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| ''[[The Green Hornet (Film)|The Green Hornet]]'' || ''[[Green Lantern (Film)|Green Lantern]]''<br /><br />''[[Green Arrow]]'' (on hold) || Green-themed superheroes.<br /><br />It isn't easy being green for [[Development Hell|would-be]] third contender, ''Green Arrow: Escape From Super Max''. ||One is based on a long-running second-tier ''[[Internet Backdraft|(perhaps)]]'' DC icon, one is based on a [[The Green Hornet|cult TV show]]. Both had to correct for [[Weaksauce Weakness|silly weaknesses]] (yellow and [[Sidekick Ex Machina|reliance on]] [[Bruce Lee]], respectively). ||''[[Cracked]]'' made [http://www.cracked.com/article_19015_green-lantern-vs.-green-hornet-telling-them-apart-5Bchart5D.html a chart] pointing out how similar the two movies were. In the end, ''Lantern'' got thrashed by critics and is proving to be a total disaster at the box office for [[Warner Bros]]., who were marketing it as their big movie for the summer of 2011. By contrast, ''Hornet'' got mixed reviews but made back its budget nearly twice over, so it looks to be the winner.
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| ''[[Antz (Animation)|Antz]]'' || ''[[A BugsBug's Life (Animation)|A Bugs Life]]'' ||The first example of Pixar and Dreamworks really dueling. Featuring ants as their main protagonists, the ant worker hero, who wants to stand out among the millions of other ants, falls for the ant princess, who seems an almost unattainable love interest. The ant hero goes on a long journey to a bug city, which is actually a pile of human garbage. And then he returns and gets the girl. ||Apart from the ants being protagonists, almost nothing else about the films was the same. [[A BugsBug's Life (Animation)|A Bugs Life]] had a very cartoonish design, while [[Antz (Animation)|Antz]] had a more realistic design of the insects. Antz had dark humor, dialogue and themes all around, while [[A BugsBug's Life (Animation)|A Bugs Life]] was aimed at children. Just the same, thanks to the ants, they were ''both'' considered to be ripping ''each other'' off. (Fact is, Jeffery Katzenberg, though responsible for getting ''[[Toy Story]]'' greenlit, had just been booted from Disney, was furious at them, and knew about the next Pixar project; the competition was intentional.)|| Both films were a success with both audiences and critics, as well as financially, but ''[[A BugsBug's Life (Animation)|A Bugs Life]]'' won by bringing in $200,000,000 more than ''Antz'' thanks to appealing more to kids and better promotion.
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| ''[[Pitch Black]]'' || ''[[Supernova]]'' ||Space movies featuring a [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits]] -type crew that must survive a hostile environment and an [[Ax Crazy]] serial killer. Most of the crew are killed. ||''PB'' was made in Australia and on a budget that the Aussies considered huge, but in America was only middlin'. It featured Vin Diesel and Claudia Black(who was shooting her first scenes in a [[Sarcasm Mode|little-known]] [[Farscape (TV)|space show with Muppets at the same time]]). ''Supernova'', meanwhile, had a HUGE budget and bigger stars like James Spader. ||''Pitch Black'' did more with it's little than ''Supernova'' did with its lot with a tight storyline and more interesting characters that did not lean on [[Eye Candy]]. It eventually spawned a pretty fat franchise with a sequel, an animated tie-in, a video game, etc. ''Supernova'' was usually graded as "it supersucks!"
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| ''[[Titan AE]]'' || ''[[Treasure Planet]]'' ||Final Bluth and Disney face-off. Fatherless boy tries to solve his [[Disappeared Dad|daddy issues]] by going on a space voyage in search of a long-lost treasure, hidden on a [[Big Dumb Object]], with a [[Incredibly Lame Pun|less-than-stellar]] crew of galactic [[Petting Zoo People]], one of whom is a [[Parental Substitute]], but proves to be [[The Mole]], using a [[I Am Dying Please Take My Macguffin|starmap]] [[You Will Know What to Do|only he]] [[Living MacGuffin|can read]]. The villain {{spoiler|redeems himself in a [[Take My Hand]] moment}} while trying to activate/deactivate the [[Forgotten Phlebotinum|Forgotten]] [[Doomsday Device]]. More specific, you say? OK... ||Both films were heavily and deliberately marketed to single-parent Gen-X kids. [[Used Future]], [[Schizo Tech]] and uplifting [[Grunge]] music pops up on occasion. Oh, and one is about [[Pirates]] in a [[Steampunk]] [[Alternate Universe]], based on a [[Treasure Island|classic novel]]. The other is about [[Space Pirates]] [[After the End]], based on ''[[Star Wars]]'' and ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]''. Both got an [[Earthshattering Kaboom]]. ||Neither. The two films destroyed each other, with ''[[Treasure Planet]]'' being unfairly compared to the (poorly-marketed) ''[[Titan AE|Titan]]'', nearly [[Genre Killer|killing the entire genre]] of traditional animation in one of the worst case of Dueling Films ever. Fortunately, both were later [[Vindicated By Cable]].
