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Dueling Works / Film
aka: Dueling Movies

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    • Capsule Pitch Description: Description
    • Implementation: Implementation

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    Action-Adventure (non-Sci-Fi) 

  • Treasure Island (1934) / The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1934 released swashbuckling adventure films based on classic pieces of literature that helped revitalize interest in the genre.
    • Implementation:

  • The Prince And The Pauper (1937) / The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Both were swashbuckling adventure films released in 1937 based on classic stories that center around a to-be-crowned king meeting his physical double which spirals into political strife for control of the country.
    • Implementation:

  • Gunga Din (1939) / The Four Feathers (1939)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1939 released adventure films that center around British military men venturing into colonial land where they must contend with a dangerous group of "natives" looming over.
    • Implementation:

  • The Sea Hawk (1940) / The Mark of Zorro (1940)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1940 released swashbuckler adventure films.
    • Implementation: Each in some ways seem to be trying to channel Errol Flynn's own The Adventures of Robin HoodThe Sea Hawk with Flynn himself, Zorro by casting Basil Rathbone and Eugene Palette in pretty much the same roles they played in Robin Hood

  • The Three Musketeers (1948) / Adventures of Don Juan (1948)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1948 swashbuckling adventure films based upon classic pieces of literature/lore that center about heroes who fight to stop a high-ranking official from finishing some nefarious plot that would include going to war with England. The two films came out within less than two months of each other.
    • Implementation:

  • Two-Minute Warning (1976) / Black Sunday (1977)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two films about a terrorist attack at the Super Bowl
    • Implementation: The former is about a sniper at the Super Bowl as a SWAT team tries to take him out. The latter is about a foreign terrorist group who plan to crash a blimp full of explosives to kill the President attending the Super Bowl. Both films were released within a year of each other, and were at the tail end of the Disaster Movie craze of the 70's. The former film was nominated for an Academy Award for Film Editing.

  • Iron Eagle (1986) / Top Gun (1986)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two 1986 films about cocky young pilots proving their mettle.
    • Implementation: The former is about a guy on a secret, unauthorized mission to rescue an Air Force pilot dad trapped behind enemy lines. The latter has its protagonist going through Navy training, encountering love, rivalry, and loss along the way to becoming a hero.

  • The Lethal Weapon Series (1987) / The Die Hard Series (1988)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Popular cop action film franchises that started with a first installment released in the later 1980's that is considered a seminal film in the genre. Ironically enough, both films were also set around Christmas time, though their releases were about a year apart. It is also notable that both films, at least for their first couple of installments, were scored by Michael Kamen.
    • Implementation: A real ironic note is that Bruce Willis, the actor of John McClane the star of the Die Hard films, was actually considered for the role of Martin Riggs before it subsequently went to Mel Gibson. Another fun note is that in an early scene of Die Hard 2 one can see an ad for Lethal Weapon 2 on a magazine. It is also interesting to note that the script for Die Hard with a Vengeance had started out written to be an original standalone piece called Simon Says. However, that film was ultimately not made but they continued trying to find a way to use the script. At one point before being rewritted into a Die Hard movie it was at one stage reworked to be an installment of the Lethal Weapon series.


  • Under Siege (1992) / Passenger 57 (1992)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1992 released "Die Hard on an X" films, the former on a battleship and the latter on a plane, that star at the time popular martial artist action stars and came out within a month of each other.
    • Implementation:

  • Speed (1994) / Blown Away (1994)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1994 released action thrillers that see a good cop go up against a mad bomber in a race against time, with a major plot device of needing to sustain an action (keeping a bus above 50 MPH, typing continuously into a computer) to keep a bomb from going off. They came out within less than a month off each other.
    • Implementation: Speed was deemed as "Die Hard on a Bus" (aside from the opening in an elevator and the closer in a subway). Blown Away has a deeper plot featuring The Troubles.

  • Terminal Velocity (1994) / Drop Zone (1994)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Films based around Special Forces skydivers, both released in late 1994.
    • Implementation: Drop Zone was supposed to be released first, but reshoots ended up delaying it until after Terminal Velocity was released. Both films also starred actors who have experienced personal trouble in later years: Charlie Sheen was the star of Terminal Velocity, while Wesley Snipes was the lead for Drop Zone.


  • Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) / Sudden Death (1995)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1995 released "Die Hard on an X" films. (On a train and at a sports arena respectively) that star popular martial arts action stars of the time. Playing men caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, and have the added issue of child family members of theirs being caught up in the situation as well (Casey Ryack's niece and Darren McCord's own children).
    • Implementation:

  • Cutthroat Island (1995) / Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Swashbuckling pirate films that showed up within two months of each other after a long while of the genre being dormant. One a straightforward iteration the other being a quasi-parody with the Muppets.
    • Implementation:

  • Executive Decision (1996) / The Rock (1996)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1996 released action films whose stories are of the "Die Hard on an X" mold (noticing a pattern here yet?) — on a plane for the former and a prison (Alcatraz Island in fact) for the latter. Both films' central characters are not traditional action-hero types but desk/office type of guys thrust into an extremely dangerous field situation, that isn't helped when a tragedy hits their military team at the start. Also notable is that the big threat in both films is a deadly gas/nerve agent.
    • Implementation: One pairs two tough guys, Kurt Russell and Steven Seagal (though the latter dies early). Another gets an Odd Couple, Nicolas Cage in his first actioner and an already 66 Sean Connery.

  • Con Air (1997) / Air Force One (1997)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1997 released action films that play out as a "Die Hard on a plane" scenario that were released only about a month apart.
    • Implementation: One reunites Nicolas Cage and The Rock producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The other has Harrison Ford as the POTUS and director Wolfgang Petersen.

  • The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) / The Mask of Zorro (1998)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1998 released swashbuckling adventure films based around older versions of classic heroes taking upon younger students as they seek to try and take down a corrupt man of power.
    • Implementation:




  • Underworld: Evolution (2006) / Ultraviolet (2006) (2006)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Comic book movie sans an actual comic (Ultraviolet even starts with fake comics that the film's based on). A vampire war/rebellion led by a shapely Action Girl.
    • Implementation: It seems that most of Ultraviolet's vampire references (the heroine and her pals are infected with a virus that mimics vampirism; the MacGuffin is a possible cure) were cut out so as to distance itself from Underworld, which led to some audience confusion.

  • Ninja Assassin (2009) / Ninja (2009)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Movies about badass ninjas.
    • Implementation: Ninja Assassin was produced by the creators of The Matrix and starts Korean pop star Rain, while Ninja was directed by director Isaac Florentine and was a Direct to Video release.

  • The A-Team (2010) / The Losers (2010) & The Expendables (2010)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Capital-"A" action movies adapted from other mediums about rag tag groups of government agents who come together to clear their name: The former is The Film of the Series. The latter: An adaptation of Andy Diggle and Jock's re-imagining of a classic WWII DC comic as a group of Special Forces operatives during the War on Terror.
    • Implementation: The Losers basically is The A-Team, there's never been any doubt or denial that it played a major role in its re-imagining, the timing of the film releases are just unfortunate.



  • The Raid: Redemption (2011) / Dredd (2012)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Badass super-cops raid high-rise apartment blocks controlled by drug lords in order to bring them to justice.
    • Implementation: The Raid is an Indonesian martial arts film, while Dredd is a Hollywood action film that marks the second theatrical adaptation of the 2000 AD comic book Judge Dredd after the 1995 film starring Sylvester Stallone tanked. While The Raid came first,note  rumor has it that the makers of the film borrowed its plot from an early, leaked version of the Dredd script.

  • Olympus Has Fallen (2013) / White House Down (2013)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2013 "Die Hard in the White House" movies about a Secret Service agent (Gerard Butler or Channing Tatum) fighting to save the President (Aaron Eckhart or Jamie Foxx) from (mostly) terrorists.note 
    • Implementation: Tonally the two films are rather different: OHF goes for drama while WHD has a greater focus on comedic moments. Eckhart remains a hostage through most of his film, whereas Foxx and Tatum work together in a Wunza Plot. Another key difference is The Plan for taking the White House: OHF does it from outside-in, while WHD does it from inside-out.


