With hundreds of movies released each year, it is not unusual for some of them to have similar plots or characters. Such movies are often separated by a few years or even decades, especially if they are remakes, reboots, or inspired versions. But sometimes, the year of release of identical movies ends up overlapping. Because of their eerily similar plots and characters, it is hard not to notice and compare these films.
1. Antz and A Bug’s Life
The year 1998 saw the release of two animated movies revolving around adventurous ants fighting against other insects. While Antz had one worker ant fighting a war against an army of termites, A Bug’s Life focused on a worker ant getting some help from a group of circus performers to defend his colony from grasshoppers. There are often debates about which is better, but A Bug’s Life had better luck at the box office. This is mostly because it is a fun, family-friendly movie that worked well despite Antz managing to get voiceovers from Gene Hackman and Sylvester Stallone.
2. The Illusionist and The Prestige
The 2006 films, both exploring the mystery of classic magicians, continue to cause confusion among fans. The Illusionist had Edward Norton and Jessica Biel as protagonists. Set in 1889 Vienna, its plot revolves around Norton’s character, the illusionist himself, using magic to trick a town and its detective investigating him so that he can run away with Biel’s character. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige had two rival magicians trying to outdo each other in the 1890s in London.
3. Volcano and Dante’s Peak
There is no dearth of disaster movies in Hollywood, but two of them, that too with similar premises, released at the same time is still a strange coincidence. This is what happened in 1997 with the release of Dante’s Peak and Volcano. Both movies saw their leading men attempting to save their loved ones and twins from an unexpected volcanic eruption.
4. Friends with Benefits and No Strings Attached
Romantic comedies are a staple in Hollywood, even with their tropes and plots often recycled. That said, it’s quite rare that two near-identical rom-coms are released at the same time. This is what happened in 2011 with the release of No Strings Attached and Friends with Benefits. What caused more confusion among audiences is that one-half of the protagonists of each film were rumored to be in a relationship. Mila Kunis, who starred in Friends with Benefits, and Ashton Kutcher from No Strings Attached, announced much later that they began dating in 2012.
5. Deep Impact and Armageddon
Between 1996 and 1997, the Hale-Bopp comet was one of the brightest to be observed for a long period (18 months). This was perhaps what inspired two science fiction/disaster movies to be released around the same time in 1998. One was Micheal Bay’s Armageddon, and another was Deep Impact, made by Mimi Leder. While both movies had different storylines, the central premise was the same—sending crews to space to blow up a meteor and stop it from hitting Earth.
6. Turner & Hooch and K-9
Dogs have been popularly featured as best friends to humans and even main characters in Hollywood. Some of the top movies and TV series featuring dogs were released in the 1980s and 1990s. Among them were two buddy cop films that came out together in 1989. While Turner & Hooch saw considerable box office success, K-9 became relatively unknown. Both movies had the lead actors as cops paired with a dog each, with outlandish personalities. Both the leading characters start by being at odds with their furry companions but go on to form a close bond at the end that helps them solve their cases.
7. The Matrix and eXistenZ
Not until one was paying close attention would they know that there was another film based on a premise similar to that of the groundbreaking The Matrix. Coincidentally, both were released in the same year, 1999. The Wachowskis’ creation, The Matrix, revolves around a computer hacker who follows a series of clues to ultimately figure out that the reality that he perceives is actually a virtual world designed by machines that are using his physical form as a source of power. Meanwhile, David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ follows a video game publicist who enters a virtual reality world to test an erroneous immersive game. The setups here were nearly identical, with the protagonists immersed in a reality that was not real.
8. Chasing Liberty and First Daughter
This coincidence is unfortunate, as it was one of those instances where two near-identical movies failed at the box office. First Daughter and Chasing Liberty were released in 2004, with storylines so similar that even if the cast was interchanged, nothing would actually be different. The basic plot of both movies centered around the President’s daughter, who wants to be free from the restrictions of the White House and the Secret Service agents. The protagonists in both movies try to break free and live their own lives, but they both fall in love with men, who, spoiler alert, are then revealed to be Secret Service agents protecting the female leads covertly. With Chasing Liberty flopping, the release date of First Daughter was pushed. But that still didn’t help, and First Daughter saw a similar fate.