• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Hollywood has released identical movies every year for decades and it’s leaving people baffled

Home> Film & TV> News

Published 17:21 16 Mar 2024 GMT

Hollywood has released identical movies every year for decades and it’s leaving people baffled

Hollywood has been releasing identical movies for decades and some film fans are finally starting to notice.

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

Hollywood can often be lacking originality, but this isn’t a new thing, and some film fans have started to realize how often studios release eerily similar flicks.

If you think we don’t get enough original ideas coming out of Hollywood... you would be right on the money.

Studios have always been risk adverse and simply don’t want to green light films that they don’t think have any earning potential.

Advert

With that being said, they have begun getting even tighter with their wallets as the cost of making films has gone up over the years.

If you can’t guarantee executive an existing market, sequel or spin off potential, well you might just be out of luck.

But as well as this, studios don’t seem to mind copying each other in order to make some money either.

In fact, many studios have been releasing similar films a few months after a film drops, hoping to capitalize.

Studios don’t seem to mind copying each other in order to make some money
Sony/Paramount pictures

Advert

This phenomenon even has a term, 'twin films', and some people on social media have begun to realize how often this happens.

Twin films tend to come out within a year of the first films release and often share similar themes, or plot points.

So, the easiest examples that come to mind are the 2011 film Friends with Benefits and film No Strings Attached.

Some other examples are Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down, The Illusionist and The Prestige, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Observe and Report... you get the picture.

Advert

There is even a Wikipedia page dedicated to the cinematic phenomenon dating as far back as 1913.

Admittedly some comparisons are a little vague or out there but others are right on the money.

Some Reddit users were baffled for never noticing this trend before. Others weighed in on the reasoning behind the phenomenon and why it isn’t likely to go anytime soon.

“I believe the reason is gossip. People talk and 'pitching' seems to be a big thing in the movie business. Once a plot idea makes the rounds some people might want a piece of the cake without having to buy it,” one user wrote.

many studios have been releasing similar films a few months after a film drops, hoping to capitalize.
Columbia/Tri-Star/ Warner Bros

Advert

“Real answer: You can’t sit on the IP anymore. When you hear another company has a similar concept entering production, it’s either produce yours now or be known as the wannabe also-ran,” another added.

“Sometimes it’s as simple as someone makes a pitch to a studio. Said studio is reminded they have a script of their own already and decide to go with what they have rather than pay for another,” a third wrote.



Advert

“It’s because when a movie becomes a project/expected hit/and actual box office success, competing studios are always trying to get similar projects across the finish line. These are the ones we hear about,”

In all likelihood, it is probably a combination of all of these reasons but it is hard not to see when you notice it.

Featured Image Credit: Netflix/ Troma Entertainment/Cinedigm Corp

Topics: Film and TV, Reddit

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

8 hours ago
a day ago
2 days ago
  • 8 hours ago

    Guilty pleasure Netflix series declared 'gloriously stupid fun' as subscribers binge for 323,000,000 hours

    The creators of Cobra Kai are behind the zesty comedy series

    Film & TV
  • a day ago

    Netflix subscribers given days to stream ‘powerful’ mini-series before it’s pulled from platform

    'A beautiful yet harrowing show. A work of art!'

    Film & TV
  • 2 days ago

    Netflix has floored viewers with 97% rated true-crime mini-series many say they can't finish

    "This one literally shocked me to my core."

    Film & TV
  • 2 days ago

    Netflix fans are urging people to watch 'amazing' drama that's so good it went on for 15 seasons

    The well-loved series has more than 300 episodes to watch

    Film & TV
  • People losing it after spotting bizarre accidental detail in background of Twilight they've 'never noticed before'
  • Simple math puzzle intended for 8-year-olds is leaving adults absolutely baffled
  • People are trying to solve 'Harvard University' brainteaser and it’s leaving them baffled
  • First ever 'pilot' Family Guy episode has been released after being considered lost for three decades