  • Jack Reacher (2012) / Parker (2013)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Adaptations of a book series featuring Anti-Hero badass protagonists with a Sherlock Scan and a vendetta against someone who quite recently wronged them.
    • Implementation: Right out the gate both studios signed on big name actors in the title roles (Tom Cruise and Jason Statham, respectively). Also each hero teams up with an ordinary, hardworking single woman who serves as The Watson. And funnily enough, both movies had their release dates pushed back for innocent (and unrelated) reasons.


  • Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014) / Turbo Kid (2015)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two genre-blending homages to late 70's-early 80's cinema, both of which have been described as "Mad Max meets X", with X being a Zombie Apocalypse for Wyrmwood and BMX Bandits for Turbo Kid.
    • Implementation: Both films have been noted for their significant levels of violence, as well as deliberate use of implausible elements under enforced Rule of Cool. Interestingly, these films both received their U.S. debut in 2015, the same year that the real Mad Max returned with Mad Max: Fury Road.

  • Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) / The Transporter Refueled (2015)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2015 action films centering around a "road warrior" of sorts that will be the fourth film of their respective franchises. Both franchises had lain dormant for a while. Both films feature returning screenwriters but have recast their lead roles (Tom Hardy replacing Mel Gibson as Max Rockatansky, and Ed Skrein replacing Jason Statham as Frank Martin).
    • Implementation:

    Crime 
  • The French Connection (1971) / Dirty Harry (1971)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1971 crime thrillers about a hard-boiled inner city cop who has little regard for the rules, but always gets results. Along the way, he gets into fistfights, gun battles, and car chases, pushing him to the brink of his endurance, amidst his increasingly-strained relationship with his superiors. These two films more-or-less codified the Cowboy Cop genre.
    • Implementation: The French Connection stars Gene Hackman tracking down a French drug smuggler, while Dirty Harry stars Clint Eastwood hunting a depraved serial killer. Both films attracted controversy at release for what some saw as "fascist" undertones, with Dirty Harry receiving protests by civil rights organizations.

  • Goodfellas (1990) / The Godfather Part III 1990)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1990 released mafia crime films that came out two months apart.
    • Implementation: Ironically the film The Godfather is facing here has an alum from a previous Godfather film in a leading role as a crime boss. And that is, of course, Robert De Niro.

  • Casino (1995) / Heat (1995)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Acclaimed crime films that were released within a month of each other in the year 1995.
    • Implementation: Notably both films feature Robert De Niro in a leading role.


  • Ocean's Eleven (2001) / The Italian Job (2003)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Remakes of movies about a crew of thieves pulling off a complicated heist against dangerous enemies.
    • Implementation: Both films were remakes of classic 1960s films.

  • The Black Dahlia (2006) / Hollywoodland (2006)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Highly stylized period crime pieces, set in Los Angeles and (loosely) based on real-life, high-profile deaths. Released within a week of one another.
    • Implementation:

  • The Girl Next Door (2007) / An American Crime (2007)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2007 crime dramas with a slash of horror based on the real 1965 torture and murder of Sylvia Likens
    • Implementation: Girl, based on a 1989 novel, fictionalizes the story and moves the setting to the 1950s; Crime stays closer to the facts.

  • Death Sentence (2007) / The Brave One (2007)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2007 vigilante movies about previously wimpy people on the hunt for criminals after they kill people close to them. (In Death Sentence Kevin Bacon's son dies. In The Brave One Jodie Foster's husband dies. Fittingly, the latter can be defined as Death Wish but with a woman, while the former is based off a novel written by the writer of Death Wish.
    • Implementation: Death Sentence was directed by James Wan while The Brave One was directed by Neil Jordan. The former leans more towards Gorn while the latter has the deaths spread out.

  • Wind River (2017) / The Snowman (2017)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2017 murder mystery films set in snow-filled areas.
    • Implementation:


    Dance 
  • Lambada (1990) / The Forbidden Dance (1990)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Projects from the former heads of Cannon Films focused on the lambada dance craze.
    • Implementation: Lambada was greenlit first in late 1989 for a May 1990 release. Then, The Forbidden Dance was greenlit for a release a month earlier. Eventually, both films ended up moving up and were released on the same day (Lambada had finished filming eleven days before release, The Forbidden Dance was finished a few weeks before).

