Olympus Has Fallen/White House Down: A “Same Movie” History

If Olympus Has Fallen has not completely given you your fill of films where the White House is taken over by terrorists, just wait a couple of months. In late June comes White House Down from Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow director Roland Emmerich. This one features Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx and is expected to be one of the summer’s biggest hits.

The Olympus/White House Down example of very similarly plotted movies is nothing new for film fans. Far from it…

Let us travel back to the 1980s where in 1987 and 1988, we got not one, not two, but THREE comedies about a teenager switching bodies with an older man. There was Like Father, Like Son with Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron.

And Vice Versa with Judge Reinhold and “Wonder Years” star Fred Savage:

And 18 Again with George Burns and Charlie Schlatter:

None of them did too well at the box office, but Like Father, Like Son was the clear winner with $34 million, compared to Vice Versa‘s $13 million and 18 Again‘s anemic $2.5 million.

In 1989 and 1990, we were treated to two comedies about a cop being paired up with a dog. In ’89, it was Jim Belushi in K-9.

In ’90, it was Tom Hanks in Turner and Hooch.

It was Mr. Hanks for the win, as Turner and Hooch grossed $71 million and K-9 made a decent $43 million.

In 1992, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery and 1492: Conquest of Paradise both opened. They had some things in common: they were both about Christopher Columbus, for starters. They both featured some recognizable talent. The Discovery was conceived by Mario Puzo (author of The Godfather) and had a cast featuring Tom Selleck and Marlon Brando. Conquest of Paradise was directed by the great Ridley Scott, with a cast that included Gerard Depardieu and Sigourney Weaver. And… they were both huge box office disasters. With a $45 million budget, The Discovery grossed only $8 million domestically. With a $47 million budget, 1492 made only $7 million.

Late 1993 and summer 1994 gave us the battle of two Wyatt Earp films. There was a clear and unexpected winner. Tombstone starring Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer was not expected to gross more than Lawrence Kasdan’s Wyatt Earp with Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid. Then a funny thing happened: Tombstone turned out to be a kick-ass Western that delighted audiences. By the time Wyatt Earp rolled around six months later, audiences had seen the Earp movie they wanted to. Tombstone made $56 million. Earp managed only $25 million.

1997 saw two volcano related disaster flicks. First, Dante’s Peak with Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton.

Less than three months later came Volcano starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche.

Both had big budgets and were considered financial disappointments, though Dante’s Peak won the competition with $67 million. By the time Volcano made only $49 million, audience anticipation had clearly hollowed out (I’m sorry).

1998 featured two flicks about giant asteroids heading to Earth. First up: Mimi Leder’s Deep Impact with Tea Leoni and Morgan Freeman.

Two months later: Michael Bay’s Armageddon with Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck, and that Aerosmith song.

Both were commercial hits in the summer of ’98. Armageddon was the #1 grosser of the season with $201 million. Impact earned a solid $140 million.

That same year, moviegoers were treated to two animated pics about insects. There was Dreamworks Antz:

And, of course, Pixar’s A Bug’s Life:

Both titles were critical and commercial successes. Antz sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $90 million. It couldn’t quite compete with Pixar, however. A Bug’s Life, while slightly lower on the Tomato meter with 92%, grossed $162 million.

The year 2000 gave us two sci-fi movies about Mars. There was Brian De Palma’s Mission to Mars starring Tim Robbins and Gary Sinise.

Then there was Red Planet with Val Kilmer and Carrie-Anne Moss.

Mission to Mars would win with a decent $60 million gross, while Red Planet bombed with only $17 million.

Just last year we saw dual Snow White live-action films. There was Mirror Mirror with a cast that included Julia Roberts and Armie Hammer. Geared more towards kids, Mirror Mirror managed a respectable $64 million.

Just a couple of months later was the more serious Snow White and the Hunstman starring Kristin Stewart, Charlize Theron, and Chris Hemsworth. It did considerably better to the tune of $155 million domestic.

There are other examples: 1998/1999 saw The Truman Show way outdoing EdTV, both about a guy whose life is a reality show. In 2006, the magician themed thriller The Prestige ($53 million) outdid The Illusionist ($39 million).

So the Olympus Has Fallen/White House Down phenomenon is nothing new. What path will this pair follow compared to the others mentioned? I’m predicting it’ll look most similar to Deep Impact/Armageddon. Deep Impact came first and grossed more than pundits predicted… just like Olympus is doing. There was little doubt, though, that Armageddon was the more high-profile pic and would gross more, with its major director and bigger stars. That is also the case with White House Down. We will know in June when Down debuts. Olympus Has Fallen is the first title of 2013 that I’ve seen (earlier this week) and I can tell you that I found it to be a fun throwback to 80s “hard R” action flicks. I hope White House Down is of the same quality.