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| ''[[One Hundred and Twenty Seven Hours]]'' || ''[[Soul Surfer]]'' || Dramatic films about [[Real Life]] athletes who lose a limb. || ''Hours,'' from [[Danny Boyle]], focuses on Aron Ralston, a hiker who is forced to cut off his own arm to save himself after five days of having his arm trapped by a boulder. ''Surfer'', from Sean McNamara (the director of ''[[Bratz (Film)|Bratz]]''), focuses on Bethany Hamilton, an evangelical Christian surfer who loses an arm from [[EverythingsEverything's Even Worse With Sharks|a shark attack]]. The main difference between these two films is their intended audience: while ''Hours'' aims for a secular audience, ''Surfer'' is intended for the [http://www.soulsurferwave.com/ Christian market.] ||''127 Hours'' was nominated for six [[Academy Award|Oscars]] (including Best Picture and Best Actor for James Franco), and several other awards, but only obtained a modest profit [[Screwed By the Network|thanks to Fox's mismanagement of the movie.]] ''Soul Surfer'', on the other hand, received mixed reception from critics. Additionally, while ''Surfer'' earned much more than ''Hours'' in the United States, it was invisible outside the States, resulting in a lower international box office than ''[[One Hundred and Twenty Seven Hours|127 Hours]].'' ''Hours'' is the victor in this one.
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| ''[[Melancholia]]'' || ''[[The Tree of Life]]'' ||Both are "big-budget art-house films" that feature [[Dysfunction Junction|dysfunctional]] [[Big Screwed -Up Family|family drama]] alongside [[Trippy Finale Syndrome|epic cosmic events]], with the visuals alternating between [[Faux Documentary|realistic shots in hand-held camera]] and [[Visual Effects of Awesome|gorgeous, elaborate takes]] of [[Scenery Porn|scaleless scenery and events]]. || ||Tie. ''Melancholia'' got better reviews and public praise, but while ''[[The Tree of Life]]'' polarized audiences and critics much more, it was more successful theatrically and got more rewards.
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| ''[[Madagascar]]'' || ''[[The Wild]]'' ||Both involve zoo animals escaping and going to Africa, one of whom is a lion character who doesn't really ''want'' to leave. ||It's worth noting that ''The Wild'' started production several years before ''Madagascar'', so this might be an example of the above feud, carried on by Pixar's [[Disney|parent company]]. || As far as box office receipts, ''Madagascar'' was a huge hit, and ''The Wild'' not so much.
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| ''[[Ratatouille]]'' || ''[[The Tale of Despereaux]]'' ||An incident involving a rat, some soup, and interactions with humans have wild repercussions. ||''Ratatouille'' is all about a rodent in the kitchen while ''Desperaux'''s soup-loving rat isn't the protagonist. ||''Despereaux'' was based on a best-selling children's book and had the [[All -Star Cast|flashier cast]] but ''Ratatouille'' won the day and the Best Animated Feature Oscar.
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| ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' || ''[[Shark Tale]]'' || Yet ''another'' Pixar/Dreamworks duel, this time with films about underwater creatures. ||That's about the only similarity. || Both got good reviews, but while ''[[Shark Tale]]'' did decently at the box office, ''[[Finding Nemo]]'' was a box office smash.
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|''[[Jurassic Park]]'' || ''[[Carnosaur (Film)|Carnosaur]]'' ||The latter is basically [[The Mockbuster|a low-budget clone]] of the former, with less philosophy and capitalism and more gore and mad scientists, by [[Roger Corman]], the master of movies [[B -Movie|several grades lower than B]]. ||This example is mostly notable for the fact that the imitator actually got into theaters first, due to a massively quick shooting schedule. Also, Harry Adam Knight, author of the deliberately trashy novel ''Carnosaur'' was based on, has gleefully pointed out that one scene in ''Jurassic Park'' occurs in ''his'' book, but not Michael Crichton's. ||''[[Jurassic Park]]'' held the record for highest grossing film in history for several years, until ''[[Titanic]]'' broke it.
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| ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' || ''[[The Thin Red Line]]'' ||Both films were released in 1998 to rave reviews. Both featured an all-star cast of actors clambering over each other to appear in bit parts; both featured a 30-minute extended bloody assault on a bunker in the first half of the film followed by a long tramp across the countryside punctuated by violence.<br /><br />One is in Europe, one is in the Pacific. Both had HBO [[Spiritual Successor]] miniseries. ||''SPR'' came out several months ahead and had the natural crowd appeal of Spielberg, while reclusive director Terence Malick spent extra time on ''TTRL''. Veterans groups complained ''TTRL'' was insufficiently sympathetic to the Allied cause, while critics complained that the second half of ''SPR'' was too mawkish. ||''Saving Private Ryan'' by far among the general public, while ''The Thin Red Line'' is still in heated contention with ''SPR'' among critics and film buffs. <br /><br />Of related series, ''[[The Pacific]]'' is more often compared to ''[[Band of Brothers]]'' than ''TTRL''.
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| ''[[Deep Impact]]'' || ''[[Armageddon]]'' ||Meteor-strike [[Disaster Movie|disaster movies]]. Neither films were imitations of each other ''per se'', but they revolved around different reactions to the same idea, one more dramatic, the other more action-based. ''Armageddon'' made more money, but scientists lauded the technical accuracy of ''Deep Impact''. ||Amusingly, in an early screening of ''Deep Impact'', Morgan Freeman is giving a speech in which he reassures his audience that life will go on after the meteor-hit, declaring, "There will be no armageddon." Too many viewers at the screening got the in-joke, however, and the [[Narm|uproarious laughter at what was meant as a dramatic scene]] induced the director to cut the line from the final print. ||Although ''[[Deep Impact]]'' is regarded as the better film, [[Armageddon]] wins with better box office and the fact that more people are aware of it 10 years after the fact, though that's not to say they ''[[Love It or Hate It|fondly]]'' remember it.
