After years of several stories on film, it’s hard to find a narrative that’s 100 percent
original. Everything seems to take inspiration from something that’s come before. But sometimes,
Hollywood hits rock bottom creatively, and two different studios work on movies that
have nearly identical plots. The phenomenon is known as Twin Films! Here are Screen Rant’s
10 Movies That Stole Their Stories From Other Films.
White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen
We never got to see John McClane in his prime protect the US President in a Die Hard sequel,
so the studios overcompensated for that in 2013. Dueling action films – Olympus Has
Fallen and White House Down – featured a lone action hero fighting off a terrorist
attack at the White House. Olympus went for the R-rating, and that decision paid off.
It was better received critically and ended up being more profitable than the “flashier”
Roland Emmerich flick, which underperformed at the box office despite its A-list cast.
Out of the two, Olympus was the only one to warrant a sequel.
Antz and a Bug’s Life
Pixar’s second feature, A Bug’s Life, is a mostly forgotten entry on their stellar
filmography, but it’s still a strong offering that has beautiful visuals and a powerful
message. But its premise wasn’t as unique as some of Pixar’s other films. DreamWorks’
Antz also dealt with a freethinking ant that falls for a princess and fights to save his
colony – and even beat Pixar to theaters by a month. There’s added drama here, as
some feel DreamWorks’ Jeffrey Katzenberger stole the idea when he left Disney’s animation
department. Both received positive reviews, but A Bug’s Life won the box office war.
Deep Impact and Armageddon
Hollywood loves to blow things up, and worldwide destruction is a staple of the action genre.
Still, the coincidences between Deep Impact and Armageddon were too big to not notice.
Separated by just two months, they both feature a large space object flying towards Earth,
with only a team of unexpected heroes able to stop it before it’s too late. Though
Michael Bay’s Armageddon had more hype and posted higher box office totals, many believe
Deep Impact to be the winner here. It was felt to be the more emotional and sentimental
of the two, while Armageddon was thought to be just brainless fun.
Ed TV and The Truman Show
With today’s society obsessed with reality TV and insta-celebrity culture, The Truman
Show seemed awfully prophetic when it was released in 1998. But maybe that’s because
it executed its premise better than the similar Ed TV, which came out in 1999. Both explored
the oddity of having cameras record your everyday life for the world and the toll that takes
on its subjects, but Truman Show was a bona fide Oscar contender and rode Jim Carrey’s
popularity to box office gold. Ed TV was a commercial dud and received mixed reviews,
making it an afterthought before its run was over.
The Prestige and The Illusionist
Everyone loves the magic of movies, but what about movies about magic? Hollywood double-dipped
in this genre in 2006, when The Prestige and The Illusionist came out. Both were period
pieces that dealt with supernatural magic in deadly magician rivalries. It’s hard
to say which one was the true winner here, as each one received positive reviews and
scored modest box office success and were even nominated for the same Academy Award.
If anything, The Prestige has the upper hand, as director Christopher Nolan’s touch and
the star-studded cast instantly grabbed the viewer and gave them something they’ll never
forget. We’re always watching closely.
Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line
In 1998, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan was one of the defining films of the
year and captivated audiences with its heart-wrenching story and realistic portrayal of World War
II. The epic dealt with the bravery soldiers had to complete their mission – no matter
how foolish it seemed on paper. After Ryan made a fortune at the box office and scored
11 Oscar nods, The Thin Red Line had to be seen as a poor imitation by comparison. Though
it was no slouch, the other WWII film featured similar themes and setup, causing moviegoers
to gloss over it when it was released in January 1999.
No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits
With rare exceptions, rom-coms typically follow the same formula and can come across as clichéd.
That’s exactly how moviegoers felt when No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits
were released just months apart from each other. The premise of both is so similar;
it’s hard for even the most devout movie follower to keep them straight. It doesn’t
help that the two were seen as middling offerings that failed to bring anything new to the genre,
making it difficult for either one to truly stand out. Still, with their charming leads,
the two films make a harmless choice for date night.
Mirror, Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman
When something as recognizable as Snow White is in the public domain, you can bet that
studios will be scrambling to get their own adaptation out. In 2012, Hollywood treated
us to Mirror, Mirror and Snow White and the Huntsman, both using the classic fairy tale
as inspiration. Fortunately, the differences largely stopped there. Mirror, Mirror was
a more light-hearted family friendly affair, while Huntsman strayed towards the darker
blockbuster template for older fantasy fans. The only problem is that neither one completely
pulled off the trick, so fans will still have to settle for Disney’s famous animated version.
Not that we’re complaining.
The Legend of Hercules and Hercules
Once again, Hollywood tried the same thing twice in the same year and the results were
hardly impressive. Two films based on the Hercules mythology came out in 2014, and neither
one blew audiences away. If there’s a winner, it is Hercules, which gave the well-known
story enough narrative twists to keep audiences guessing. Legend of Hercules was a straightforward
origins picture while skipping over elements that may have made it more interesting. Plus,
it’s hard to go wrong with the Rock in an action role, regardless of what it is. He
oozes charisma, especially when compared to Kellan Lutz.
Dante’s Peak and Volcano
There are too many similarities between these two volcano movies to list. They both feature
experienced, but troubled heroes tasked with saving their loved ones before a volcanic
eruption destroys their home city. They even end the same way, with the volcano being deemed
an on-going threat. It’s a shame that neither one was able to pull off that exciting premise,
as the two films suffered identical fates of being critically panned, box office flops.
Dante’s Peak at least offered the intriguing pairing of Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton,
so there’s that if you’re stuck on which one to watch.
Those are our picks for instances where two studios made the same film. Are there any
we missed? Which set of twin films is your favorite? Sound off in the comments section
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