History FollowTheLeader / LiveActionFilms

** ''Film/{{Them}}'', in 1954, was a huge hit, adding the final touch of [[BigCreepyCrawlies casting giant insects as the menace]], leading to a wave of imitators all throughout TheFifties such as ''Film/BeginningOfTheEnd'', ''Film/{{Tarantula}}'', ''Film/TheBlackScorpion'', ''Film/TheDeadlyMantis'', and ''Film/EarthVsTheSpider''. Its influence can be traced through its imitators in more than just the obvious giant creatures. Its PoliceProcedural/pseudo-documentary style was also widely imitated, as were even minor tropes, like giving the female lead a GenderMisdirection introduction.

* The success of the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' films spawned a number of paranormal teen romances, including [[Film/RedRidingHood a reimagining]] of ''Literature/LittleRedRidingHood'', a film version of ''Literature/IAmNumberFour'', and ''Film/TheWolfman2010''. ''{{Literature/Beastly}}'''s film adaptation was also noted to be heavily inspired by ''Twilight''.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' was initially going to be a single film, but it had to be split into [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows two parts]] due to the length of the shooting script (nearly 5 hours long). After the two films had a combined box office intake of $2.2 billion (compared to the $1 billion a single film would have brought in), studios began to [[MovieMultipack split the final films of their franchises into two parts]] so they could milk them for more profits. Examples that saw the light of day include ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Breaking Dawn]]'', ''[[Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay Mockingjay]]'' and ''[[Literature/{{Divergent}} Allegiant]]''. Taken even futher with ''Film/TheHobbit'', which splits the book into a full trilogy of films.

* The success of Creator/QuentinTarantino's ''Film/PulpFiction'' led to a glut of similarly stylistic and flashy Crime Dramas in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Emulated features including nonlinear timelines, amoral-yet-cool gangsters, gritty violence mixed with humor, and snappy dialogue about seemingly trivial subjects. Films include ''TwoDaysInTheValley'', ''Film/SuicideKings'', ''Film/ThingsToDoInDenverWhenYoureDead'', ''Film/LockStockAndTwoSmokingBarrels'', '' Film/{{Snatch}}'', and ''Film/LuckyNumberSlevin''.

** RomanticComedy variations in which [[MagicalGirlfriend the otherworldly being]] and a human fall in love: ''Voyage of the Rock Aliens'', ''Film/{{Splash}}'' (mermaid), ''Film/{{Mannequin}}'' (which is actually an enchanted woman), ''Making Mr. Right'' (android), ''Date with an Angel'' (self-explanatory), ''Film/EarthGirlsAreEasy'' (alien), and ''Film/MyStepmotherIsAnAlien''. ''Film/{{Starman}}'' (alien) is a PlayedForDrama version that not only had a followup TV series but inspired two PilotMovie attempts at imitation shows (''Starcrossed'' and a TV version of the novel ''Literature/TheManWhoFellToEarth''). Disney's ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', released in 1989, has a good deal in common with these films but as an animated FairyTale gives the point of view to the title character rather than the human.

** Along with the ''Film/{{Taken}}'' franchise, ''John Wick'' has possibly repopularized the down-to-Earth concept of a highly-trained but realistic badass (possibly even older) taking on multiple enemies (sometimes in a quest for vengeance), serving as a "back-to-basics" GenreThrowback of the glory days of action movie cinema not unlike ''Film/TheExpendables'' franchise. Examples include ''Film/TheEqualizer'' and [[Film/TheEqualizer2 its sequel]] starring Creator/DenzelWashington, ''Film/TheAccountant'' starring Creator/BenAffleck, ''Film/TheForeigner'' starring Creator/JackieChan, ''Proud Mary'' starring Creator/TarajiPHenson, ''Film/{{Peppermint}}'' starring Creator/JenniferGarner, ''Film/{{Polar}}'' starring Creator/MadsMikkelsen, ''Film/GunpowderMilkshake'' starring Creator/KarenGillan, and ''The Protégé'' starring Creator/MaggieQ to name a few.

* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' begat the concept of the SummerBlockbuster, along with a slew of "animals attack" movies; one of the best copiers was ''Film/{{Alligator}}.'' One of these films, ''Film/{{Piranha}},'' inspired few followers of its own in form of ''Barracuda'' and ''Killer Fish.''

* The smashing successes of ''Film/TheFlintstones'' and ''Film/{{Casper}}'' led to a string of [[LiveActionAdaptation live-action adaptations]] based on older cartoons well into TheNewTens, such as ''Film/GeorgeOfTheJungle'', ''Film/MrMagoo'', ''Film/InspectorGadget'', ''Film/DudleyDoRight'', ''Film/TheAdventuresOfRockyAndBullwinkle'', ''Film/JosieAndThePussycats'', ''Film/ScoobyDoo'', ''Film/{{Garfield}}'', ''Film/FatAlbert'', ''Film/{{Underdog}}'', ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', ''Film/{{Marmaduke}}'', ''Film/YogiBear'', and ''Film/TheSmurfs'', nearly all of which were met with a polarizing response at best from general audiences and became punchlines for critics and cartoon fans.

* The nature documentary ''Film/MarchOfThePenguins'' led to two animated features [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins with penguin characters:]] ''WesternAnimation/HappyFeet'' and ''WesternAnimation/SurfsUp''. Both were in production long before ''March of the Penguins'' was released (that being the nature of feature quality animation of either kind), but the success of ''March'' probably got them slightly more publicity for getting on the "penguin bandwagon."

*** This sentient has certainly been echoed in the production company behind the ''Franchise/JohnWick'' franchise, 87North Productions[[note]]also known as 87Eleven Productions[[/note]]. Founded by Creator/DavidLeitch and Kelly [=McCormick=] as a partnership with Creator/{{Universal}}, the production company has worked on several films similar to ''John Wick'' with many of the actors doing many of their own stunts. Some of their productions include ''Film/{{Nobody}}'' starring Creator/BobOdenkirk, ''Film/{{Kate}}'' starring Creator/MaryElizabethWinstead'', ''Film/BulletTrain'' starring Creator/BradPitt, and ''Film/ViolentNight'' starring Creator/DavidHarbour.

** The aforementioned action sequences that refrained from the overuse of quick cuts and editing while also maintaining a stylish and/or realistic feel has inspired many actors and actresses to endure the training processes and bring more authenticity to their roles.[[note]]Interestingly, two of the films mentioned (''Atomic Blonde'' and ''Deadpool 2'') share a co-director, albeit uncredited, in the form of David Leitch.[[/note]] Examples include ''Film/AtomicBlonde'' starring Creator/CharlizeTheron, ''Film/TheVillainess'', ''Film/Deadpool2'', ''Film/MissionImpossibleFallout'', ''Film/{{Extraction}}'' starring Creator/ChrisHemsworth, and ''Film/TheOldGuard''. In fact, for ''Extraction'', director Sam Hargrave (stunt coordinator for ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'') stated that the extended and highly physical action sequences for ''John Wick'' paved the way for ''Extraction'''s fight and stunt choreography.