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| ''[[Dantes Peak]]'' || ''[[Volcano (Film)|Volcano]]'' ||Movies about volcanoes! The former is set in a small town, and is [[Very Loosely Based Onon a True Story|very loosely based on the Mt. St. Helens explosion]]. The latter is set in Los Angeles and is therefore much crazier in scale. ||As above, not ''exactly'' imitations, but these were both released around the same time and dueled each other with very similar plots. The former, incidentally, is considered notable for being one of the few popcorn disaster movies that actually [[Shown Their Work|tries for scientific accuracy]]. ||Surprisingly, ''Dante's Peak'' won, with $6 million more in box office receipts. ''Volcano'' gets the consolation prize of being shown on cable much more often. Heck, it's probably on right now somewhere!
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| ''[[Twister]]'' || ''[[Tornado]][[Excited Show Title|!]]'', ''[[Night of the Twisters]]'' || Yes, three films all dealing with tornadoes - ''Twister'' being a major Hollywood production, while the other two were [[Made for TV Movie|made for TV movies]]. || ''[[Twister]]'' was directed by Jan [[De Bont]] of ''[[Speed (Film)|Speed]]'' fame and co-written by [[Jurassic Park|Michale Crichton]] while ''Tornado!'' was written by [[The Last Samurai|John]] [[The Aviator|Logan]]. ''Night of the Twisters'' was based on a novel which was [[Based Onon a True Story]]. || Pretty much as expected: Hollywood won with ''Twister'' grossing over $200 million. The other two pretty much faded into footnotes; however, ''Night of the Twisters'' was able to outlast ''Tornado!'' thanks to more repeats on television. ''Twister'' still gets more showings on TV while the others do not.
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| ''[[Dark City]]'', ''[[The Matrix]]'' || ''[[The Thirteenth Floor]]'', ''[[eXistenZ]]'' ||Each film centered around reality not being really real and [[It Was His Sled|just a simulation]] in the future, albeit for different reasons and created by different sources. ||Of course, the Matrix was a huge blockbuster, while ''Thirteenth Floor'' was viewed to be a copy. It's really not, as the two movies have almost nothing in common. The same applies to ''[[eXistenZ]]'', but with a generous helping of [[Body Horror]]. ||''[[The Matrix]]'' by a country mile. It re-used the exact same sets and camera angles as the previous ''[[Dark City]]'', causing much consternation by fans of the latter film such as [[Roger Ebert]].
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| ''[[No Country for Old Men]]'' || ''[[There Will Be Blood]]'' ||Auteur film about the dark heart of <s>America</s> a [[Memetic Badass|highly memorable]] [[Villain Protagonist]] isolated from humanity as he slowly eliminates his enemies in what looks like the desert of West Texas (where both movies were filmed). ||[[Bonus Points]] if you have to remember which film had the correct & apropos title.<br />[[Non -Indicative Name|Hint:]] One is about a middle-aged sociopath, one is about a serial murderer. || Tied. ''No Country'' won more awards at the Oscars of that year, including nabbing Best Picture, while TWBB is on many best-of lists. Lampshaded [http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_130_if-movie-titles-were-honest_p35/#2 here]
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| ''Knock Off'' || ''[[Rush Hour]]'' ||''Rush Hour'' was a comedy-action movie teaming martial arts star Jackie Chan with comedian Chris Tucker. ''Knock Off'' had a similar set up by teaming Jean-Claude Van Damme with Rob Schneider. ||While many people have accused ''Knock Off'' of being a [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Knock Off]] made to capitalize on ''Rush Hour'', they seem to be ignoring the fact that it was released a month before the better movie. ||''[[Rush Hour]]'' by a mile, which has also gone on to spawn 2 sequels.
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| ''[[The Dark Crystal]]'' || ''[[Krull]]'' || Fantasy films from the 80s, each was set in an exotic world ruled by an evil force. A fortress must be penetrated. ||[[The Dark Crystal]] was done by [[Jim Henson]] which meant, of course, [[Muppet|animatronic puppets]] while [[Krull]] was live action. ||Each have their fans, so let's just say it's a draw and leave it at that.
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| ''[[Destination Moon]]'' (1950);<br /><br />''[[Tintin (Comic Book)|Destination Moon]]'' (1950), unrelated || ''[[Rocketship X-M]]'' ||''Moon'' was scientifically accurate, featured a script by [[Robert A. Heinlein]], and pretty much kicked off the "space adventure" genre of film; ''X-M'' featured [[Space Is Noisy|sound in space]], [[Space Friction|rockets stopping when the engines cut out]], and eventually ended up on ''[[MST3K]]''. ||Another case of the ripoff making it into theaters first; ''Destination Moon'' was famously advertised as "Two years in the making!", and ''X-M'' took advantage of it. ||''[[Destination Moon]]'' (film).<br /><br />The 2-part ''Tintin'' series was [http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3p.html#tintin more scientifically accurate and prescient] than either of them, and eerily similar in plot, but didn't cross the pond.
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| ''[[Independence Day]]'' || ''The Arrival'' (also, ''[[Mars Attacks (Film)]]!'') ||[[Alien Invasion]] movies released in the summer of 1996 (or late autumn, in the case of ''[[Mars Attacks (Film)]]!''). ||Aside from involving an alien invasion, they are ''nothing'' alike. ''[[Independence Day]]'' was the big-studio production with a big budget, big stars, big promotion and churned out an even bigger profit. ''The Arrival'' was intended to be more of a thoughtful thriller, with only one brand-name star (Charlie Sheen). It never had a chance. ||''ID4'': Can anyone actually remember ''The Arrival''? (Yes! The guy looked like [[Half-Life|Gordon Freeman]]!)