    Disaster 
  • The Day After (1983) / Threads (1984)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Made For TV Movies produced in the mid 1980s about the consequences of nuclear war on normal citizens. Day is set in the continental US state of Kansas and Missouri, while Threads takes place in the United Kingdom.
    • Implementation: Threads was made as a direct response to the American film. Also, while both movies depict a nuclear exchange, Threads was even more realistic than Day in just how horrifying such a scenario would be. Day was aware of this though, ending with a screen text amounting to "What you've just seen was horrible. However, this is only a toned-down depiction. The real consequences would be even worse."


  • Dante's Peak (1997) / Volcano (1997)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Movies about volcanoes! The former is set in a small town, and is very loosely based on the Mt. St. Helens explosion. The latter is set in Los Angeles and is therefore much crazier in scale.
    • Implementation: As above, not exactly imitations, but these were both released around the same time and dueled each other with very similar plots. The former, incidentally, is considered notable for being one of the few popcorn disaster movies that actually tries for scientific accuracy.

  • Deep Impact (1998) / Armageddon (1998)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Meteor-strike disaster movies. Neither films were imitations of each other per se, but they revolved around different reactions to the same idea, one more dramatic, the other more action-based.
    • Implementation: Amusingly, in an early screening of Deep Impact, Morgan Freeman is giving a speech in which he reassures his audience that life will go on after the meteor-hit, declaring, "There will be no armageddon." Too many viewers at the screening got the in-joke, however, and the uproarious laughter at what was meant as a dramatic scene induced the director to cut the line from the final print. This actually was an example of the height of the Disney/DreamWorks feud. (DreamWorks SKG distributed Deep Impact with Paramount while Disney/Touchstone distributed Armageddon.)

  • United 93 (2006) / Flight 93 (2006) / World Trade Center (2006)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: A trio of 2006 released films centering around events pertaining to the September 11th Terrorist Attacks.
    • Implementation: Both United 93 and Flight 93 - the former was released to cinemas, whilst the latter was a made-for-television film - focused around the passengers aboard the titular flight, which was downed before it could reach its targetnote , while World Trade Center was focused around the collapse of the WTC itself, particularly the emergency workers.

  • 2012 (2009) / Knowing (2009)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: "The End of the World as We Know It" stories, both released in 2009.
    • Implementation: Knowing starts out as more of a sci-fi thriller before evolving into a disaster movie during the course of the story, while 2012 is a full-on disaster flick from the word go.

    Documentary 
  • Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) / Michael Moore Hates America (2004) & Fahrenhype 9/11 (2004) & Celsius 41.11 (2004)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Documentaries released in mid-2004, relating to the George W. Bush administration, the War on Terror and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
    • Implementation: Fahrenheit 9/11 was very critical of the Bush administration's handling of... well, just about everything. The other three were all, to varying degrees, much more in favor of Bush and the right-wing in general.

  • The God Who Wasn't There (2005) / Religulous (2008)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Documentaries about atheism and the problems with organized religion.
    • Implementation: The former gave a comedic, more light-hearted portrayal of its subject, the latter was much more serious.

  • Inside Job (2010) / I Want Your Money (2010)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Competing documentaries about the ongoing economics crisis, released one week apart in October 2010.
    • Implementation: While the former places the blame on both capitalism and politics, the latter places all of the blame on Barack Obama (who wasn't even President when it happened).

  • Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (2011) / West of Memphis (2012)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Documentaries about the West Memphis 3 and the near two decade-long battle to prove their innocence.
    • Implementation: Purgatory is the final chapter of the Paradise Lost series and is directed by Joe Berlinger, West of Memphis was directed by Amy Berg, produced by Peter Jackson and actually has Damien Echols (one of the West Memphis 3) as a producer, making that film more or less a first-person account of the events.

  • Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) / Soaked in Bleach (2015)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2015 documentaries about Kurt Cobain that use previously unseen materials tell their stories.
    • Implementation: Montage of Heck is an estate-approved biography that explores Cobain's life and fame, using home movie footage to show his personality outside of his persona. Soaked in Bleach uses recordings made by private investigator Tom Grant as the basis for a series of recreations conspiracy theories arguing that Cobain's death was not a suicide but a murder perpetrated by Courtney Love.

  • Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (2016) / Michael Moore in TrumpLand (2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Documentaries released amidst the 2016 United States election attacking one of the candidates.
    • Implementation: Both are unconventional: Trumpland is a recording of Moore doing a one-person show, while Hillary's America mostly rolls on re-enactments and a Framing Device plot. Also, the latter's director Dinesh D'Souza claimed to be "50 times better than Michael Moore."

  • Death of a Nation (2018) / Fahrenheit 11/9 (2018)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Follow-ups to the previous documentaries made by Dinesh D'Souza and Michael Moore respectively, intended to time with the 2018 mid-term elections.
    • Implementation: Death of a Nation is much the same kind of film as Hillary's America, while Fahrenheit 11/9 was the first full-on documentary by Moore for several years.

  • Fyre Fraud (2019) / Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened (2019)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Early 2019 documentaries about the Fyre Festival, a luxury music festival thrown by rapper Ja Rule and tech entrepreneur Billy McFarland that turned into a complete disaster due to unkept promises, horrible living conditions, cancelled acts and outright fraud. Fyre Fraud was produced by Hulu while Fyre was produced by Netflix
    • Implementation: Both documentaries ended up in a mini-feud on the week of their release: Fyre Fraud released completely unannounced 4 days before Fyre, in a move clearly meant to steal its thunder. This led to Fyre director Chris Smith calling out Hulu for having paid $250,000 to Billy McFarland for an exclusive interview and thus giving money to a convicted criminal. Hulu in turn denied having paid that much and threw the accusation back in Smith's face for having paid Jerry Media, who handled the advertising of the Fyre Festival knowing full well what was happening, for their colaboration.

  • Framing Britney Spears (2021), Controlling Britney Spears (2021) / Britney vs Spears (2021)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2021 documentaries centered on Britney Spears's conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement.
    • Implementation: Both Framing and its follow-up, Controlling were produced by FX and The New York Times, while Britney vs Spears was produced by Netflix. Framing and Controlling revealed shocking discoveries on Britney's conservatorship, along with events leading to it and also tended to be investigative in tone, as for Britney vs Spears, it provided essentially the basic information on the conservatorship, along with a little new information, and also more slow, melodramatic in tone.

    Fantasy 
  • Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) / The Love Bug (1968)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Family films about magical vehicles.
    • Implementation: Both films seem to have the Disney touch. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang even had then-Disney regular Dick Van Dyke and Sherman Brothers songs. But only the latter was made in house at the legendary studio. The former was produced by Albert Broccoli of James Bond fame and was based on a novel by Ian Fleming (also of Bond fame).

  • Conan the Barbarian (1982) / The Beastmaster (1982)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1982 released barbarian swords and sorcery films that center around a hero whose village winds up decimated by a band of raiders, leading to the death of his parents. The lead hero vows revenge, and thus goes up against the powerful and corrupt theocrat behind it.
    • Implementation:


  • One Magic Christmas (1985) / Santa Claus: The Movie (1985)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two family-friendly Christmas fantasies in which Santa Claus and the North Pole are central to the plot, with other adult roles filled by name actors of the early 1980s. Released within a week of each other in November 1985.
    • Implementation: One Magic Christmas was bankrolled by Disney and tells the low-key story of a woman who's lost the Christmas spirit in the wake of economic hardship, which threatens disaster for the entire family — unless her daughter, with the help of an angel and Santa, intervenes. Santa Claus: The Movie was bankrolled by the producers of the Christopher Reeve Superman films and tells an original Origin Story for the title character in its first third, moving on to a present day adventure for the remainder, in which a Corrupt Corporate Executive intends to conquer the holiday with the innocent aid of a runaway elf.

  • Legend (1985) / Labyrinth (1986)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Big-budget, lavish, special effects-heavy fantasies with a youthful hero/heroine and newfound fantastical companions on a quest to face off with a Big Bad and right a terrible wrong. A seductive, Large Ham villain attempts to woo the leading lady. Both films share a cinematographer (Alex Thomson), and their settings might have had more in commonnote  had the makers of the latter not been made aware of the former. While in the U.K. they were Christmas releases for 1985 and '86, respectively, the North American releases were two months apart in the spring/summer of '86.
    • Implementation: The two movies take The Hero's Journey in different directions. Ridley Scott's Legend is a straightforward Fairy Tale with a Nature Hero saving a Princess Classic and unicorns from a villain who's effectively Satan, with the fate of the world at stake. Jim Henson's Labyrinth is an often-humorous musical take on the Down the Rabbit Hole plot, with the Present Day heroine seeking to rescue the baby brother she wished away into the land of the Goblin King, and the major characters have more complex personalities/development. The former film uses prosthetic makeup for its non-human characters, while the latter uses animatronic puppets instead.

