Copycat Movies

For those of you who don't want to watch the video, it's about movies that were released only months apart and had uncannily similar premises.

Now, this made me think sincerely about something that has been lingering in the back of my head for a while: Is it possible that, at least in some instances, they do this on purpose? I mean, take a premise, make two versions - one somewhat lighter and a darker version -, and cash in regardless of which one wins?

Would this even make any sense, from the marketing/money perspective?

The most obnoxious one in recent years, i think, was No Strings Attached and Friends With Benefits being released in the same year. One chick flick is enough.

First of all, none of these movies being paired together for having similarities were released by the same studios, financed by the same producers, shot by the same filmmakers, or acted by the same screen talent. In other words "they" are never making two versions of anything. What you have are two different camps of people that are only making one movie apiece, and they generally have nothing to do with each other, apart from the similar premise.

On that note, nobody is cashing in from both movies "regardless of which one wins". Both parties only make money off the one movie that each respective party actually made; the cast, crew, and executive staff of Paul Blart: Mall Cop don't get to see a dime from Observe and Report because they had nothing to do with Observe and Report in the first place, even if both movies are stories about mall security.

Then what's the deal with these movies having similar premises? Sometimes it's just coincidence; if the two movies are released less than a year apart, then that means the went into filming and production phases around the same time, too, perhaps without knowledge that another studio with another set of movie talent is making a similar movie. Sometimes a studio exec gets word about a movie heading into pre-production that sounds like it'll be a huge hit, so he commissions his own movie to cash in on what he hopefully expects to be spiked interest in a certain genre or story in the wake of the other movie. Sometimes a studio may turn down the option to greenlight a screenplay but then decide to commission their own similar screenplay while the original screenplay gets picked up elsewhere.

The point is, individual movies only make money for the people who made that individual movie, regardless of any similarities to another movie—not everybody who made one similar film or the other no matter which film does better at the box office.

edited 18th Jul '13 10:10:29 AM by SeanMurrayI

Ah pfffft. Don't you shatter my little conspiracy theory there!

In fact, that's what I thought. Of course it might just be coincidence, or similar events triggering similar ideas in different minds. (Would be quite funny to know how it worked in each case though.)

On the other hand, don't movie ideas get around, too? I guess that not all hollywood writers are immune to a little bragging sometimes, and even outright espionage might happen from time to time. After all, Hollywood is a rather small bowl for all those wannabe starfishes.

Like I said,

"Sometimes a studio exec [Edit: or The Asylum] gets word about a movie heading into pre-production that sounds like it'll be a huge hit, so he commissions his own movie to cash in on what he hopefully expects to be spiked interest in a certain genre or story in the wake of the other movie. Sometimes a studio may turn down the option to greenlight a screenplay but then decide to commission their own similar screenplay while the original screenplay gets picked up elsewhere."

It ain't even a matter of "Hollywood writers" "bragging" about anything; they just write and try to sell what they write to whomever can do anything with it. If a writer pitches his screenplay to execs at two studios, then both studios gain knowledge about the screenplay, but only one studio can buy and produce that screenplay.

edited 18th Jul '13 10:22:21 AM by SeanMurrayI

Kevin Kostner gets a special mention for being in Wyatt Earp opposite Tombstone and Prince of Thieves opposite Robin Hood.

There's no way these are coincidences. It's a minor example of how Hollywood works with trends. In this case I don't know if they talk about the movie ideas beforehand or have spies in each others companies, but they are trying to cash in on each other's success.