00:00Sorry about the house, sir.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're
00:07counting down our picks for films
00:09that outshined the movies they were largely
00:12seen as imitating, becoming even bigger success stories.
00:15Thank you for your consideration.
00:21Number 10, Slither.
00:22When it comes to James Gunn's horror comedy Slither,
00:25distinct similarities can be traced to not one,
00:27but two classic B-movies, David Cronenberg's Shivers
00:31and Fred Decker's Night of the Creeps.
00:38And while these early films laid the groundwork
00:40by introducing the creep-tackler idea of slug-like creatures
00:44turning people into ravenous zombies,
00:46it was Gunn's unique blend of humor, gore,
00:48and over-the-top designs that made Slither truly stand out.
00:52Ah.
00:53Ah.
00:57Unfortunately, despite being a critical darling,
01:00it was a box office disappointment,
01:02only slithering away with $12 million
01:04against a $15 million budget.
01:06But it has since gained a dedicated fan base,
01:09ultimately enjoying wider recognition than the movies
01:12it's borrowed from.
01:17Number 9, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2.
01:21And when I arrive at my destination,
01:25I am going to kill Bill.
01:27Quentin Tarantino is no stranger to taking inspiration
01:30from films of yore, notably Grindhouse and Samurai Classics.
01:34After all, the writer-director is a true lover of cinema
01:37and wears his influence on his sleeve.
01:39And so there's no denying that Tarantino's two-part revenge
01:43epic Kill Bill borrows heavily from Toshiya Fujita's Lady
01:47Snowblood.
01:48Nani yueta?
01:51Urami.
01:51Both films follow a skilled female warrior
01:54on a bloody quest for vengeance, employing
01:56stylized violence, stark visuals,
01:59and non-linear storytelling.
02:00However, while Lady Snowblood remains a cult favorite,
02:04Kill Bill brought these themes to the mainstream,
02:07cementing Tarantino's reputation as a master of genre-bending
02:11filmmaking in the process.
02:13You and I have unfinished business.
02:18Baby, you ain't kidding.
02:21Number eight, Top Gun.
02:24God damn, you son of a b----.
02:26Talk about an aerial dogfight.
02:28The late 80s saw two movies centered around fighter pilots
02:31proving themselves in high-stakes situations.
02:34Yep, both Iron Eagle and Top Gun capitalized
02:37on Cold War anxieties and a sheer need for speed.
02:41I feel the need, the need for speed.
02:46Ow!
02:47Before you run to the comments saying
02:49that it was Iron Eagle that copied Top Gun,
02:51it was actually the latter that came out
02:54months after the Louis Gosselin Jr. starring flick.
02:57Unfortunately for Iron Eagle, though,
02:59it couldn't quite lift up as Top Gun
03:01soared to much greater heights.
03:02This was thanks to its high-octane action sequences,
03:05iconic soundtrack, and undeniable charisma
03:08of a young Tom Cruise.
03:10In short, it took audiences' breath away.
03:14Number seven, King Kong.
03:19The timeless classic King Kong has
03:22seen its share of blatant ripoffs over the years.
03:24But Kong's adventures are also perceived
03:27as being a copy of another, 1925's The Lost World.
03:30Ah!
03:30Ah!
03:31Ah!
03:31Ah!
03:32Ah!
03:32Ah!
03:33Ah!
03:33Ah!
03:34Ah!
03:34Ah!
03:35Ah!
03:35Ah!
03:36Ah!
03:36Ah!
03:37Ah!
03:37Ah!
03:38Ah!
03:38Ah!
03:39Ah!
03:39Ah!
03:40While old Hollywood is flooded with examples
03:42of recycled concepts, this one takes the cake.
03:45It's Kong!
03:46Kong's coming!
03:47Ah!
03:48When did King Kong come?
03:50The Lost World, like King Kong, Features
03:52humans venturing into uncharted territory
03:54and interacting with oversized creatures.
03:56And while The Lost World doesn't have a giant ape,
03:59it does feature the signature stop-motion technique
04:01seen in King Kong.
04:03Both are significant to cinema's history.
04:05But it's King Kong that stands as the most popular.
04:08the film's impact is still resonating today.
04:10♪♪
04:17Number six, Armageddon.
04:18Remember the Y2K panic in the late 90s?
04:21Studios seized the moment with an onslaught
04:24of apocalyptic films.
04:25♪♪
04:29And in 1998, Deep Impact released in May,
04:32with Armageddon coming out a month later in June.
04:35Half the world's population will be incinerated
04:37by the heat blast, and the rest will face
04:39the death of a nuclear winter.
04:41Yes, I believe.
04:42Both rode the space meteor disaster wave.
04:45However, controversy arose when Deep Impact screenwriter
04:49Bruce Joe Rubin accused a Disney executive
04:51of stealing his idea during a lunch meeting.
04:54Even though the latter received better reviews
04:56and was praised for its scientific accuracy,
04:58Armageddon outperformed Deep Impact at the box office.
05:02♪♪
05:06It grossed $553.7 million worldwide
05:10and became the highest-grossing film of 1998.
