Two of the biggest films of 2016—Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice—had nearly the same plot. This isn’t the first time Hollywood made
two movies with the same story at the same time. How does this happen? And which of the
movies did fans like more? Let's find out.
Dawn of Justice vs. Civil War
Even though Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War may have come
out at nearly the same time, large chunks of each were based on comic books published
20 years apart: DC’s The Dark Knight Returns came out in 1986 and Marvel’s Civil War
came out in 2006.
Dawn of Justice got the jump by arriving in theaters first. But when it comes to battles
between superhero films about battles between superheroes, Captain America: Civil War is
the clear winner. Not only did it easily blow past Batman v Superman's box office take in
a matter of days, it also has a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes compared to just
27% for Batman v Superman. Pow!
The Equalizer vs. John Wick
The Equalizer and John Wick arrived in theaters less than a month apart in the fall of 2014.
And they shared a couple specific, major plot points: both have a lead character who is
a retired hitman dealing with the death of a beloved wife, and both come out of retirement
for personal reasons to exact revenge on the Russian mob. What kind of monsters kill a
guy’s dog?!
The similarities didn't seem to affect the performance of either movie. Both were box
office hits and paved the way for sequels.
"I'm thinkin' I'm back!"
Olympus Has Fallen vs. White House Down
Back in 2013, it was no secret that both Sony and Millennium Films were making movies about
terrorists attacking the White House. The competing projects publicly raced each other
to see which could land the bigger stars and get released first. Agent Gerard Butler and
President Aaron Eckhart hit theaters first with Olympus Has Fallen, with agent Channing
Tatum and President Jamie Foxx following just a couple months later in White House Down.
"Ow! Can you not hit me in the head with a rocket while I'm trying to drive!"
Both films were moderate successes at the box office, but neither hit it big. Though
Olympus Has Fallen got a poorly reviewed sequel in 2016: London Has Fallen. Turns out fictional
politics just can’t match the entertainment factor of the real thing.
No Strings Attached vs. Friends with Benefits
Paramount and Screen Gems had a bit of a pickle on their hands in 2011. Not only were they
both making movies about couples who start off casual only to fall in love, but both
films had the same name: Friends with Benefits. Paramount eventually blinked, changing the
name of their movie to No Strings Attached. It barely mattered. Both Friends with Benefits
and No Strings Attached were huge hits at the box office.
Apparently it was an idea whose time had come. Twice.
Megamind vs. Despicable Me
It's easy to see the similarities between 2010's Despicable Me and Megamind: they're
both animated features about supervillains who aren't really bad guys at all, which they
prove after stopping an actual villain from conquering everything. And the critics took
notice, hammering Megamind for being too similar to Despicable Me, which had opened earlier
in the year. But the main difference that turned Despicable Me into a worldwide phenomenon
wasn't timing, it was those lovable minions.
It just goes to show that the old Hollywood adage is still true: never mess with a talking
Twinkie.
Skyline vs. Battle: Los Angeles
These two films about aliens attacking LA were just a little too similar for Battle:
Los Angeles producer Sony Pictures. They threatened to sue Skyline directors Colin and Greg Strouse
because the company they used for Skyline's special effects had also been hired by Sony
to do special effects for Battle: Los Angeles. Sony alleged that the Strouse brothers had
stolen the idea from them—or at least some of the special effects—but eventually decided
not to bother suing. They probably figured Los Angeles couldn't survive another battle
so soon.
The Prestige vs. The Illusionist
It's one thing when Hollywood coughs up two films about general concepts like alien invasions.
It's another when two films come out at the same time about a highly specific topic, like
the world of stage magicians in the late 19th century. Somehow, though, that's exactly what
happened in 2006 with The Prestige and The Illusionist.
"What happened?"
"It was the greatest magic trick I've ever seen"
Both featured stellar casts and both did well at the box office. But it was The Prestige
that earned the prestige, pulling two Oscar nominations out of its hat compared to just
one for The Illusionist.
(applause)
"Bravo!"
Deep Impact vs. Armageddon
Finally, there's Deep Impact and Armageddon. Fueled by fears that the end of the millennium
would also bring about the end of the world, audiences in 1998 were primed for films about
giant asteroids crashing into Earth, and both films became box office smashes.
"Rejoice in what we have been re-given. Our planet."
Most people probably don't even remember Deep Impact, though, while Armageddon has entered
legend as one of the cheesiest blockbusters of all time. Hard to believe, but Deep Impact
just wasn't quite dumb enough.
Of course, that stupid Aerosmith song playing on endless repeat on the radio since 1998
probably helped ensure that we'd never, ever forget Armageddon for as long as we lived...
(Aerosmith song playing)
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