Twin Movies
Sometimes you see a movie that is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. And other times you see a movie that is eerily similar to a movie you have just recently seen. On this list we will focus on the latter, with movies that were released very close together and feature very similar stories, themes, or characters, known as ‘twin movies.’ I limited it to movies not released more than roughly a year apart, just to give myself some parameters.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) vs. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) - I was planning to go a little more modern with this list, but this one is just hilarious to me. These movies feature the same story, the exact same title, and were released a month apart from one another. I would imagine audiences were incredibly confused by this, because I sure am. One of the two films was released by Paramount and performed much better, due in part to the bigger star in the lead role, John Barrymore.
K-9 (1989) vs. Turner & Hooch (1989) - Both released in ‘89 these two films both center on a cop who end up in a buddy cop type partnership with a dog, resulting in all sorts of antics. ‘K-9’ stars James Belushi and spurred multiple sequel films, while ‘Turner & Hooch’ starred Tom Hanks and had a sequel and later a TV reboot.
Robin Hood (1991) vs. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) - The first of these films was a British made film that debuted in theaters in several countries. It was intended to release theatrically in the US, but was relegated to a TV only release due to the upcoming Kevin Costner led film. The British version stars Patrick Bergin in the lead role, with Uma Thurman as Maid Marian and grossed $23 million. ‘Prince of Thieves’ stars Costner, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as Marian, with Morgan Freeman, Christian Slater, & Alan Rickman also appearing and grossed $390.5 million.
Tombstone (1993) vs. Wyatt Earp (1994) - ‘Tombstone’ is a 1993 Western film about the life of Wyatt Earp. ‘Wyatt Earp’ is a 1994 Western film about the life of Wyatt Earp. The difference is that ‘Tombstone’ was a commercial success and much more well received, starring Kurt Russell in the lead role. The ‘94 film stars Kevin Costner, with Val Kilmer & Dennis Quaid playing Doc Holliday in the respective films.
Kundun (1997) vs. Seven Years in Tibet (1997) - It is kind of funny how things like this happen. Because what do you mean in 1997 there were two American films about the 14th Dalai Lama, with emphasis on his younger years? So strange. ‘Kundun’ was directed by Martin Scorsese, and took a more traditional biopic approach. ‘Seven Years in Tibet’ follows a different lead character, Heinrich Harrer (Brad Pitt), an Austrian mountaineer and soldier who spends seven years in Tibet, becoming one of the teachers of the young Dalai Lama.
Prefontaine (1997) vs. Without Limits (1997) - Again, I find the whole concept of this list incredibly funny. What was going on in 1997 that they needed 2 movies about the Dalai Lama and 2 movies about Steve Prefontaine? ‘Prefontaine’ stars Jared Leto as long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine, telling the story of his tragically short life. The film also R. Lee Ermey & Ed O’Neill as Prefontaine’s coaches, Bill Bowerman & Bill Dellinger. It made just over $500k on an $8 million budget. ‘Without Limits’ stars Billy Crudup in the lead role, with Donald Sutherland as Bowerman, with Sutherland earning a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. The film was well received, but grossed under $800k on a $25 million budget.
Antz (1998) vs. A Bug’s Life (1998) - Probably the most well known example on this list, these two films released a month apart from each other and were a part of a major feud between DreamWorks and Disney/Pixar. Jeffrey Katzenberg had exited from Disney and co-founded DreamWorks and had very public beef with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter at Pixar. ‘Antz’ was very well received by critics and audiences, plus it did well financially, however it will always be overshadowed by ‘A Bug’s Life.’ Pixar’s 2nd film, in 2026 it’s considered a classic Pixar film, which means it’s extremely well beloved by most.
Deep Impact (1998) vs. Armageddon (1998) - Two 1998 films both about the end of the world due to a comet/asteroid crashing into Earth. ‘Armageddon’ was the highest grossing film of the year, and earned 4 Oscar nominations for it’s music, sound, and visuals. ‘Deep Impact’ also did well at the box office and is considered more accurate by astronomers. Neither film is considered super critically acclaimed, but I don’t think that was the goal of either of these films.
The Prestige (2006) vs. The Illusionist (2006) - ‘The Illusionist’ was a critical and commercial success, starring Edward Norton as a magician in the middle of a mystery in the 1890s. However it didn’t have a ton of staying power, and I’d blame that on ‘The Prestige.’ It starred Hugh Jackman & Christian Bale as rival magicians in the middle of a mystery in the 1890s. The film came from Christopher Nolan, meaning it had some mind boggling turns, and also meaning it’s talked about 20 years later due to Nolan’s name power.
Happy Feet (2006) vs. Surf’s Up (2007) - Okay these films don’t really have that much in common, especially relative to some of the other films on this list. They are just both 3d animated films about penguins doing non-penguin things, dancing and surfing, respectively. ‘March of the Penguins’ came out in 2005, spiking the interest in penguins, though both of these film were in development well before the success of that documentary.
Love & Other Drugs (2012) vs. No Strings Attached (2011) vs. Friends with Benefits (2011) - A three for! Now rom coms are released frequently, especially during that era of film. And just because two rom coms were released in the same year, that doesn’t mean they are twin films. But all three of these films focus on couples, Jake Gyllenhaal & Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher & Natalie Portman, and Justin Timberlake & Mila Kunis, respectively, who agree to see each other on a casual basis. But plot twist! They all fall in love! Really the only major difference is that Love & Other Drugs brings in a terminal disease and earned Golden Globe nominations for its two leads.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013) vs. White House Down (2013) - Both of these 2013 films focus on an a terrorist attack directly on the White House, resulting in the President and a former soldier fighting their ways out. The first film stars Aaron Eckhart as the POTUS and Gerard Butler as his Secret Service agent, plus Morgan Freeman as the Speaker of the House. It spawned two sequels that both star Butler & Freeman, with Eckhart appearing in two of the three films. The second film stars Jamie Foxx as the POTUS and Channing Tatum as a veteran who finds himself caught in the middle of the attack.
Pinocchio (2022) vs. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) - The film just titled ‘Pinocchio’ was Disney’s take on a live action remake of it’s classic animated film. It stars Tom Hanks as Geppetto, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth as Pinocchio, & Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jiminy Cricket. The film was released directly onto Disney+ and was panned by critics and audiences alike. It was nominated for 6 Razzie Awards. A few months later, GDT’s version of the story, a stop motion animated film, released on Netflix. It starred David Bradley, Gregory Mann, & Ewan McGregor as Geppetto, Pinocchio, & Jiminy Cricket. It was critically acclaimed, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
The Pope’s Exorcist (2023) vs. The Exorcism (2024) - Horror films are another that could rule this list because there just a lot of them. Both of these films feature an exorcism storyline, one following a priest exorcises multiple demons. The other follows an actor on the set of a movie about a priest performing exorcisms, when his real life begins to look similar to the film. And the main sticking point? Russell Crowe plays the lead in both films, released just over a year apart.
My Penguin Friend (2024) vs. The Penguin Lessons (2024) - Both of these films follow late middle aged men who befriend penguins in South America and learn life lessons from the unconventional friendships. Jean Reno stars as a fisherman in the first, while Steve Coogan stars as a teacher in the second. And just to show how similar they are, I had seen one of them (the latter), but genuinely could not figure out which one I had seen and had to go check my Letterboxd log.
