# Coincidental film releases **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2013, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956 "2013-03-04T01:31:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/41 "2013-03-05T10:17:51Z")
_Braveheart_ and _Rob Roy_ came out fairly close together. When a reporter asked about it, Mel Gibson said, “It’s either the Collective Unconscious, or corporate espionage.” ---
**Author:** ![Courk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@Courk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Courk)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/42 "2013-03-05T10:24:38Z")
Prestige/Illusionist ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/43 "2013-03-05T12:03:05Z")
The release of animated film [_Madagascar_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_%282005_film%29) was within weeks of [_The Wild_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_wild) which was almost an exact conceptual replica. It could be argued that _[Prince of Persia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_of_Persia:_The_Sands_of_Time_%28film%29)_ and _[Clash of the Titans](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash_of_the_Titans_%282010_film%29)_ covered similar ground, not least of which was Gemma Arterton. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/44 "2013-03-05T12:42:18Z")
Not exactly coinciding in release, but probably too close together for the second to be a copy of the first: [Titan AE(2000)](http://www.imdb.co.uk/title/tt0120913/) and [Treasure Planet(2002)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133240/) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/45 "2013-03-05T12:57:00Z")
Way back in 1976 we had **Two Minute Warning** and **Black Sunday** , both about terrorists threatening a major football arena. TMW came out first, and I remember hearig Robert Shaw\*, who starred in Black Sunday on a talk show talking about how they were all hoping the other movie would tank. \*Playing a Mossad agent. How’s that for casting? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/46 "2013-03-05T13:01:50Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > \*\*The Matrix \*\*and **The Thirteenth Floor**. I’ve seen people compare \*\*The Matrix \*\*to **Dark City** as well, but they shouldn’t. Don’t forget **XistenZ** , Dabid Cronenberg’s VR movie, also released at the same time. Of the three, **The Matrix** stands out for many reasons, not least of which in the way it barely nodded at the story line of “is it live or is it Memorex?” which dominated the other two (although I really like Thirteenth Floor, which is based on Daniel F. Galouye’s _Simulacron-3_, arguably the very first work about VR) As for comparing **Dark City** and **Matrix** , it’s virtually unavoidable: > [@](#): > > The Matrix was released one year after Dark City and was also filmed at Fox Studios in Sydney using some of the same sets.[36] Comparisons have been made between scenes from the movies, making note of similarities in both cinematography and atmosphere, as well as the plot.[37] > **[Dark City (1998 film)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_City_(1998_film))** > > Dark City is a 1998 tech noir film directed by Alex Proyas, and starring Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien, and Ian Richardson. The screenplay was written by Proyas, Lem Dobbs, and David S. Goyer. In the film, Sewell plays an amnesiac man who, finding himself suspected of murder, attempts to discover his true identity and clear his name while on the run from the police and a mysterious group known as the "Strangers". > Primarily shot at Fox Studios... ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/47 "2013-03-05T13:20:41Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > “Shortly” is putting it mildly. China Syndrome came out _twelve days_ before TMI. Life imitating art, with a vengeance. Another one: the 1966 British teleplay [Cathy Come Home](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_Come_Home) raised public awareness of the homelessness problem in Britain, particularly in relation to women and families. With perfect but unintentional timing, the homeless charity Shelter launched two weeks later, gaining a huge amount of public support off the back of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Rollo\_Tomasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/58956e/32.png) [@Rollo\_Tomasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rollo_Tomasi)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/48 "2013-03-05T13:49:54Z")
I remember going to a movie with my dad and seeing previews for **Percy Jackson & The Olympians** and **Clash of the Titans**. He turned to me and said, “Are those two different movies?” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/49 "2013-03-05T13:58:33Z")
> [@Rollo\_Tomasi](#): > > I remember going to a movie with my dad and seeing previews for **Percy Jackson & The Olympians** and **Clash of the Titans**. He turned to me and said, “Are those two different movies?” They were very different films, but both were based on Grek mythology, and both featured MEDUSA. So of course I had to see both, and purchase the DVDs when they came out. For my money, Uma Thurman is a better CGI Medusa than Natalia Vodianova, but both are sexier than the one described in Rick Riordan’s book. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/50 "2013-03-05T14:04:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Playing a Mossad agent. How’s that for casting? No worse than casting a [Chilean](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1580243/?ref_=sr_1) as one. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/51 "2013-03-05T14:16:42Z")
Back in 1981, _Cinefantastique_ pointed out how **The Howling** , **Wolfen** , and **Full Moon High** all came out at the same time. In 1987 **The Last Emperor** , Bertolucci’s film bio of Pu-Yi came out. at the same time, a Hong Kong film with the same name was released in the US (although is Chinese title translates as _Fire Dragon_. They were clearly piggybacking on the publicity for Bertolucci’s film). What’s interesting is that the films aren’t really competitors – they complement each other, covering different eras in the life of Pu-Yi. If you watched the Bertolucci film first, then Han Hsiang’s, you got his entire life. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/52 "2013-03-05T14:55:22Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Back in 1981, _Cinefantastique_ pointed out how **The Howling** , **Wolfen** , and **Full Moon High** all came out at the same time. Also, “An American Werewolf in London” in 1981. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/53 "2013-03-05T15:33:40Z")
There was another Robin Hood film featuring Patrick Bergen that came out at the same time as Kevin Costner’s magnum opus. IMO it was a better film with less scenery chewing, but lost out on publicity and general hype. Also: no Alan Rickman. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/54 "2013-03-05T15:52:11Z")
_Red Planet_ and _Mission to Mars_, both of which came out in 2000 and both dealing with (you guessed it) Earth missions to Mars. ---
**Author:** ![jali](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecae2f/32.png) [@jali](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jali)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/55 "2013-03-05T15:59:42Z")
**Once Upon a Time** and **Grimm** both started on TV at about the same time. It’s not film, but it’s what came to mind. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/56 "2013-03-09T09:59:52Z")
quite a number of the recent Academy Award nominees had beards, so those are coincidental release of movies featuring bearded men. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/57 "2013-03-09T14:23:14Z")
The Star Trek episode [The Ultimate Computer](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Ultimate_Computer_(episode)) aired just under a month before the release of [2001: A Space Odyssey](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4), and while the plots are different, both feature spaceships controlled by an artificially intelligent computer, which then goes crazy and starts killing. Methinks the Star Trek writers got wind of HAL. Either that or Clarke and Kubrick saw the episode and knocked out _2001_ in 28 days. ---
**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/58 "2013-03-09T16:11:10Z")
**Olympus Has Fallen** features Aaron Eckhart as the President who is taken hostage when terrorists capture the White House. Gerard Butler is called on to save the day. That movie is scheduled for release March 22. **White House Down** features Jamie Foxx as the President who is threatened when terrorists capture the White House. Channing Tatum is the Secret Service agent who helps save the day. That movie is scheduled for release in June. Seriously, when an idea floats around Hollywood, it does appear different studios/writers/producers hear about it through the grapevine and start churning out their takes. Because this does seem to happen a LOT. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/59 "2013-03-09T18:08:41Z")
IIRC, [Tornado!](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117942/combined) went to TV so as to not compete with [Twister](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/combined). ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956/60 "2013-04-01T05:48:53Z")
> [@Uncle\_Jocko](#): > > …Channing Tatum is the Secret Service agent who helps save the day… Nitpick: Wiki says Tatum plays a U.S. Capitol Police officer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coincidental-film-releases/651956.md?page=4)