** Along with the ''Film/{{Taken}}'' franchise, ''John Wick'' has possibly repopularized the down-to-Earth concept of a highly-trained but realistic badass (possibly even older) taking on multiple enemies sometimes, in a quest for vengeance, serving as a "back-to-basics" GenreThrowback of the glory days of action movie cinema (not unlike ''Film/TheExpendables'' franchise). Examples include ''Film/TheEqualizer'' and [[Film/TheEqualizer2 its sequel]] starring Creator/DenzelWashington, ''Film/TheAccountant'' starring Creator/BenAffleck, ''Film/TheForeigner'' starring Creator/JackieChan, ''Proud Mary'' starring Creator/TarajiPHenson, ''Film/{{Peppermint}}'' starring Creator/JenniferGarner, ''Film/{{Polar}}'' starring Creator/MadsMikkelsen, ''Film/{{Extraction}}'' starring Creator/ChrisHemsworth, ''Film/{{Nobody}}'' starring Creator/BobOdenkirk, ''Film/GunpowderMilkshake'' starring Creator/KarenGillan, ''The Protégé'' starring Creator/MaggieQ, and ''Kate'' starring Creator/MaryElizabethWinstead to name a few.
* The success of ''Film/Halloween2018'' kickstarted a trend of old horror franchises getting brought back for new sequels following a similar formula (being a direct sequel to the original that ignores most or all of the prior sequels and bringing back an old protagonist, often including a RoleReprise) -- e.g. ''Film/TexasChainsawMassacre2022'', ''Film/Scream2022'', and ''The Exorcist (2023)''. It also brought [[Film/Hellraiser2022 a reboot]] of the original ''Film/{{Hellraiser}}'' out of DevelopmentHell, as the rights holders only started taking the idea seriously after ''Halloween (2018)'' became a success.

** In late 2022, it was announced that Creator/JamesGunn (who had previously worked in the MCU for a number of years as the director of the ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' movies) had been appointed as the co-head of the newly reorganized Creator/DCStudios alongside Peter Safran. Beyond the obvious example of DC poaching a former Marvel director to oversee their new slate of movies, it later came out that Gunn would be relaunching the DC Universe entirely, with a tighter emphasis on continuity and a plan to expand to other mediums like live-action TV and animation, echoing the expansion of the MCU in recent years.

** WB's eventual ''Film/{{Justice League|2017}}'' movie ended up becoming one of the biggest examples of the trope. Originally conceived as a [[MovieMultipack two-part saga]], it ended up being heavily altered after ''Batman v Superman'' was trashed by critics and performed below WB's box office expectations. WB condensed the story into a single movie and brought in Creator/JossWhedon to write new scenes intended to make the film more comedic and lighthearted, blatantly aping Whedon's own work on the ''Avengers'' movies. As a result, many reviewers and fans commented that ''Justice League'' feels way more like a Marvel movie than the previous DCEU films.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' was initially going to be a single film, but it had to be split into [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows two parts]] due to the length of the shooting script (nearly 5 hours long). After the two films had a combined box office intake of $2.2 billion (compared to the $1 billion a single film would have brought in), studios began to [[MovieMultipack split the final films of their franchises into two parts]] so they could milk them for more profits. Examples that saw the light of day include ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Breaking Dawn]]'', ''[[Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay Mockingjay]]'' and ''[[Literature/{{Divergent}} Allegiant]]''. ''Film/TheHobbit'' splits the book into a full trilogy of films.

* After films like ''Film/MaryPoppins'', ''Film/MyFairLady'', and especially ''Theatre/TheSoundOfMusic'' hit the big time at the mid-1960s box-office, big studios fast-tracked a ton of big-budget movie musicals. While one, ''Theatre/{{Oliver}}'', was successful enough to win the 1968 Best Picture Oscar, and ''Film/FunnyGirl'' launched Music/BarbraStreisand's movie career, changing audience tastes doomed the vast majority of them to significant financial losses. The genre limped through the 1970s and quietly died in the early 1980s (with a mini-revival by way of the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon in the '90s).

** Willis O'Brien's 1925 version of ''Film/TheLostWorld'' [[AdaptationExpansion invented]] the notion of [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever a giant monster rampaging through a city]], which O'Brien later did again with ''Film/KingKong1933''. The Japanese ''Film/{{Gojira}}'' and ''Film/TheBeastFromTwentyThousandFathoms'', with effects by O'Brien's protege, Ray Harryhausen, took the next step by linking the monster to [[ILoveNuclearPower the nuclear bomb]].