  • Photographing Fairies (1997) / FairyTale: A True Story (1997)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1997 movies somewhat based on the real-life story of the Cottingley Fairies, about two young cousins who allegedly capture real fairies on film and attract the attention of prominent figures of the time such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini.
    • Implementation: Photographing Fairies is more of a mystery with elements of romance and intrigue, while FairyTale is a family fantasy-drama that focuses on the two young cousins at the centre of the real-life incident.

  • Dungeons & Dragons (2000) / The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: High Fantasy in a magical land of elves, goblins and other fantastical creatures based off legendary and sacred nerd franchises. (Both distributed by New Line Cinema.)
    • Implementation: Lord of the Rings is an extraordinarily realized version of one of the most important and influential books of the twentieth century. On the other hand, Dungeons & Dragons has Tom Baker as the King of the Elves.



  • Inkheart (2008) / Bedtime Stories (2008)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Some kid brings stories to life.
    • Implementation: Only superficially similar. Inkheart is a modern-fantasy adventure tale centered around a young teen, while Bedtime Stories is a more lighthearted Adam Sandler vehicle involving much younger children. The "stories come to life" is played for tension and action in the former while it is played for laughs and poignancy in the latter.

  • Mirror, Mirror (2012) / Snow White & the Huntsman (2012)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Retellings of the classic fairy tale Snow White that both turn the titular heroine into an Action Girl.
    • Implementation: Mirror, Mirror is more lighthearted and comedic, while Snow White and the Huntsman is Darker and Edgier. Also, Mirror, Mirror actually has actors with dwarfism playing the dwarves; Huntsman uses CGI.

  • Jack the Giant Slayer (2013) / Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2013 movies based on classic stories with heavy doses of special effects.
    • Implementation: Jack the Giant Slayer is based on Jack and the Beanstalk, while Oz the Great and Powerful is based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Both are directed by superhero movie pioneers, Sam Raimi of the Spider-Man Trilogy for Oz and Bryan Singer of X-Men and X-2 for Jack the Giant Slayer. Both of those series could be seen as Dueling Movies on their own rights.

  • The Jungle Book (2016) (Disney) / The Legend of Tarzan (Warner Bros., 2016)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two new adaptations of classic jungle literature.
    • Implementation: Jungle Book is Jon Favreau's take on the Disney classic and features a bit of a different story. Tarzan sees the titular lord of the jungle be "asked" to return to Africa after 10 years of being in England, unaware of a conspiracy in play.

  • The Jungle Book (2016) / Film/Mowgli (2018)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Both are adaptations of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book.
    • Implementation: The former is a theatrical remake of Disney's animated classic of the same name, while the latter was delayed to 2018 in response to the release of this movie (in spite of being announced first), and released on Netflix.


  • Wendy (2020) / Come Away (2020)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Modernized reimaginings of the story of Peter Pan, both playing heavily with the time period and setting.
    • Implementation: Both films premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Wendy, directed by Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild), reimagines the story as a lost-on-an-island adventure focused on Wendy rather than Peter; Come Away, directed by Brenda Chapman (The Prince of Egypt, Brave), envisions it as a journey into imaginary worlds in the wake of a tragedy, and also as a crossover with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

    Martial Arts 
  • Street Fighter (1994) / Mortal Kombat: The Movie (1995)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two movies based off two of the most popular fighting game franchises of the 90's.
    • Implementation: Of the two, Mortal Kombat was more faithful to the source material.

  • Mortal Kombat: Annihilation (1997) / Rush Hour (1998)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Two movies with a serious Chinese martial arts angle, released a year apart by New Line Cinema towards the end of the 90's.
    • Implementation: Mortal Kombat: Annhilation is the sequel to 1995's Mortal Kombat: The Movie, but only brought back the actors who played Liu Kang and Kitana; the entire crew was otherwise replaced. It continued the story of the first film with Shao Kahn taking Shang Tsung's place as the Big Bad and launching his own invasion of Earth through Mortal Kombat. Rush Hour is a light-hearted buddy-comedy martial arts film starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, as they work to save a girl from the clutches of crime boss Juntao.

