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SALT LAKE CITY — The action movie "Olympus Has Fallen" opened up over the weekend and had an OK opening, but it couldn't outdo the family-friendly "The Croods" at the box office.
While Olympus couldn't outperform the animated feature it can still win the battle of White House hostage movies.
"Olympus Has Fallen" stars Gerard Butler as a disgraced former Presidential guard who is trapped inside the White House during a terrorist attack and is the only one left to save the President. This is interesting because in June the movie "White House Down" will open.
"White House Down" stars Channing Tatum as a police officer on a tour of the White House with his daughter when a terrorist group takes it over and he does his best to save his daughter and the president. Sound familiar?
This is called a "copycat" movie and they happen more often than you may realize. We thought we would look at five copycat pairings and let you vote on which movie was the best.
#poll1
Mirror Mirror vs. Snow White and the Huntsman
The Julia Roberts fantasy Snow White tale "Mirror Mirror" opened in March of 2012 and then in June of that same year another Snow White movie starring Kristen Stewart hit the big screen, "Snow White and the Huntsman."
"Mirror Mirror" was more of a family-friendly fantasy take of the fairy tale while "Snow White and the Huntsman" was a grittier, darker and more violent approach.
"Snow White and the Huntsman" was the clear winner at the box office, but "Mirror Mirror" was the winner with critics, although not by much.
Now it's up to you, which Snow White flick was better?
#poll2
Tombstone vs. Wyatt Earp
Two movies retelling the story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday were released within months of one another and neither was a box office hit.
"Tombstone" starred Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer while "Wyatt Earp" starred Oscar winner Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid. Costner's "Wyatt Earp" seemed to be a bit more historically accurate, but Val Kilmer's Doc Holliday seemed to be the only thing people could talk about.
Both told similar stories but took different routes to get there. Which film was better, "Tombstone" or "Wyatt Earp"?
#poll3
Dante's Peak vs. Volcano
1997 saw the release of two disaster movies involving volcanoes. The first was "Dante's Peak" starring Pierce Brosnan and the other was "Volcano" starring Tommy Lee Jones. Both movies were hammered by critics and neither one performed very well at the box office.
Both movies were filled with lava, stupid teenagers and a lot of ash, but neither one seemed to pay much attention to story. While overall the films weren't great they did act as a bit of a guilty pleasure.
So, which guilty pleasure would you rather claim, "Dante's Peak" or "Volcano"?
#poll4
Antz vs. A Bug's Life
Two huge animated movies were released just about a month apart in 1998 and they both had the same basic storyline. First there was the DreamWorks film "Antz" and then weeks later we got Pixar's "A Bug's Life."
"A Bug's Life" won the box office battle, but critics preferred "Antz." Both films were fun and inventive, but it just seems so bizarre that both came out so close to one another.
Many times people will just assume "A Bug's Life" is better because it came from Pixar, but "Antz" is a better film than many give it credit for. So, it's a tougher decision than it may seem, but which one do you think is the better film about insects, "Antz" or "A Bug's Life"?
#poll5
We all knew this one was coming. In May of 1998 the meteor disaster film "Deep Impact" made more than $140 million at the box office, but then two months later "Armageddon" came along and won the day by bringing in more than $200 million in ticket sales.
"Deep Impact" was a little closer to reality than "Armageddon" but "Deep Impact" didn't have that Aerosmith song that's been stuck in or heads for the past 15 years.
Neither film was a hit with critics, which is no surprise, but audiences ate them up and the ticket sales prove it.
So, here's the last one, which one wins the end of the world movie battle, "Deep Impact" or "Armageddon"?
What other copycat movies come to mind and what's the winner? Let us know on the comment boards, Facebook or send me an email.
Also, be sure to vote on the polls and use Facebook and the comment boards to explain your picks.
