Same Movie Face Off

There is a saying that there are no new ideas in Hollywood. Most of the time it’s simply, a sequel, a spin-off, a remake, a plot being recycled or a cheap B movie capitalizing on a soon to be released big budget blockbuster. However, there are times when two studios make similar movies at the same time. This can often lead to problems at the box office. Production might be rushed to be the first one released or marketing has to be focused on separating the movies. Attempting to show your movie is better is no easy task. Trying to convince an audience they are not seeing the same movie twice is even harder.

Released: March 20, 2013

Budget: 70 Million

Gross: 436 Million

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Dylan McDermott, Angela Bassett

Similar: Terrorist attack the White House. They attempt to take the president hostage and gain access to the U.S.’s nuclear launch codes.

Difference: Olympus Has Fallen has North Korea attacking the White House and wanting to turn the United States into a nuclear parking lot. White House Down tries to create a more complex plot where the attack is plotted by internal forces wanting to change the Presidents recent foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East.

Analysis: Olympus has fallen ended up being a surprise hit early in the year. With a relatively small 70 million dollar budget, it would end up making over 400 million dollars. White House down came out later in the the year and despite its 150 million dollar budget, it could not reach the 100 million dollar mark in theatres. People only want to see the White House blown up once per year.

Released: March 15, 2012

Budget: 85 Million

Gross: 105 Million

Starring: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane

Similar: A live action reimagination of the classic Snow White fairy tale. The story leans heavily toward a princess who needs to save her kingdom by overthrowing an evil sorceress who has plunged the land into darkness.

Difference: Mirror Mirror was more of a children’s film, but did have some heavy adult themes mixed in. The story also took a lot more time in tell the story of the evil Queen, played by Julia Robters. Snow White And The Huntsman went toward the epic struggle of good versus evil and away from the children’s fairy tale.

Analysis: Mirror Mirror was praised for it cinematic beauty and its use of little people for the 7 dwarves. However, it could barely make its money back at the box office. Huntsman got a lot of grief for using name actors and then shrinking them in post production. Almost everybody commented on Kristen Stewart in no way being fairer than Charlize Theron. Yet it was able to thrash it’s competition and pull in an impressive 400 million.

Released: January 21, 2011

Budget: 25 Million

Gross: 146 Million

Starring: Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Cary, Elwes

Similar: Two friends decide to hookup for sex and avoid the complications that go along with a relationship. Things get complicated and their friendship is torn apart, but they soon realize that they are the perfect match. To add another level of similarity, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis both starred in That ‘70s Show. Now they are battling it out in opposite films. Since their characters’ relationship ended poorly on the show, this is a fitting rivalry.

Difference: These two films could not be more different. In No Strings Attached, it is the female character who must overcome her fear of commitment and realize her love for her male friend. In Friends With Benefits, it is the male character who must come to understand his feeling for his female friend. In a strange coincidence, it is the stars from That ‘70s Show who are the ones to have a better understanding of their feelings.

Analysis: These two films are like a Tyler Perry movie, there is a built in audience that creates a guaranteed gross amount. They made almost the exact same at the box office. However, No Strings Attached made a whopping 1 million more than its rival and cost 10 million less. For that reason, No Strings Attached is our winner. More impressive, these two films allowed women to drag men to see both Ashton Kutcher and Justin Timberlake.

Released: October 2, 1998

Budget: 60 Million

Gross: 171 Million

Starring: Woody Allen, Dan Aykroyd, Anne Bancroft, Jane Curtin, Danny Glover, Gene Hackman, Jennifer Lopez, Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, Christopher Walken

Similar: A computer animated film about an ant striving to be an individual and in charge of his own destiny.

Difference: Antz deals with an internal threat to the colony. When one ant survives an attack on the termites, he becomes an accidental hero and the only one who can protect his fellow ants from a power hungry rebellion. A Bug’s Life follows an ant who wants to be an inventor, but his inventions usually backfire. When one machine puts the whole colony at risk from the grasshoppers, he is cast out. He returns with a misfit band of heroes to saves the colony from the evil grasshoppers.

Analysis: Antz was able to gross a little over 100 million dollars profit in theatres. However, Pixar has proven time and time again that they are the king of computer animation. Their production of A Bug’s Life would bring in 358 million in ticket sales and get its own section at Disneyland.

Released: May 8, 1998

Budget: 75 Million

Gross: 349 Million

Starring: Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Elijah Wood, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell

Similar: A large asteroid/meteor is heading toward Earth and going to wipe out life as we know it.

Difference: While there is an attempt to destroy the large meteor heading toward Earth, Deep Impact focuses on shelters being built deep into the ground. The survivors are chosen by their skills need in the new society and a lottery. As the end of the world comes closer, relationships are evaluated and people reflect on what humanity really means. Armageddon has Bruce Willis and his team of deepsea oil drillers fly up into space and blow up a Texas size asteroid with a bunch on nukes.

Analysis: Both Movies did well in theatres, but with a box office total of over half a billion dollars worldwide, Armageddon proves that people would rather see things blown up than deal with touchy feely emotions.

Released: February 7, 1997

Budget: 116 Million

Gross: 169 Million

Starring: Pierce Brosnan, LInda Hamilton

Similar: A volcano erupts in a populated area and puts people’s lives are in mortal peril. It’s a modern day Pompeii.

Difference: Dante’s Peak has a volcanologist trying to convince a town that the dormant volcano by their town is active, but they ignore him for fear of losing money. When it does erupt, the town must be evacuated and it is a race to stay ahead of the devastation raining down on them. Volcano has an earthquake triggers an unknown volcano to eruption in Los Angeles. With no way to evacuate the whole city, the flow of lava must be redirected before it destroys billions of dollars in property and kills millions of people.

Analysis: Neither of these films did well critically or commercially. However, in a head to head showdown, Dante’s Peak was able to pull in around 20 million more profit than Volcano. It also had the current James Bond of the time in the lead role.

Released: September 30, 2005

Budget: 7 Million

Gross: 42.5 Million

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Chris Cooper

Similar: The story of Truman Capote and his journey of writing In Cold Blood. In 1959, Capote and Harper Lee travel to Holcomb, Kansas where the brutal murder of a four person family has just occurred. Capote begins to document the small towns reaction to this horrific crime, but turns his attention to the men arrested for the murders. Capote gains exclusive access to the two accused men and finds himself bonding with one of the murders. This relationship with Perry Smith puts Capote in an inner struggle with his emotions, morality and literary masterpiece.

Difference: There was a different cast.

Analysis: Capote is the clear winner. Philip Seymour Hoffman would win several awards for his portrayal of the title character and his first Oscar. The film itself was nominated for a total of five Academy Awards and would earn back over six times its budget. Infamous could not even recoup one tenth of its budget and was completely ignored by the Academy.