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| ''[[The Illusionist (Film)|The Illusionist]]'' || ''[[The Prestige]]'' ||Period movies where very handsome actors play magicians who seem to perform the impossible, both having their wide release in fall 2006. ||''The Prestige'' was an edgy thriller, ''The Illusionist'' a love story with a softer fairy-tale feel. ||Both. They were equally successful, but for different reasons. ''Prestige'' seems to have more fans currently.
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| ''[[The Abyss]]'' ||''Deep Star Six'' and ''[[Leviathan (Film)|Leviathan]]'' ||For some reason, one of those unsolved mysteries of the universe, 1989 saw ''three'' submarine sci-fi thrillers.<br /><br />They all feature people trapped in confined spaces, ridiculous aquatic gear, monsters, and tons of water. ||It's not clear that one is the original and the others imitators, but ''[[The Abyss]]'' is generally regarded as the best, and the other two ended up [[Just for Pun|soggy]] (though they're both pretty entertaining in their own right). || ''[[The Abyss]]''.
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| ''[[Alien|Alien: Resurrection]]'' ||''[[Deep Rising]]'' ||A [[Ragtag Bunch of Misfits|rag-tag bunch]] of pirates/mercenaries, joined by the protagonist(s) and a number of original crew members (including the human villain, who decide later on that now would be the perfect time to [[Chronic Backstabbing Disorder|back-stab]] the survivors) try to escape from the bowels of [[Ghost Ship|a ship]] that’s hopelessly infested with a group of extremely lethal predators after the former crew [[EverybodysEverybody's Dead, Dave|has departed/vanished]]. Both prominently feature an extended underwater action set-piece at some point. ||''[[Deep Rising]]'' came out in January 1998, ''[[Alien|Resurrection]]'' in November 1997. The latter had been in gestation far longer than that (pretty much since the release of the third film in 1992), but early script versions differ significantly from the movie that ultimately ended up in theatres. ''Alien: Resurrection'' was helmed by French director [[Jean Pierre Jeunet]], ''Deep Rising'' by [[Stephen Sommers]]. || ''[[Alien|Resurrection]]'' was the bigger film by far, with more big-name-stars, a larger budget, and an extensive marketing campaign. It failed to become the financial blockbuster-success that [[Twentieth Century Fox]] had hoped for however, and is considered [[Sequelitis|a major drop-down in quality]] from previous instalments of [[Alien|the series]]. ''[[Deep Rising]]'', while less successful financially by comparison, has gained a bit of a cult following primarily due to the [[Guilty Pleasure|sheer enjoyability of the movie]] and its habit of never taking itself seriously.
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| ''[[Sex and The City]]'' || ''The Women'' ||[[Big Applesauce|New York-set]], [[Costume Porn]]- filled (or at least should've been, in the case of ''The Women'', part of the reason it's allegedly unfilmable) [[Chick Flick]] about [[Four Girl Ensemble|four close older female friends]] (a romantic, a cynic, a prude, and an [[Anything That Moves]] girl) band together when relationship troubles loom. ||''The Women'' is based on a play (which had already had a fondly remembered film adaptation made in 1939); said play is about how ridiculously cruel women are to each other. Another feature of the play/film is that no men are ever seen or even heard in a kind of faux-[[Gendercide]]. || Both opened to middling reviews, but ''SATC'' got the most box office.
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|''[[Mission to Mars]]''||''Red Planet'' and ''[[Ghosts of Mars]]''||Movies about going to Mars!||''M2M'' was ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (Film)|2001]]''-lite, but the other two were b-movie fare.||All three got middling-to-low reviews. Weirdly, ''Ghosts of Mars'' could be considered the overall victor, since it just about broke even with the DVD release, whereas the other two were major money losers for their studios.
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| ''[[Gordy]]'' || ''[[Babe]]'' ||Live action movies that involve talking pigs, both released in 1995.||''Gordy'' was released first and was not very successful critically or commercially. ''Babe'' ended up being a smash hit, getting a sequel (though the sequel [[What Do You Mean ItsIt's for Kids?|bombed pretty badly]]). ||''[[Babe]]'' is considered one of the greatest family films ever made (and certainly the best-ever with talking animals). It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
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| ''[[Gamer (Film)|Gamer]]'' || ''[[Surrogates (Film)|Surrogates]]'' ||Computer game concepts brought into [[Real Life]] with interesting consequences. ''Gamer'' is first because its trailer was first. ||Both movies have a similar set up but different plots: ''Gamer'' deals with prisoners being forced to lend their bodies to teenaged gamers for deadly shooting matches, while ''Surrogates'' is when an entire population of humans who have become effectively immortal thanks to idealized android bodies, is suddenly threatened by a murderer.||Neither, as both opened to low reviews and an indifferent audience.
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| ''[[Delgo (Animation)|Delgo]]'' || ''[[Avatar (Film)|Avatar]]'' ||CGI Sci-fi passion-projects about two ethnic groups of separate species fighting each other and how two of the separate species attempt to stop the fighting and fall in love in the process.||While both have been in production for years, ''Delgo'' did come out first. A lawsuit was even prompted by the makers of ''Delgo'' against ''Avatar''. ||''Avatar'' is currently the top-grossing film ''of all time''. ''Delgo'', meanwhile, is currently the biggest box-office ''flop'' in the history of animation. An incredibly mishandled marketing campaign and releasing the film in a handful of theaters in an overcrowded market didn't help. Many guess that the lawsuit is an attempt to somehow recoup ''Delgo'''s budget after its epic failure at the box office or the studio taking jokes made about the two films seriously.
