being rom-coms with the same basic plot (two friends decide to become, well, friends with benefits with no strings attached), you have all the real-world coincidences. Mila Kunis and Aston Kutcher pretty much did that in real life and ended up married. Timberlake once released an album called No Strings Attached with N’SYNC but isn’t in the movie with the same name. Finally, the movie No Strings Attached actually had the working title Friends With Benefits before being forced to change it due to the other one. Crazy.
Tombstone Vs. Wyatt Earp
This is a case where one movie far outshines the other. One, Tombstone (December 1993) is a beloved classic with endless amounts of quotable lines and over-the-top action. The other, Wyatt Earp (June '94), has basically been completely forgotten about. Both are about Wyatt Earp and are centered around the gunfight at the OK Corral, but that's where the similarities end.
Kevin Costner had the lead role in Earp, which came out just six months after Tombstone, and has a very different vibe. It’s a great-looking film, but it’s not nearly as fun as its predecessor. That, and the fact that so many people saw Tombstone, starring (and maybe directed by) Kurt Russell as Earp, just months before led to Earp being a pretty dismal failure at the box office. There may be people in this world that like Wyatt Earp, but everyone loves Tombstone.
Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves Vs. Robin Hood
Here is an example of Kevin Costner coming out on top in a battle between historical figures getting two films at the same time. Okay, Robin Hood isn’t real, but you get the point. Costner’s Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (June 1991) was an enormous hit at the box office. If you were alive when it came out, you’re probably still sick of that stupid Bryan Adams song.
On the other side of the pond, Robin Hood (May '91) with Uma Thurman and Patrick Bergin as Maid Marian and Robin Hood, ended up in such a financial quagmire that it was released on television, rather than in theaters as intended. It’s a mess of a movie and suffers greatly from a weak antagonist to Hood, instead of the powerhouse performance by Alan Rickman as the Sheriff in Nottingham in Thieves.
Pinocchio Vs. Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
One might think that the release of twin movies wouldn’t happen much in this day and age of big studio releases being scheduled years in advance. Yet, it happened just in 2022 with the September release of Disney’s Pinocchio and the October debut of Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio. To be fair, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio took more than a decade to finally come to full fruition, so you can’t blame Disney for going ahead with its plan for a live-action remake.
In the end, both movies ended up Covid causalities and were released to streaming services, rather than theaters (Disney’s on Disney+ and del Toro's on Netflix). Del Toro’s version of the classic tale has become far better known, especially after winning the Academy Award for Best Animation in 2023.
Iron Eagle Vs. Top Gun
Top Gun owned the box office in 1986. The Tom Cruise classic made a whopping $357 million on a $15 million budget when it opened in May. There were Pepsi commercials, toys, and video games that spawned from its success. But, it wasn’t the first jet fighter-centric movie of 1986. That honor belongs to Iron Eagle, released in January and starring Lou Gossett, Jr. and Jason Gedrick flying jet fighters to save Gedrick's father in the movie. It’s become a cult classic, and its success on VHS (though nothing compared to Top Gun) led to three sequels. Meanwhile, it took 36 years for us to get a sequel to Top Gun, but it was worth the wait.
Antz Vs. A Bug’s Life
You would be excused if you confuse Pixar’s A Bug’s Life and DreamWorks Animation’s Antz. Not only were they released just a month apart in, November and October 1998, respectively, but both are also early entries in computer-animated films and, as the names would imply, about insects.
DreamWorks and Pixar were the two biggest players in animation at the time, and they literally went toe-to-toe (or antenna-to-antenna, as the case may be) with these two. A Bug Life came out on top at the box office, but Antz did respectably well, and without its moderate success, maybe we wouldn’t have the Shrek movies.
Mirror Mirror Vs. Snow White And The Huntsman
On one side, you've got Mirror Mirror, released in March of 2012, which is a fun, light comedy with Julia Roberts as the evil queen and Lily Collins as Snow White. It’s basically a rom-com. On the other side is Snow White and the Huntsman which is a much darker (and much better) retelling of the classic fairy tale.
Released just a few weeks later in May, and starring Chris Hemsworth as the Huntsman, Charlize Theron as the evil queen, and Kristen Stewart as Snow White, it went on to huge success and spawned a prequel in 2016, while Mirror Mirror kind of just faded away. Snow White will always be a source for new films.
