Twin films are movies with remarkably similar plot points or themes that are released around the same time or within a few months of one another. Twin films may or may not carry equal weight – one may be star-studded, the other may not; one could have a big budget whereas the other with limited budget.
Why do the "twin films" phenomena occur?
There could be a wide range of reasons, such as to the anniversary of an event, the temptation for the same trending topic, industrial espionage, or simply a coincidence.
Hollywood has a long history of producing twin films. Let’s have a look at some of the well known twin films:-
Notable twin films:
Olympus Has Fallen
- Release date: Mar. 18, 2013
- Stars: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Ashley Judd, Finley Jacobsen
- Director: Antoine Fuqua
White House Down
- Release date: June 28, 2013
- Stars: Channing Tatum, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Jason Clarke
- Director: Ronald Emmerich
Both of the action thriller movies depict the President of the United States of America in danger from terrorists. Though White House Down is financially more successful grossing over $205 million, Olympus Has Fallen has gained better fanfare and has spawned two sequels London Has Fallen (2016) and Angel Has Fallen (2019).
Capote
- Release date: Oct. 28, 2005
- Stars: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener
- Director: Bennett Miller
Infamous
- Release date: Aug. 31, 2006
- Stars: Toby Jones, Sandra Bullock
- Director: Douglas McGrath
Both films are about Truman Capote, a novelist who wants to write about the murders of a family in Kansas. Nelle Harper Lee, a friend of Capote, accompanies him.
Infamous was released 10 months after the release of Capote. It could not replicate the success of Capote which was nominated for 5 Academy Awards and Hoffman won the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Twin films are not confined to Hollywood only. For instance, the Bollywood movies Ujda Chaman (released on Nov. 01, 2019) and Bala (released on Nov. 08, 2011) depict the issue of premature baldness of a young man as the main story. So, twin films are bizarre but not uncommon, and such movies appear in many film industries across the globe.