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| ''[[Catch-22]]'' || ''[[Mash (Film)|Mash]]'' ||Deconstructive black comedy war movies released in 1970, with not much combat but a surprising amount of blood, starring ensemble casts of screwballs, [[Anvilicious|and most certainly not using earlier wars as stand-ins for Vietnam]]. ||If suicide is painless, perhaps that is the answer to the Catch-22. ||''Catch-22'', despite an all-star cast, got tepid reviews and flopped. ''M*A*S*H'' was a huge success, made [[Robert Altman]] famous, inspired an [[Recycled: theThe Series|even more successful TV series]], and helped usher in the 70's auteur era in general.
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| ''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'' || ''[[Cinderella Man]]'' ||Two emotional and evocative stories involving boxing, released in 2005. Both movies feature underdog stories of fighters trying to succeed where others would have them fail, each with the support of an engaging mentor. One ends happy, while the other one? Not so much.<br /><br />''[[The Fighter]]'' came out in 2010, a bit late to make weight, but it coulda' been a contender. ||This is a rare case of two excellent movies that happened to be released in the same year, instead of a studio quickly greenlighting a cheap imitation of the first. Both were directed by powerhouse directors (Clint Eastwood and Ron Howard), both with stellar casts and critical acclaim. Poor promotion doomed ''Cinderella Man'' at the box-office, while ''Million Dollar Baby'' was released during a more opportune time of the year, and was far more successful. ''Million Dollar Baby'' took home the Oscar, while ''Cinderella Man'' was mostly forgotten by the time nominations came around. ||''[[Million Dollar Baby]]'', though really, everyone wins. See both movies.
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| ''Prefontaine'' || ''Without Limits'' || Late 90's biographical films about Steve Prefontaine. ||Billy Crudup's depiction of the title character in ''Without Limits'' is generally better regarded, as is the directing and production; ''Prefontaine'' stands mostly on the basis of greater historical accuracy and a standout performance by R. Lee Ermey. ||''Without Limits'', although neither was much of a box office or critical success.
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| ''[[Paranormal Activity]]'' || ''[[The Fourth Kind]]'' || (very) Loosely-[[Based Onon a True Story]] films that use videotaped sequences to enhance the realism. || ''Paranormal'' is a [[Faux Documentary]] while ''Fourth'' is a more conventional film. || In terms of the cost-to-earnings ratio ''Paranormal'' is the clear winner, being a $15,000 [[YouTube]] series that earned millions (and sequels!).
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| ''[[Open Season]]'' || ''[[Over the Hedge (Film)|Over the Hedge]]'' || [[All -Star Cast]] CGI films about wild vs. tame/cosmopolitan animals. || ''Season'' deals with a tame bear being introduced to the wild while ''Hedge'' deals with wild animals being introduced to the suburbs. Interestingly, both films have [[EverythingsEverything's Worse With Bears|bears]] as the catalyst for their respective plots. ||Though both films were profitable and ''[[Open Season]]'' had a sequel in production (though that went straight to DVD), ''Hedge'' made more money and was much better critically received.
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| ''[[The Legend of the Titanic]]'' || ''[[Titanic the Legend Goes On]]'' || Two [[So Bad ItsIt's Good]] movies VERY LOOSELY based on the Titanic disaster, and the movie ''[[Titanic]]''. The fact that they ''both'' seem to consider the tragedy of the Titanic to be a "Legend" is [[They Just Didn't Care|very telling]]. || Both of them include talking animals and happy endings. ''The Legend Of The Titanic'' attempts more on the storyline part while ''Titanic The Legend Goes On'' attempts to have more characters and subplots. ||Neither of them got a critical success. Commercial success outside Italy at least was very limited for both of them too. However, ''[[The Legend of the Titanic]]'' managed to get a sequel.
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| ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' || ''[[The Howling]]'' || Two 1981 horror/comedy movies about werewolves. They were the first of their kind to show an "actual" trasformation scene of men turning into wolves. || ''The Howling'' has six sequels, all crappy stuff; AAWIL only has one, ''[[An American Werewolf in Paris]]'', which was mediocre at best. || ''American Werewolf'' is the better remembered of the two and became something of a cult classic, although ''Howling'' came first by a couple of months.
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| ''[[Percy Jackson and The Olympians|Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief]]'' || ''[[Clash of the Titans]]'' || Two action-adventure movies with very different target audiences (''Percy Jackson'' is based on a YA book series; ''Clash'' is a remake of the [[Ray Harryhausen|1981 movie]]). Both are [[Sadly Mythtaken|very loosely]] based on [[Classical Mythology]], up to having an overlapping character roster. Which Zeus do you prefer, [[Sean Bean]] or [[Liam Neeson]]? || The sequel for the Percy Jackson movie was announced ''before'' the release. ||Both films received lukewarm reviews, but ''Clash'' did much better financially.
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| ''[[Chasing Liberty]]'' || ''[[First Daughter]]'' ||Could these two films, both released in 2004, have a more similar plot? They're both romantic comedies about a [[The PresidentsPresident's Daughter|First Daughter]] who falls in love with a seemingly ordinary young man, only to discover that he's actually an undercover Secret Service. ||It's unclear which movie is a copy of which; ''Chasing Liberty'' was released in January, eight months before the release of ''First Daughter'', but it's uncertain which entered development first. ||Neither; both films were easily forgettable romantic comedies which made little impact at the box office.