Deep Impact Vs. Armageddon
Another classic example of two disaster movies hitting at the same time, like the space objects in their plots. Armageddon, released in July 1998, is pure Michael Bay: big stars and big action (and big box office receipts); led by Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck, among others. Deep Impact (May ‘98) has a huge cast too, including Robert Duvall, and Morgan Freeman as the president.
Both movies are about astronauts braving space and landing on an object (an asteroid in Armageddon, a comet in Deep Impact - totally different, you see) and diverting it away from Earth saving all humanity. Being saved might not be worth it if we keep getting movies like these two, though.
Olympus Has Fallen Vs. White House Down
Fifteen years after humanity was saved from asteroids and comets, Morgan Freeman popped up in another twin movie situation. Olympus Has Fallen (March 2013) stars Freeman as the acting President of the United States who must be protected by a Secret Service member (Gerald Butler) from an assault by terrorists at The White House. It was a big hit and led to two sequels.
In a completely different movie, White House Down (June 2013), the president (Jamie Foxx) must be protected by a Capital Police officer (Channing Tatum) from an assault by terrorists at the White House. See, it’s different because these are domestic terrorists, former U.S. Military, and Tatum plays a cop, not a Secret Service agent. Totally different. It also didn't do well in theaters.
Seven Years In Tibet Vs. Kundun
Brad Pitt is much maligned for his poor German accent in Seven Years In Tibet, but it’s actually a pretty good movie if you can get past it. It’s often forgotten that it was also a twin movie, along with Martin Scorcese’s Kundun. Both were released in late 1997 - Tibet in October, Kundun in December - and, both followed the early years of the Dali Lama in Tibet before the communists expelled him from China. It’s the rare case that both movies are pretty good, even though Kundun completely bombed, and worth a watch if you’ve not seen them.
Like Father, Like Son Vs. Vice Versa Vs. 18 Again!
Well, this is when things just got ridiculous. Sure, the 1980s is a decade remembered for its comedies, and for a few months in 1987 and 1988, it seemed like every single movie was a “switched bodies” movie. First came Like Father, Like Son in October 1987. It stars Dudley Moore as the uptight father who, by magic, switched bodies with his slacker son (Kirk Cameron). The second was Vice Versa in March ‘88, with Judge Reinhold as the uptight father and Fred Savage as his wild son.
The third was very different. George Burns stars as a popular and easygoing millionaire and Charlie Schlatter plays his 18-year-old grandson in 18 Again!, released in April '88. You can see how different it is, right? Totally. It’s also worth noting that Big was released in June of ‘88 and while it’s not a body-swap movie per se, it is another movie where an adult basically plays a child. Something magical must have been in the water that year, though not at the box office, where only Like Father, Like Son succeeded.
Knocked Up Vs. Juno
Two comedies about unexpected pregnancies with very different tones. Juno, released in December 2007 sets the bar for indie comedies of the era and stars two of the genre’s darlings, Elliot Page and Michael Cera, as two teenagers trying to navigate a pregnancy.
Knocked Up, starring Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogan, and released six months prior in June, and follows a reluctant couple as they deal with their own pregnancy after a one-night stand. Very different kinds of comedies, but both are very funny and both have had lasting success.
The Road Vs. The Book Of Eli
We end this list with a couple of films about the end of the world. The Road, one of the bleakest movies ever made, adapted from one of the bleakest books ever written, was released in November 2009 and follows the unnamed character played by Viggo Mortenson as he tries to survive an apocalypse with his young son. It’s a tragic, yet wonderful movie. Unsurprisingly, despite how good it is, the bleak subject matter meant it bombed at the box office.
The Book of Eli, released in January 2010, follows a different path, of sorts, as Denzel Washington delivers a bible in a post-apocalyptic world. Despite the similarities of the movies (featuring our heroes on some sort of quest, even if that’s not defined in The Road), they couldn’t be any different, including in how much money they made, as Eli was a hit. Both are worth the time, however, when you are ready to figure out what kind of person you’ll be when the world ends.
It’s safe to say this kind of poor movie release timing will happen again in the future, and it’s fascinating how often we've seen two movies with the same plot debut close together in the past. It’s also interesting how, often, one far outlasts the others in our collective consciousness, even when we remember there was a “another one” just like it at the time.