    Musical/Concert 
  • The Hollywood Revue Of 1929 (MGM) / The Show Of Shows (1929, Warner Bros.) & Paramount On Parade (1930, Paramount)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: All three films are plotless revues (musical numbers interspersed with sketches), designed to showcase the studios contracted stars and demonstrate how far they had come in talkie technology (and how much Technicolor they could afford).
    • Implementation: By 1929, audiences showed every sign of preferring sound films to silents. Each of these films was its producing studios declaration of intent, stating their claim to the future of film.

  • Grease (1978) / Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: From record and film producer Robert Stigwood, via different studios (Paramount and Universal): Two Summer Blockbuster musicals aiming at the teenybopper market with name performers from both the film and music spheres. Both were adapted from stage productions, and both involve key alumni of Saturday Night Fever — lead actor John Travolta in the former, and band The Bee Gees in the latter (getting to act as well as provide tunes). The latter's director, Michael Schultz, turned the former down when it was initially offered to him.
    • Implementation: The former is a cheery, Camp take on The '50s; the latter is a fantasy Jukebox Musical based on songs of The Beatles.

  • Can't Stop the Music (1980) / Xanadu (1980)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1980 disco musicals, each with a $20 million budget, that double as non-actor vehicles. Both involve alumni of the 1978 blockbuster Grease: producer Allan Carr and screenwriter Bronte Woodard with the former, and lead actress Olivia Newton-John with the latter. (Carr wanted Newton-John for the female lead in Can't Stop, but it didn't work out.)
    • Implementation: The former fictionalizes the creation and rise to stardom of the Village People and intertwines it with a romance between an uptight lawyer (Caitlyn Jenner) and a feisty ex-model (Valerie Perrine). The latter is a fantasy about a Greek Muse (Newton-John) who inspires a struggling artist (Michael Beck) to open a lavish roller disco; complications ensue when she falls in love with him.

  • The Pirate Movie (1982) / The Pirates of Penzance (1983)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Both are adaptations of the famous Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance released around 1982-1983. The former is a very-loose rendition of the story with a few of the same songs (and some extras) and a generally 80s feel. The latter is a filmed rendition of the then-running Broadway revival with much of the same cast.
    • Implementation: The Pirate Movie got to theaters first, in the midst of Penzance's Broadway run, and quickly faded away. Although a box-office bomb itself, the failure of Penzance was caused by Executive Meddling, not lack of interest. The Pirates of Penzance actually enjoyed a long run in one of the 92 theaters that showed it.


  • Film/Rags (2012) / Let It Shine (2012)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: TV movie about a teen boy who wants to be a singing star but has a disapproving father. Elsewhere, successful African-American female pop star wishes to sing her own music her own way. The two meet up and (presumably) achieve their respective goals. Both are also based off of classic stories. (Cinderella for Rags and Cyrano de Bergerac for Let It Shine).
    • Implementation: Rags is Nickelodeon and Let It Shine is Disney Channel.


  • The Dirt (2019) / Rocketman (2019)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Biopic musicals about hit 1980s musicians (Mötley Crüe and Elton John, respectively), each dealing with the characters suffering and recuperating from severe drug addictions that nearly cost them their lives. Unlike the previous year's PG-13 Bohemian Rhapsody, both of these films are distinctly R-rated.
    • Implementation: While Rocketman was a theatrically-released film from Paramount, The Dirt was released directly to Netflix. Dirt was based on the band's tell-all book of the same name, while Rocketman was produced by John himself.

  • I Still Believe (2020) / Clouds (2020)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: A young musician must come to terms with the impact of a devastating cancer diagnosis and its effects on his family and relationships, ultimately inspiring his hit song that serves as the title of the film and is featured in the soundtrack. Based on a True Story.
    • Implementation: I Still Believe is a Christian film from the Erwin Brothers (I Can Only Imagine), distributed by Lionsgate and based on the story of singer Jeremy Camp and his first wife Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp. Clouds is based on the life of Zach Sobiech; the film was originally set to be theatrically distributed by Warner Bros., but was later acquired by Disney+ for streaming in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In I Still Believe, Jeremy must deal with his wife's cancer diagnosis; in Clouds, it is Zach himself who receives the diagnosis.