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| ''[[The Road]]'' || ''[[The Book of Eli]]'' ||Both are [[Apocalypse How|Post-Apocalyptic]]-themed movies with a male protagonist safeguarding something they hold dear. The former is trying to survive with his son and the latter is keeping the [[The Bible (Literature)|last Bible]] on Earth from a [[Sinister Minister|corrupt priest]]. || Whilst the two movies deal with some similar themes, The Road is a much more methodical and [[Darkest Hour|bleak]] in its approach whilst The Book of Eli's placed more emphasis on action and had a more [[Fallout|Fallout-esque]] scenario || Critically ''[[The Road]]'' fared much better but just about broke even money wise. ''[[The Book of Eli]]'' had a significantly better box-office gross.
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| ''[[Underworld Evolution]]'' || ''[[Ultraviolet]]'' || Comic book movie sans an actual comic (''Ultraviolet'' even starts with fake comics that the film's based on). A vampire war/rebellion led by a shapely [[Action Girl]]. || It seems that most of ''Ultraviolet'''s vampire references (the heroine and her pals are infected with a virus that mimics vampirism; the [[MacGuffin]] is a possible cure) were cut out so as to distance itself from ''Underworld'', which led to some audience confusion. || ''Underworld: Evolution'' did well enough to continue the franchise with at least two more sequels. ''Ultraviolet'', while visually striking, didn't do well enough to start its franchise.
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| ''[[Underworld (Film)|Underworld]]'' Series || ''[[Resident Evil (Film)|Resident Evil]]'' Series || Both series revolve around a [[Badass Abnormal]] [[Hot Amazon]] [[Action Girl]] protagonist and her struggles against various supernatural foes. They are both known for their highly stylized cinematography. Both franchises moved to [[Three D3D Movie|3-D]] with their respective fourth entries. Oh, and the lead actresses of each franchise (Kate Beckinsale and [[Milla Jovovich]]) later married the respective directors of each series' first film (Len Wiseman and Paul W. S. Anderson). || ''Underworld'' is an [[Urban Fantasy]] story about [[Fur Against Fang|the war between vampires and werewolves]], while ''Resident Evil'' is a [[Zombie Apocalypse]] story adapted from [[Resident Evil|the video game series]]. || Screen Gems Pictures, which produces both series and makes roughly even money from both of them. Though both series are critically reviled, they have been rather successful at the box office. Also, they have never had to compete with one another at the box office, with ''Underworld'' and ''Resident Evil'' films coming out in alternating years, until 2012 that is, although ''Underwold: Awakening'' and ''Resident Evil: Retribution'' will be in theaters at the different times of the year. Critically, both series tend to be regarded as cinematic junk food, though ''Underworld'' wins by a small margin given that the ''RE'' films also have a [[Hatedom]] from [[Adaptation Decay|fans of the games]]. Commercially, on the other hand, ''RE'' wins hands-down, having grossed over twice as much money as the ''Underworld'' films.
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| ''[[The Horror Show]]'' || ''[[Shocker]]'' || Both movies center around [[Serial Killer|serial killers]] who meet their demise in the electric chair. The killer in question has made supernatural precautions and returns from death to torment those who captured him. || Both films were released 1989 with a six month gap between them. || Neither faired well in the box office, but ''Shocker'' at least made its money back.
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| ''[[Mirror Mirror (Film)|Mirror Mirror]]'' || ''[[Snow White and The Huntsman (Film)|Snow White and The Huntsman]]'' || 2012 live-action versions of "[[Snow White (Literature)|Snow White]]". ||''Mirror Mirror'' is more humorous and family friendly, whereas ''Snow White and the Huntsman'' is more of a horror movie. The former has Lily [[The Blind Side|Collins (Touhy)]] as Snow White and [[Julia Roberts]] as the evil queen; the latter has [[The Twilight Saga|Bella]] and [[Thor (Film)|Thor]] as the title characters and [[Monster (Film)|Eileen Wournos]] as the evil queen! || Too early to tell; only one has been released so far. Incidentally the director of [[Fun With Acronyms|SWATH]] isn't worried about competition since one is for kids and the other's for adults. A third film by Disney, titled ''Order of the Seven'' is set to skew the action film route with the dwarves replaced by an international group of martial artists.
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| ''[[Cowboys and Aliens (Film)|Cowboys and Aliens]]'' || ''[[Attack the Block (Film)|Attack the Block]]'' || 2011 [[X Meets Y|Genre mash-ups]] where aliens invade during an American western and a mugging in London, respectively || Both opened on the same day and both have fanboy-fave directors ([[Jon Favreau]] and [[Edgar Wright]]), but ''Cowboys and Aliens'' had a Comic Con presence and an [[All -Star Cast]]. || ''Cowboys and Aliens'' had a wider release but mixed reviews while ''Attack The Block'' got a small release and relatively great reviews.
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| ''[[Big Fat Liar]]'' || ''[[Max Keebles Big Move]]'' || Two movies released within six months of each other about a kid seeking revenge on an adult or, in Max's case, adults. || || ''Big Fat Liar'' had a bigger box office gross and is more widely remembered.
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| ''[[The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Film)|The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen]]'' || ''[[Van Helsing]]'' || [[Crossover|Characters from multiple stories]] team up to save or destroy the world. [[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]] feature in both. || [[Xtreme Kool Letterz|"LXG"]]'s team comes from classic, mostly public-domain stories while "Van Helsing"'s monsters [[Universal Horror|are all from Universal Studios]] (fun fact: the original plan was a direct sequel/prequel to "Bram Stoker's Dracula" but Anthony Hopkins was too old). || Both did all right but a sequel is highly unlikely.
