Castle Rock Entertainment / Paramount Pictures Have you ever noticed two movies that seem the same? Maybe you’re not even sure which is which or if you’ve seen one or the other. Hollywood has a long history of competition, which sometimes means producing a movie to outdo a rival studio. For that reason, Stacker compiled a list of 10 occasions in which two movies that told the same, or an eerily similar, story came out in the same year. More than a few films on our list went into production to capitalize on or compete with another movie’s influence. That said, even films with a remarkably similar premise, like animated ant colonies or aerial dogfights, turn out completely different by the time they’re in theaters. A few movies on our list, like “Top Gun” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” are way more popular and acclaimed than the films they resemble that premiered the same year. In many cases, both films garnered similar acclaim and popularity, like the turn-of-the-century stage magic dramas “The Prestige” and “The Illusionist,” which have identical set-ups and actors in similar costumes. Read on for film rivalries you might want to see and decide for yourself which is better. You may also like: Can you guess which iconic movie these scenes are from? ‘Dishonored’ and ‘Mata Hari’ in 1931 Paramount Pictures / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo were at the height of fame when they played World War I spies the same year. Paramount Studios reportedly greenlit “Dishonored” to compete directly with MGM’s “Mata Hari.” “Dishonored” was the third collaboration between Dietrich and director Josef von Sternberg, who had an international hit with 1930’s “The Blue Angel.” While “Mata Hari” was a biopic of the notorious exotic dancer-turned-accused spy, “Dishonored” was loosely based on a similar premise, with Dietrich as Marie, a sex worker embroiled with the Austrian military who seduces Russian officers while gathering intelligence. While “Mata Hari” was Garbo’s biggest commercial success, both Garbo and Dietrich’s roles created icons out of sexually active women who embraced power, danger, and betrayal. ‘Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines’ and ‘The Great Race’ in 1965 ‘Twentieth Century-Fox Productions / Warner Bros. 1965 saw the release of two madcap comedies set in early 20th-century Europe that featured star-studded ensemble casts racing around the world. “The Great Race” focused on sports cars, while the other film was about the titular flying machines. Both films revel in modes of transport and the stunt possibilities of air and sea contraptions that use a pre-steampunk style. Years after co-starring in “Some Like It Hot,” “The Great Race” finds Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis once again sharing the screen. ‘Fellini Satyricon’ and ‘Satyricon’ in 1969 Produzioni Europee Associate (PEA) / Arco Film A rival “Satyricon” was produced to compete with auteur Federico Fellini’s acclaimed, artsy version of the same name. Fellini’s name became part of the title to distinguish his project from that of Alfredo Bini. Both films use Petronius’ satirical novel as source material. While Fellini’s surreal, episodic film was lauded by critics and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Director, Bini’s version was beset by lawsuits and controversy. Both productions disputed the other’s use of the novel’s title, which Bini had registered first. Though Bini’s version was set to premiere first, it was also removed from theaters and charged with obscenity, delaying its release for months while it was eventually cleared of corruption charges. ‘Cannonball’ and ‘The Gumball Rally’ in 1976 Cross Country Productions / Warner Bros. Stunt car chaos pervades two action films based on real-life illegal cross-country races covered by Car and Driver magazine in the early 1970s. This premise offers copious setups for explosions and vehicular mayhem as racers thwart the cops who try to stop them. “Cannonball” stars David Carradine as an ex-con, nicknamed Cannonball, who takes his parole officer girlfriend along with him on a deranged joyride. Both films feature ensemble casts in roles as lawless drivers, but “The Gumball Rally,” which sees Michael Bannon (Michael Sarrazin) embark on a wacky and unruly race across the country, amps up the slapstick antics of the scenario. Both films are swept up in fantasies of power and the notion of fiery crashes as fun times. ‘Top Gun’ and ‘Iron Eagle’ in 1986 Paramount Pictures / TriStar Pictures Jason Gedrick, who plays the hotshot pilot in “Iron Eagle,” was actually an uncredited extra in 1983’s “Risky Business,” the film that catapulted Tom Cruise to stardom. “Iron Eagle” premiered a few months before the megahit “Top Gun” and had a mediocre box office that was still enough to spawn a four-film franchise. Both films feature a rebel (a maverick, if you will) pilot who thwarts the rules to save the day. In “Iron Eagle,” Gedrick (who resembles Cruise with his dark-haired smirk) plays a man who takes on a fictional Arab nation to save his father. Louis Gossett Jr. stars as his sidekick pilot who thwarts military rules. “Top Gun,” also based around aerial dogfights, was much more popular, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1986. ‘Antz’ and ‘A Bug’s Life’ in 1998
10 times strikingly similar movies came out in the same year
