Next month sees the release of Olympus Has Fallen, which tells the story of Secret Service Agent Gerard Butler protecting President Aaron Eckhart when The White House gets taken over by terrorists. It's basically Die Hard meets Air Force One, which sounds like the greatest action movie of all time. And Hollywood seems to agree, as later this year sees the release of White House Down, which tells the story of Secret Service Agent Channing Tatum protecting President Jamie Foxx when The White House gets taken over by terrorists.

In light of this, we look back over previous examples of near-identical films that were released within a few months of each, and see who came out on top.

DANTE'S PEAK vs VOLCANO
Released: February 1997 / April 1997
Box Office: $178 million / $122 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 27% / 44%
Neither of these can be considered classics, but Dante's Peak had Pierce Brosnan being rather dreary trying to save a sleepy mountain town from disaster that takes FOREVER to arrive, whereas Volcano revelled in the cheesiness of Tommy Lee Jones outrunning lava flows all of Los Angeles.

DEEP IMPACT vs ARMAGEDDON
Released: May 1998 / July 1998
Box Office: $349 million / $553 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 47% / 40%
This is the big one that we all remember, when the two asteroid movies collided and people were torn between the emotional devastation of Deep Impact, or the actual devastation of Armageddon. The latter won out at the box office, while also being one of the most brain-numbingly entertaining blockbusters ever made. As good as the tidal wave sequence was in Deep Impact, it was just a case of too little too late.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN vs THE THIN RED LINE
Released: July 1998 / January 1999
Box Office: $481 million / $98 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93% / 78%
While both about World War Two, these two movies couldn't possibly be any different if they tried. Spielberg's visceral, action-packed epic stands head and shoulders above Terrence Malick's ponderous, emotive picture. Audiences agreed with critics, with Ryan pulling in almost five times as much at the box office as its counterpart.

THE TRUMAN SHOW vs ED TV
Released: June 1998 / March 1999
Box Office: $264 million / $35 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95% / 64%
A modern classic and a movie you've probably never heard of, that's what we have here. Jim Carrey gives a career best performance in a movie foretelling the likes of Big Brother, whereas EDtv flopped on release, with Matthew McConaughey at his most annoying being followed around by a camera crew with Elizabeth Hurley at her most talentless.

ANTZ vs A BUG'S LIFE
Released: October 1998 / November 1998
Box Office: $171 million / $363 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95% / 92%
Dreamworks and Pixar went head-to-head with their insect titles, with Pixar winning out at the box office by a HUGE margin, but Dreamworks has arguably gotten the better film in hindsight, with a less child-centric comedy featuring the likes of Woody Allen, Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone, as opposed to A Bug's Life's… uhm… Dave Foley.

ENTRAPMENT vs THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR
Released: April 1999 / August 1999
Box Office: $212 million / $124 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 38% / 67%
When the Steve McQueen movie was getting the remake treatment, a script was given to producers, who decided to go in a different direction. But this script eventually became the Sean Connery/Catherine Zeta-Jones starrer, which went on to win the box office war, but the Pierce Brosnan (him again?) caper is a much, MUCH better movie.

STIGMATA vs END OF DAYS
Released: September 1999 / November 1999
Box Office: $89 million / $211 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 22% / 11%
Both films deal with the arrival of the devil through a pure messenger, but the complications are even more complicated than usual, as Gabriel Byrne is the good-guy priest in Stigmata trying to save the day, but plays the Devil in End Of Days, wanting to bring about the end of the world. The latter is widely considered one of Arnie's worst movies, while Stigmata is just about one of the most forgettable horror movies ever made.

MISSION TO MARS vs RED PLANET
Released: March 2000 / November 2000
Box Office: $110 million / $33 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 25% / 14%
Movies to do with Mars are box office poison for some reason - Mars Attacks, Mars Needs Moms, John Carter - and these two were no exceptions. But at least Mission To Mars had veteran director Brian De Palma at the helm to make sure things at least looked interesting, whereas Red Planet director Antony Hoffman has never been heard of again.

FINDING NEMO vs SHARK TALE
Released: May 2003 / October 2004
Box Office: $921 million / $367 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99% / 36%
Pixar wins this round, with their near perfect movie - who is the spoilsport critic keeping this from 100%? - defeating the empty Dreamworks' production. Despite a stellar voice cast (Will Smith, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie, etc.), Shark Tale just couldn't match the masterful storytelling that makes Finding Nemo such a modern classic.

CAPOTE vs INFAMOUS
Released: February 2006 / October 2006
Box Office: $49 million / $2 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90% / 72%
Back to back movies about Truman Capote and his investigations into a series of murders that lead to him writing his book In Cold Blood, with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones both giving stellar performances. But in the end Capote won out, getting Hoffman the Best Actor Oscar, as well as winning with audiences and critics.

UNITED 93 vs WORLD TRADE CENTRE
Released: April 2006 / August 2006
Box Office: $76 million / $162 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91% / 69%
Paul Greengrass brought his shaky-cam realism to one of the horrific events of recent times, making a hugely powerful movie in the process with United 93, whereas World Trade Centre had Oliver Stone directing Nicolas Cage under a pile of rubble. While not exactly a bad movie, it is a bit OTT with its “America Sure Is Great!” message. But Americans seemed to appreciate that message, going to see it over it's more depressing competition.

THE ILLUSIONIST vs THE PRESTIGE
Released: September 2006 / October 2006
Box Office: $87 million / $109 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 74% / 76%
Two months, twenty million dollars, and two percent separate these duelling magician movies, but hindsight tells a different story. While you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who even remembers the Edward Norton/Jessica Biel starrer, The Prestige is in a need a re-evaluation, with the Christian Bale/Hugh Jackman flick possibly being the best thing that director Christopher Nolan has ever done. Food for thought…

NO STRINGS ATTACHED vs FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
Released: January 2011 / July 2011
Box Office: $147 million / $149 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 49% / 71%
It all comes down to preferences really; who would you rather have as a naked-hug buddy? Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher or Mila Kunis/Justin Timberlake? Audiences weren't particularly fussed either way, with both movies making pretty much exactly the same amount of money, but critics had more time for the Kunis/Timberlake pairing.

MIRROR MIRROR vs SNOW WHITE & THE HUNTSMAN
Released: March 2012 / June 2012
Box Office: $162 million / $396 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 50% / 48%
Two very different takes on the Snow White tale, with Julia Roberts and Charlize Theron giving us two very different evil step-mothers, but both being the best part of their movies. Perhaps due to the presence of Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart, SW&TH won out at the box office, despite having slightly worse reviews than Mirror Mirror. Not that it matters really, as they were both pretty bad movies that deserve to be forgotten as quickly as possible.

THE RAID: REDEMPTION vs DREDD
Released: April 2012 / September 2012
Box Office: $15 million / $36 million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84% / 77%
Two of the best action movies of the last decade both got roundly ignored by audiences, with their takings barely making up for their production and promotion costs. Both films had a high-rise block run by a big-bad-boss, and the heroes fighting their way up, floor by floor. If you haven't seen either of these movies, do yourself a favour and go watch them right now!