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| ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' || ''S.F.W.'' || Movies released in 1994 that satirize [[If It Bleeds, It Leads|the news media's obsession with violence]]. || The main characters in ''NBK'' are [[Villain Protagonist|Villain Protagonists]], while the main characters in ''S.F.W.'' are the survivors of a hostage situation going through their [[Fifteen Minutes of Fame]]. The latter film is also very, ''[[Totally Radical|very]]'' [[Grunge]]-y and [[The Nineties|'90s]] (its title is an acronym for [[Fun With Acronyms|"So F**king What"]]), to the point of being an [[Unintentional Period Piece]]. || ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' stands as a classic (albeit [[Love It or Hate It|a very controversial one]]) and a landmark of both the decade and Oliver Stone's career, while ''S.F.W.'' would mostly be forgotten if not for the fact that it starred a young [[Reese Witherspoon]].
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| ''[[War Of The Buttons]]'' || ''The New War Of The Buttons'' || Rival French productions in 2011 based on the exact same source material (the work had just gone into the public domain). However, the "new" one is set during World War II, and its rival during the War of Algeria, so they deal with differing issues (the original novel was set in the peaceful "Belle Epoque"). || ''War Of The Buttons'' was pitched first and has unknown actors in the cast. ''The New War Of The Buttons'' was pitched five months later and has a few name actors (such as Guillaume Canet and Laetitia Casta) in its cast. Both films ended up opening a week apart. || ''War Of The Buttons'' had the bigger opening but it's too soon to tell.
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| ''Lovelace'' || ''Inferno'' || Competing biopics about the famed porn star Linda Lovelace. || ''Inferno'' was in development first and originally had [[Lindsay Lohan]] attached to star (Malin Akerman has replaced her) while ''Lovelace'' is being fast-tracked by Millennium Films to beat ''Inferno'' to theatres (and will have [[Amanda Seyfried]] starring). || ''Lovelace'' wins before release as ''Inferno'' felt apart due to budget issues.
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| ''[[Prep and Landing]]'' (TV special) || ''[[Arthur Christmas]]'' || Stories sharing a similar concept of Santa Claus and his elves using advanced technology and secret agent techniques to [[How Can Santa Deliver All Those Toys?|deliver all those toys]] though soon, one child's Christmas has to be saved.|| The original special and Arthur Christmas were put in development close to the same time, though as a film, ''Arthur Christmas'' took longer. While ''Prep and Landing'' focused primarily on the elves and hid the faces of the Clauses, the story of ''Arthur Christmas'' focuses on the Claus family relationships. || ''Prep and Landing'' was successful enough on ABC to receive a follow-up short and a sequel. ''Arthur Christmas'', on the other hand, had trouble at the box-office when faced with ''[[The Muppets (Film)|The Muppets]]'' and ''[[Breaking Dawn]]''; however, it was blessed with rave reviews.
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| ''[[Hugo]]'' || ''[[Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close]]'' || From ''Entertainment Weekly'': [[All -Star Cast]] movie about young boy who goes on a journey of discovery after finding a mysterious key left by his dead father and helps an old man. || ''Hugo'' takes place in Paris in [[The Thirties]] (lovingly recreated by Scorsese) while ''Extremely Loud'' takes place before and after 9/11 ([[Present Day Past|which Hollywood hasn't yet grasped is no longer]] [[The Present Day]]). || ''Hugo,'' by a wide critical and [[Academy Award|award-winning]] margin.
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| ''[[The Muppets (Film)|The Muppets]]'' || ''[[AlvinandtheAlvin and the Chipmunks (Film)|Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked]]'' || [[Long Runner]] franchise-based family movies where [[Funny Animal]] characters interact with humans (portrayed by celebrity actors). Both movies feature various musical numbers. || While ''Alvin 3'' mostly relied on [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]] and crude humor to appeal to older audiences, and was a sequel to a kids' movie that had already been a big hit, ''The Muppets'' relied on nostalgia for [[Jim Henson]]'s brand of entertainment as seen on ''[[The Muppet Show]]''. Also notable is that ''Alvin 3'''s Funny Animals were rendered in CGI (a bigger draw for kids), whereas the ones in ''The Muppets'' were... well, [[Captain Obvious|Muppets]].|| ''The Muppets'' got rave reviews and decent box office returns, but thanks to ''[[Twilight (Literature)|Breaking Dawn]]'', wasn't able to perform as well as it potentially could have. ''Alvin 3'', on the other hand, was savaged by critics, but made more money than ''The Muppets''. This [[The Princess and The Frog|wasn't the first time]] that a ''Chipmunks'' movie [[Critical Dissonance|beat out better-reviewed competition]] from Disney.
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| ''[[The Avengers (Film)|The Avengers]]'' || ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' || Superhero films based on [[Marvel Comics]] and [[DC Comics]]. ''The Avengers'' is a team-up movie featuring (some of) [[The Avengers (Comic Book)|Marvel's greatest superheroes]] - [[Iron Man]], [[Captain America]], [[The Mighty Thor|Thor]] and others. ''The Dark Knight Rises'' is about [[Batman (Comic Book)|Batman]]. || Both movies are the culmination of their respective franchises spanning over several years. ''The Avengers'' is the climax of the [[Marvel Cinematic Universe]] to date (although more films are planned), while ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' is the definite end of [[Christopher Nolan]]'s [[Dark Knight Trilogy]]. || Hard to say until both films are released. Critically at least, the Batman movies directed by Nolan have fared better than the Marvel movies by several different directors (''The Avengers'' is helmed by [[Joss Whedon]]). But box office-wise, both franchises are licenses to print money. (Somewhat obscured amidst the massive hype for both movies is [[Take a Third Option|a third major superhero film,]] a [[Continuity Reboot]] of the ''[[Spider Man (Film)|Spider-Man]]'' film series called ''[[The Amazing Spider Man (Film)|The Amazing Spider-Man]]''.)
