In 1998, Paramount's crime drama "Twilight" grossed just over $15 million. In 2008, Summit's adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel, "Twilight," grossed over $392 million around the globe.
Before Disney broke box office records with Marvel superhero blockbuster "The Avengers," Warner Bros. spent $60 million on an adaptation of a British television show of the same name. The biggest difference between the two? WB's investment didn't pay off. "The Avengers," starring Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes as a pair of secret agents bombed, raking in just over $23 million.
Before Michael Bay turned sitcom star Will Smith into a movie star in 1995's "Bad Boys," director Rick Rosenthal cast Sean Penn as a juvenile criminal in a well-recieved 1983 drama.
There's "The Fan," a 1981 thriller from Paramount Pictures about a deranged man (Michael Biehn) stalking a glamorous movie star (Lauren Bacall). And then there's "The Fan," a 1996 thriller from TriStar Pictures about a deranged man (Robert De Niro) stalking a major league baseball star. Totally different.
Both are crime movies, but the 1986 title, starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines, goes for laughs, while the 2006 title, with a cast lead by Paul Walker, goes for tense dramatic action. According to Rotten Tomatoes, older is better.
Columbia Pictures 1992 boxing drama was no "Rocky," but DreamWorks and Universal's 2000 co-production went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture -- just like "Rocky" did in 1976.
MGM released its comedic crime drama, starring Robert De Niro and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, in 1999. Magnolia Pictures released its British diamond heist drama, starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine in 2007.
Before Will Ferrell was seen "Kicking & Screaming" as the coach of a youth soccer team in 2005, writer and director Noah Baumbach premiered his first film in 1995 to critical acclaim at the New York Film Festival.
The 1986 Burt Reynolds thriller was a troubled production that only ended up grossing less than $1 million more than the $2 million Reynolds was paid to star. Michael Mann's 1995 crime drama, on the other hand, was a success at the box office and with the critics.
David Cronenberg's 1996 took home the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, while Paul Haggis' 2004 ensemble drama about racial tensions in Los Angeles won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.