* The DisasterMovie craze in the 1970s featured such works as ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', ''Film/TheChinaSyndrome'', and ''Film/{{Airport}}''. This only ended with the release of ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', a parody that [[GenreKiller meant such films couldn't be taken seriously anymore]]. (That's how you know your parody was successful... when you kill your ''entire targeted genre''.) The DisasterMovie craze made a brief comeback with ''{{Film/Twister}}'', ''Film/{{Armageddon}}''/''Film/DeepImpact'' and ''Film/{{Volcano}}''/''Film/DantesPeak'', and a whole slew of mediocre Creator/{{Syfy}} [[Film/SyfyOriginalMovie movies]] about earthquakes and volcanoes and killer storms in unlikely or odd locations.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' was initially going to be a single film, but it had to be split into [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows two parts]] due to the length of the shooting script (nearly 5 hours long). After the two films had a combined box office intake of $2.2 billion (compared to the $1 billion a single film would have brought in), studios began to [[MovieMultipack split the final films of their franchises into two parts]] so they could milk them for more profits. Examples that saw the light of day include ''[[Literature/{{Twilight}} Breaking Dawn]]'', ''[[Film/TheHungerGamesMockingjay Mockingjay]]'' and ''[[Literature/{{Divergent}} Allegiant]]''. Arguably taken UpToEleven by ''Film/TheHobbit'', which splits the book into a full trilogy of films.

* The back-to-back successes of ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' and ''Film/Batman1989'' in particular kickstarted a brief wave of films inspired by old school, 1930s and '40s pulp and newspaper heroes (or pastiches of old-school pulp and newspaper heroes), such as ''Film/DickTracy,'' ''Film/TheShadow'', ''Film/{{The Phantom|1996}}'', ''Film/RemoWilliamsTheAdventureBegins'', ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossTheEighthDimension'' and ''Film/TheRocketeer''. It intersected neatly with the brief revivals of swing music and [=WW2=] films in the 90s.

* ''Film/{{Dolls}}'' and ''Film/ChildsPlay'' jumpstarted the "Killer Doll" horror sub-genre.

* The success of ''Film/{{The Avengers|2012}}'' convinced WB to do ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'' as a sequel to ''Film/ManOfSteel.'' The movie was even [[DuelingWorks/FilmSuperhero set to go up against]] ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'' in 2015, but was pushed back a year. It even extends to Marvel properties that are still owned by other studios: Creator/{{Sony}} was moving forward with Comicbook/{{Venom}} and [[Franchise/SpiderMan Sinister Six]] spin-offs of ''Film/TheAmazingSpiderMan'' (before the franchise was cancelled), and the CrisisCrossover and LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters elements of ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' were conceived in response to the success of ''The Avengers.''

* ''Film/{{Gladiator}}'' restarted the SwordAndSandal genre, which had included movies like ''Film/BenHur1959''. Creator/RussellCrowe's powerful performance, the high budget settings, and gritty action caught something in the audience that studios have attempted to imitate with films such as ''Film/{{Troy}}'', ''Film/KingArthur'', ''Film/{{Alexander}}'', and most iconic of them all, ''Film/ThreeHundred''. From there inspired by the success of ''300'' this lineage would carry onto more hyper-stylized and overtly-fantastical entries like the ''Film/ClashOfTheTitans2010'' remake and its sequel ''Film/WrathOfTheTitans'', ''Film/{{Immortals}}'', two ''Hercules'' films released in 2014 (''Film/TheLegendOfHercules'' and ''Film/Hercules2014''), as well as its own follow-up ''Film/ThreeHundredRiseOfAnEmpire''. Even if they weren't set during the time of antiquity director Creator/RidleyScott himself would attempt to recapture the magic with films like ''Film/KingdomOfHeaven'', ''Film/RobinHood2010'', and ''Film/ExodusGodsAndKings'' whilst also being a producer on a film version of ''Film/TristanAndIsolde'' directed by Kevin Reynolds. Though none of them managed to attain the same level of success or popularity. While not as widely known, expensively produced, or successful the reverberations of what ''Gladiator'' started can be still felt in some Roman films, most of which are set in Britain for some reason, like ''Film/TheLastLegion'', ''Film/{{Centurion}}'', ''Film/TheEagle2011'', and ''Film/{{Pompeii}}''. As well as ones not in antiquity like the Medieval set ''Film/{{Ironclad}}'' and its sequel ''Ironclad: Battle for Blood''. Most recently was the newest big-screen iteration of ''Film/BenHur2016''; however, its failure at the box office does not bode well for the genre at present.