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| ''[[Victor Victoria]]'' || ''[[Tootsie]]'' || 1982 comedies in which an out-of-work performer resorts to posing as the opposite gender to get a job. Career success comes with romantic challenges due to having to keep up the charade. || The former film is about a woman masquerading as a man (selling "himself" as a female impersonator) in 1930s Paris, and is a diegetic musical; the latter has a man masquerading as a woman to land a [[Soap Opera]] role in what was then present-day New York City. || The movies were released far enough apart (March and December) that they didn't step on each other's toes, and both got great reviews. ''Tootsie'' turned out to be the second biggest box-office hit of 1982 and made it to #2 on the AFI's list of the 100 funniest comedies in 2000 (the movie that beat it? ''[[Some Like It Hot]]'') -- but ''[[Victor Victoria]]'' also did well financially, is #76 on that list, and had an unsuccessful [[Screen to Stage Adaptation]] in 1995. Both movies received a clutch of [[Academy Award]] nominations and each won one (Song Score for the former, Supporting Actress for the latter). Everybody came out a winner on this one.
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| ''Can't Stop the Music'' || ''[[Xanadu]]'' || 1980 disco musicals, each with a $20 million budget, that double as [[Non Actor Vehicle|non-actor vehicles]]. Both involve alumni of the 1978 blockbuster ''[[Grease]]'': producer Allan Carr and screenwriter Bronte Woodard with the former, and lead actress Olivia Newton-John with the latter. (Carr wanted Newton-John for the female lead in ''Can't Stop'', but it didn't work out.) || The former fictionalizes the creation and rise to stardom of [[The Village People]] and intertwines it with a romance between an uptight lawyer (Bruce Jenner) and a feisty ex-model (Valerie Perrine). The latter is a fantasy about a Greek Muse (Newton-John) who inspires a struggling artist (Michael Beck) to open a lavish roller disco; complications ensue when she falls in love with him. || ''Can't Stop'' opened in June, ''Xanadu'' in August -- either way, they were victims of the [[Deader Than Disco|"Disco Sucks" backlash]]. Both received wretched reviews and [[Star -Derailing Role|derailed the film careers]] of several of their leads. They inspired the very first Golden Raspberry Awards when they ran as a double feature; the former "won" Worst Picture and Screenplay, and the latter Worst Director. But ''Xanadu'' barely made back its budget, had a hit soundtrack, became a [[Camp]] classic via cable, and received an intentionally tongue-in-cheek [[Screen to Stage Adaptation]] in 2007. ''Can't Stop the Music'' only grossed $2 million and sounded the death knell for [[The Village People]]'s popularity.
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| ''[[Legend (Film)|Legend]]'' || ''[[Labyrinth (Film)|Labyrinth]]'' || Big-budget, lavishly designed and special effects-heavy fantasies with a youthful hero/heroine and newfound fantastical companions on a quest to face off with a [[Big Bad]] and right a terrible wrong. A major plot point has the seductive, [[Large Ham]] villain (played by [[Tim Curry]] in the former, [[David Bowie]] in the latter) attempting to woo the leading lady. Both films share a cinematographer (Alex Thomson). While in the U.K. they were Christmas releases for 1985 and '86, respectively, the North American releases were but two months apart in the spring/summer of '86. || The two movies take [[The HerosHero's Journey]] in different directions. [[Ridley Scott]]'s ''Legend'' is an archetypal, straightforward [[Fairy Tale]] with a [[Nature Hero]] saving a [[Princess Classic]] and unicorns from a villain who's effectively [[Satan]], and the fate of the world is at stake. [[Jim Henson]]'s ''Labyrinth'' is an often-humorous musical take on the [[Down the Rabbit Hole]] plot, with the [[Present Day]] heroine merely seeking to rescue the baby brother she wished away into the land of the Goblin King, and the major characters have more complex personalities and development. The former film uses prosthetic makeup for its non-human characters, while the latter uses [[Starring Special Effects|animatronic puppets]] instead. || Both films were box-office flops in the U.S., the latter only doing a little better than the former with critics, but gained cult followings on the video market. In recent years, ''Legend'''s reputation has gone up a bit thanks to a Director's Cut (the U.S. release was significantly shorter and had a completely different score), but ''Labyrinth'' has proven popular enough to spawn several [[Memetic Mutation|memes]] and an [[Expanded Universe]] in graphic novel form.
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| ''[[Para Norman]]'' || ''[[Frankenweenie]]'' || Battle of the stop-motion kids' horror movies 2012! || Norman [[I See Dead People|sees dead people]] (and zombies), is in color, and produced by the makers of ''[[Coraline]]'' while Victor [[FrankensteinsFrankenstein's Monster|brought his dog back to life]], is [[Deliberately Monochrome]], and is a remake of director [[Tim Burton]]'s live-action [[Short Film]]. || If the trailers are any indication everyone wins.
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| ''Pixels'' || ''[[Wreck It Ralph]]''|| [[All CGI Cartoon]] about video game characters || ''Pixels'' is an expansion of a short film, and appears to be about video game characters invading the real world. ''[[Wreck It Ralph]]'' is a Disney feature about an [[Expy]] of [[Donkey Kong]] and [[Popeye|Bluto]] trying to prove he has what it takes to be a hero. || Too soon to tell.
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