    Mythology/Biblical 


  • Noah (2014) / Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Big budget - and controversial - epics based on stories from The Bible by highly respected filmmakers (The former has Darren Aronofsky while the latter is by Ridley Scott).
    • Implementation: Noah has gone for more of a fantasy angle while Exodus is much more grounded. Funnily enough, the latter's lead was suppose to be in the former but dropped out. Regarding the controversies, Noah was criticized for the Biblical accuracy while Exodus received more complaints on the race casting on the main cast. Both films got banned in several Islamic countries because Noah and Moses were considered prophets of Allah and any portrayal of them is forbidden.

    Sports 
  • RAD (1986) / Thrashin (1986)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1986 films cashing in on the extreme sports craze.
    • Implementation:

  • Celtic Pride (1996) / The Fan (1996)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1996 films centering around crazy sports fans.
    • Implementation: Celtic Pride was played for laughs while The Fan was a thriller.

    Western 
  • Major Dundee (1965) / The Glory Guys (1965)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1965 Westerns about arrogant cavalry officers leading their command in disastrous campaigns against the Apache Indians.
    • Implementation: This is an especially odd pairing, with considerable overlap between the two movies. The Glory Guys started life as a Sam Peckinpah script, with Peckinpah himself slated to direct, but the project spent years in Development Hell and eventually Peckinpah abandoned it. By the time The Glory Guys finally went into production, Peckinpah was directing Major Dundee...which didn't stop the two productions from sharing several actors (Michael Anderson Jr., Senta Berger, Slim Pickens), besides the similar plots.

  • The Wild Bunch (1969) / Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1969 released westerns set around the turn of the 20th Century that center around aging outlaws who seek to make a last big score and then flee to a country south of the border to retire. Both parties are pursued by a posse, and ultimately in the end get gunned down.
    • Implementation: Butch Cassidy was originally titled The Wild Bunch, which was one of several names (along with the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang) that Cassidy's gang was known as historically, but Peckinpah's film went into production first.

  • A Man Called Horse (1970) / Little Big Man (1970)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1970 released westerns that both center around a white man who lives, or had grown up living, among a tribe of Native Americans.
    • Implementation:

  • Hannie Caulder (1971) / The Legend of Frenchie King (1971)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 1971 released westerns that have women as gunslinging protagonists and are heavy on the fanservice.
    • Implementation: Hannie Caulder is a revenge drama, while Frenchie King is a farce.

  • Blazing Saddles (1974) / Boss Nigger (1975)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Both are Western films about a black man becoming Sheriff in a white-majority town and dealing with discrimination.
    • Implementation: Blazing Saddles is a comedy, while Boss Nigger is a Blaxploitation action film that is decidely more cynical in its story.

  • Tombstone (1993) / Wyatt Earp (1994)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: Historical westerns about... Wyatt Earp. Tombstone starred Kurt Russell and was distributed by Hollywood Pictures, while Wyatt Earp starred Kevin Costner and was distributed by Disney's longtime Arch-Enemy Warner Bros..
    • Implementation: Costner was originally involved with Tombstone but left over disagreements regarding the script, deciding to make his own Earp pic. He even put pressure on studios to refuse distribution of Tombstone, but guess which one made more money in the end...


  • The Revenant (2015) / The Hateful Eight (2015)
    • Capsule Pitch Description: 2015 released westerns set in the 19th century in the harsh cold with long running times, lots of violence, production troubles and highly notable directors at the helm of both of them (Alejandro González Iñárritu for the former, Quentin Tarantino for the latter).
    • Implementation: The Revenant is set during the 1820's and is Very Loosely Based on a True Story on frontiersman Hugh Glass while The Hateful Eight is an original idea by Tarantino and set sometime after the The American Civil War. On top of that, the scale of both films are the exact opposite; The former is large scale with massive battle scenes and sprawling set pieces while the latter is mostly set in a cabin somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Alternative Title(s): Duelling Movies, Dueling Movies

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