"The Truman Show" (Paramount Pictures) - June 5, 1998
Global box office: $264 million

"EDtv" (Universal Pictures) - March 26, 1999
Global box office: $35 million

The result: Ron Howard's "EDtv" may have been based on a 1994 Canadian film, but it had enough in common with 1998's "The Truman Show" to make late '90s audiences see double. In both, a charming everyman's life is broadcast 24/7 while the world watches. The key difference: Ed knows about the camera, while Truman doesn't. That inherent drama may have been the key to the Jim Carrey film's significant worldwide box office success. "ED," on the other hand, was an unqualified flop, despite the presence of the then-rising star Matthew McCounaghey.

- Dave Lewis