We look back on Hollywoods most fertile decade for making competing films out of the same high-concepts.
Even so, the decade that might have been the most guilty of this phenomenon was the 1990s.
Corral duel that just turned 30. Who won?Sometimes it really does pay to be first.
Audiences agreed sinceTombstoneearned $57 million, more than double whatWyatt Earptook home ($25 million).
And the way folks onDeep Impacttell it, that was bitterly by design.
Who won?It turns out you could be first and still last.
Who won?With the critics?
Audiences once again agreed with Roger sinceVolcanoearned $123 million worldwide, well belowDantes Peaks $178 million summit.
Unlike the Wyatt Earp fiascos, there was no happy ending for Foxs production.
A quickie economy-scaled version of McTiernans treatment was made as a British production.
It was directed by John Irvin and starred Patrick Begin and Uma Thurman.
It even beatPrince of Thievesto American audiences by a month… on internet TV.
Who won?Its not really fair to compare, is it?
Meanwhile Harrison Ford essentially got to make his third Jack Ryan movie while cutting out rights holder Tom Clancy.
If you arent paying attention, you could easily mistake Fords President Jim Marshall for Jack.
But if were being honest, almost 30 years laterCon Airis a helluva lot more fun.
Independence Day vs. Mars Attacks!
Both films draw from 1950s alien invasion films and sci-fi cheese.
In its day,Mars Attacks!was repeatedly compared to, and beneath,ID4.
Who won?The Truman Showin a blowout.
So producer Joel Silver churning out a quickie, R-rated programmer for WB in time for Halloween makes sense.
(Its not.)
Saving Private Ryan vs. Conversely, Malick was the guy who only made two features previously, both in the 1970s.
To this day though, some argueThe Thin Red Linewas the better of the the two.
Martin Scorsese also called the Malick film his second favorite movie of the 90s.
This is why Gramercy Pictures rushed Whitman to complete post-production so they could beat54to theaters.
Showgirls vs. Striptease
A battle between thrillers fixated on the behind-the-scenes travails of exotic dancing?
It doesnt get much more 90s than that.
This even includes how both films were received.
Thus a more frothy and lighthearted marketing campaign promisedStripteasewas a comedy the following summer (its not).
All the subsidiary stuff was gigantic.
(For the recordStripteasealso cleared $113 million globally versusShowgirls nightmarish $20 million haul.)
On paper December 94sStreet Fighterand August 95sMortal Kombatlooked pretty similar.