** The ''Film/DarkUniverse'' was an interesting variation, because the classic Universal Horror movies codified the concept of a SharedUniverse of many different movies taking place in one continuity back in the age of classic black and white movies, after the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they tried to revive this concept again in 2017 with [[{{Film/TheMummy2017}} The Mummy]], but it was scrapped with just one movie.

** The ''Nostromo'''s set design also heavily influenced SF movies and TV series with grungy, industrial UsedFuture settings: ''Film/{{Saturn 3}}'', ''Film/{{Outland}}'' and ''Film/TwoThousandTenTheYearWeMakeContact'' (both directed by Peter Hyams), the Vogon ship in ''Series/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' TV series, ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' (not surprising, being a sequel), ''Series/RedDwarf'' after the first two seasons, the interiors of Borg ships in ''Franchise/StarTrek'', ''Film/EventHorizon'', and the first ''Film/{{Cube}}'' movie.

* The makers of the ''Film/{{Gamera}}'' films are making their own ContinuityReboot for Gamera's MilestoneCelebration in response to ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}''.

* The massive success of ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead'' has led other films, such as ''Film/{{Severance}}'' and ''Film/LesbianVampireKillers'', to try and mix comedy and horror. Quality ranges from alright to bad. But one thing is certain: [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative all of these films will be promoted as the best comedy horror since]] ''Film/ShaunOfTheDead''.

* ''Film/ThePurge'': The film is quite comparable to ''Film/TheStrangers'', ''Film/{{Ils}}'' and ''Film/{{Vacancy}}'', particularly with home invasions. The sequels, however, moved away from the home invasion angle and put more focus on the eponymous event, which was considered for the better.

** The success of Japan's ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' franchise led to many different monster movies all across Asia, including ''Film/{{Pulgasari}}'' (an obscure North Korean film about a monster ''made of rice that comes to life and eats metal'' commissioned by none other than ''Kim Jong-Il himself''), ''Film/YongaryMonsterFromTheDeep'', ''Film/{{Gorgo}}'' (which was actually made in Britain and featured on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''), ''Gappa'', ''Film/{{Reptilicus}}'' (probably the only Danish kaiju film and also featured on ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000''), ''The X From Outer Space'', and [[Film/{{Gamera}} everyone's favorite flying turtle]]. The genre was recently started up again with Creator/PeterJackson's ''Film/KingKong2005'', and subsequently [[GenreThrowback revamped]] with South Korea's ''Film/TheHost'', which was followed by ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}''.

** The original ''[[Film/ANewHope Star Wars]]'' film itself drew from many sources. The ''[[Film/TheHiddenFortress Hidden Fortress]]'' connection is well known. The ''Film/{{Dune|1984}}''-Tatooine inspiration is pretty obvious. You can tell Creator/GeorgeLucas must have seen at least ''[[Anime/UchuuSenkanYamato Space Battleship Yamato]]'' episodes 26, 1, and 8, in that order, so we can probably pin his famous trip to Japan down to early 1975 when the series went into reruns. Creator/IsaacAsimov noticed some similarity to his ''{{Franchise/Foundation}}'' series but didn't take it personally. As [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Mizner Wilson Mizner]] observed, stealing from ''everybody'' is just called "research."