25 Similar Movies Released Around the Same Year

01. Olympus Has Fallen | White House Down – 2013

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! 24 more after the break...

02. Babe | Gordy – 1995

04. Chasing Liberty | First Daughter – 2004

05. Volcano | Dante’s Peak – 1997

06. Antz | A Bug’s Life – 1998

07. Turner & Hooch | K-9 – 1989

08. Armageddon | Deep Impact – 1998

09. Friends With Benefits | No Strings Attached – 2011

10. Shark Tale | Finding Nemo – 2004/2003

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

12. Red Planet | Mission to Mars – 2000

13. Top Gun | Iron Eagle – 1986

14. Capote | Infamous – 2006

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

16. Abyss | Leviathan – 1989

17. Stealing Harvard | Orange County – 2002

18. Powder | Phenomenon – 1995/1996

19. Tombstone | Wyatt Earp – 1994

20. The Wild | Madagascar – 2006/2005

21. Striptease | Showgirls – 1996/1995

22. The Truman Show | EDtv – 1998/1999

23. The Cave | The Descent – 2005

24. Cop Out | The Other Guys – 2010

25. After Earth | Oblivion – 2013