05:13United States government just asked us to save the world.
05:17Anybody want to say no?
05:19Number five, A Fistful of Dollars.
05:21My mistake.
05:22More coffins.
05:24Many have called Sergio Leone's
05:261964 spaghetti western A Fistful of Dollars
05:29an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's
05:311961 film Yojimbo.
05:35Two weapons.
05:37No, probably three.
05:39This is due to the numerous similarities.
05:41Both movies follow a lone drifter
05:43who plays rival factions against each other
05:45for personal gain.
05:46Kurosawa himself saw the similarities,
05:48and the accusations resulted in a successful lawsuit.
05:51♪♪
05:54Adios, amigo.
05:56Despite all the legal issues,
05:58the Gritty Clint Eastwood-starring film
06:00is credited with redefining the western genre.
06:03Eastwood's lone gunslinger would go on to be part
06:05of what's known as the Dollars Trilogy,
06:07with A Fistful of Dollars firmly etching out
06:10a legendary status for itself.
06:12Why do you do this for us?
06:15Why?
06:17I knew someone like you once.
06:18There was no one there to help.
06:20Now get moving.
06:21Number four, Olympus Has Fallen.
06:22Sir, there's been an intrusion.
06:24Please stand down.
06:25Let's go, move.
06:26In 2013, two big-budget action films
06:30about attacks on the White House
06:31and the subsequent efforts of a lone hero
06:34to save the day were released just months apart.
06:37♪♪
06:40Even though Roland Emmerich's White House Down
06:43arrived in cinemas first and featured big names
06:45like Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx,
06:47it was the Gerard Butler-starring actioner
06:50Olympus Has Fallen that hit its target with audiences.
06:54Sorry about the house, sir.
06:57It's okay.
06:59I believe it's insured.
07:01Fallen's intense action sequences and relentless pacing
07:04helped secure victory at the box office
07:06and even spawned several sequels.
07:08Meanwhile, White House Down failed to capture
07:11the same level of success,
07:12making it inferior to its counterpart on almost every level.
07:16Number three, Raiders of the Lost Ark.
07:18Many film buffs have been quick to cite
07:20the 1954 adventure film Secret of the Incas
07:24as being a direct influence
07:25for Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark.
07:32After all, both movies feature rugged archaeologists
07:35embarking on perilous quests in search of ancient treasures.
07:38In fact, many moments in Raiders of the Lost Ark
07:41bear a striking resemblance to those in Secret of the Incas.
07:44I don't like the competition.
07:47Even the main character dons similar outfits,
07:50right down to the fedora.
07:52Though Secret of the Incas paved the way
07:54for treasure-hunting tales,
07:55Raiders of the Lost Ark completely elevated the genre,
07:59elevated the genre, bringing it to unparalleled heights.
08:02It also made Harrison Ford's whip-cracking exploits
08:05as Indiana Jones ripe for a series of sequels.
08:11Number two, The Hunger Games.
08:12The dystopian young adult film genre owes a debt
08:15to both Kenji Fukasaku's Japanese cult classic Battle Royale
08:22and Gary Ross' blockbuster The Hunger Games.
08:25I volunteer as tribute.
08:27Both movies depict teenagers forced to participate
08:29in deadly competitions for entertainment purposes.
08:32Battle Royale offered a bleaker
08:34and more violent take on the concept,
08:36while The Hunger Games leaned into the fantasy element.
08:39Of the two youths forced fight-to-the-death flicks,
08:42it was Jennifer Lawrence's breakout performance
08:44as Katniss Everdeen,
08:46combined with the thought-provoking social commentary
08:48that propelled The Hunger Games to be most successful.
08:51Fair consideration.
08:54A global phenomenon,
08:56The Hunger Games franchise featured multiple sequels
08:59and inspired a new wave of young adult dystopian fiction.
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09:18Number one, The Fast and the Furious.
09:21You're gonna win.
09:24I'm gonna win.
09:26With over 10 installments
09:27in the Fast and Furious film series,
09:29it's easy to forget that the very first film
09:32was seen as a copy
09:33of the adrenaline-fueled thriller Point Break.
09:35For fans of the Catherine Bigelow-directed film,
09:38the high-paced action, undercover cops,
09:40and a charismatic leader with a questionable moral compass
09:43all sounded familiar.
09:45Tell me where she is and I walk away.
09:47However, while Point Break enjoyed moderate success
09:51upon its release,
09:52The Fast and the Furious tapped into the zeitgeist
09:54of pop culture,
09:55solidifying Vin Diesel's action hero status in the process.
09:58And by launching a multi-billion-dollar franchise
10:01with more sequels and spinoffs
10:03than you can shake a stick at,
10:04it's clear The Fast and the Furious
10:06has left Point Break in its dust.
10:09You almost had me, you never had me.
10:13Which film copycat did you enjoy more than the original?
10:16Share your thoughts in the comments down below.
10:18Let this be a lesson to all you ants.
10:22Ideas are a very dangerous thing.
10:25Did you enjoy this video?
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