Movie remakes are certainly nothing new in Hollywood. A lot of times,remakes can feel pointless, but at their best, they can breathe new life into a franchise that has been down and limping for a while. With the right director, remakes can feel triumphant, even if the original movie is also great: takeWest Side Story, which is both great in its original version andSteven Speilberg’s 2021 remake. Most movies are lucky to get one remake, much less multiple, but this has still happened several times throughout history.
Films based on literary sources such as books, plays, or comic books technically don’t count because it can be argued that these films are just extra adaptations of the literary work rather than full-on remakes of previous movies. Even with this in mind, plenty of movies have been remade so many times that it’s hard to keep track of them all.These are the most remade movies in cinema, constantly receiving reiteration after reiteration, warranted or otherwise.
10’My Best Friend’s Wedding' (1997)
Number of remakes: 3
My Best Friend’s Weddingis a 1997 rom-com that was met with positive reviews, particularly forJulia Roberts' performance. A comeback of sorts for the actress after a string of disappointments, the film concerns a pair of old friends, Julianne and Michael, who reunite after a long time apart. When Michael reveals he is engaged, Julianne realizes she loves him and makes it her mission to get with him before he gets married.
There are some funny moments and some endearing yet admittedly questionable romance, but overall,My Best Friend’s Weddingdoesn’t feel wasted. This film didn’t receive any remakes domestically butwas remade three times internationally: once in India in 2002, once in China in 2016, and once in Mexico in 2019. These remakes are a lot harder to get ahold of if you don’t live in their respective countries, butnone quite hold a candle to the original. Non-romance fans can safely skip this one, but those who live for it might want to give the original a shot if only to witness the on-screen chemistry between Julia RobertsandDermot Mulroney.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
9’The Longest Yard' (1974)
1974’sThe Longest Yardis a football movie at its core, but it’s no ordinary football movie. Instead, it takes place in prison, where the warden asks a former quarterback turned inmate to assemble a football team with other inmates so that they can play against the prison guards. However, the guards are intent on using dirty tricks and beating the prisoners at every game.
So far,The Longest Yardhas been remade three times: in Britain in 2001, in America in 2005, and even in 2015 as an Egyptian film. However, only the 2005 version shares the same title as the original. Why it’s been remade so many times is anyone’s guess, as none of these remakes were particularly good, especially not the 2005 version starringAdam Sandler. Three may not be a very big number, but it is when it comes to remaking films; few films even get one remake, never mind three. Alas, it appears yetanother remake ofThe Longest Yardis in the worksat Paramount.
The Longest Yard
8’A Star is Born' (1937)
Number of remakes: 4
A Star is Bornfollows a failing movie star (who is an alcoholic in newer versions of the movie) who helps launch the career of an aspiring actress using his industry experience and insider know-how. While the original is a drama, most of the remakes are musical flicks, with the most recent 2018 edition starringLady GagaandBradley Cooper, who also directed.
This classic tale of Hollywood dreams has beenofficially remade four times: once in 1951 as a straight-to-television movie, then in 1954 withJudy Garlandin what’s possibly the best role of her career, resulting in an Oscar nomination. It was once again remade in 1976 withBarbera Streisand, followed by the 2018 version.A Star Is Born’s timeless tale of dreams, ambitions, and love makes itthe perfect candidate to be remade, depicting new sensibilities with each new generation while exploring similar themes.
7’Nine Queens' (2000)
Nine Queensis an Argentinian heist thriller movie that follows a con artist duo who tries to exploit money from a stamp collector by selling him a series of counterfeit stamps. Despite its relatively dull premise, the movie was met with endless amounts of praise, noted for its screenplay in particular.
Nine Queenswas a smash-hit in Argentina, resulting in four remakes, three of which were from India
With it being such a smash hit in Argentina, some other filmmakers wanted to get in on some of the action, and so came the 2004 release of the feature filmCriminalstarringOscar nomineesMaggie GyllenhaalandJohn C. Reilly. Since then,three Indian movies have been produced as remakes of the original— officially this time,resulting in four remakes in total. For fans of crime thrillers, this is an underrated movie they won’t want to pass up. It has received many accolades and rave reviews, so it would be a shame to just let it slide.Criminalis decent, but it’s best to stay away from the remakes though.
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6’King Kong' (1933)
Good ol’King Konghas also receivedmultiple remakes since the original was released in 1933. The first remake came out in 1976 and was not good, so it’s no surprise that it didn’t really take off. Following 1976, there was a 1998 animated musical flick, though this was a very loose remake and also failed to take off. Then camePeter Jackson’s beloved 2005 film, followed by the 2017 Monsterverse movie. In total,there have been four remakes ofKing Kong, along with the various sequels and spin-offs.
Each one, of course, follows the giant ape from Skull Island as he is whisked away to New York after he falls in love with an American film actress. The 1933 film is one of the earliest examples of giant monster movies and has remained a staple of the genre ever since. Its endearing story and criticisms of the film industry are probably the main reasons why, after nearly 100 years,Kong is still going strong, with no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
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5’Seven Samurai' (1954)
Number of remakes: 5
Seven Samuraiis ajidaigekifilm by legendary Japanese filmmakerAkira Kurosawathat completely changed the landscape of cinema itself. The plot follows a beleaguered village in rural Japan that hires a group of samurai to fight back against the bandits who repeatedly steal the harvest from the farmers. It is widelyregarded as Kurosawa’s best workand the movie that put him on the map.
It’s such an influential movie that it’s reallyhard to track just how many projects it has influenced, but there have beenfive confirmed remakes thus far, often in different genres or from different countries. Beyond these five remakes, references and nods toSeven Samuraican be found all over the place, especially in Hollywood. It inspired many other movies,fromStar WarstoA Bug’s Life. Widely considered among the best movies ever made, it’s only natural for other filmmakers to want a piece ofSeven Samurai’s success.
Seven Samurai
4’Don' (1978)
Number of remakes: 6
Bollywood movies are actually remade all the time, largely because India is a country that has dozens of regional languages, and many of these remakes attempt to reach a wider audience. Most of the time, there aren’t more than two or three.Don,however, scored six different remakes throughout the years, some of them even in the same language as the original.
Donscored six different remakes throughout the years, some of them even in the same language as the original.
Even though it is a Bollywood film,Donisn’t a musical, opting instead for the action/thriller approach as it follows a crime boss who is constantly evading authorities. It reeks of ’70s action movie cheese, but that’s probably why it’s become so successful, not just domestically but internationally, too.Donnot only spawned an entire franchise but multiple remakes, the most recent of which came out in 2009. Some of these remakes are under different titles, but they are still fundamentally the same story.
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3’The Man in the Iron Mask' (1923)
The originalThe Man in the Iron Maskwas a 1923 silentGerman expressionist filmabout the eponymous figure who came into the public eye in the early 18th Century. Though there have indeed been novels based on this anonymous prisoner, the movies haven’t been adaptations of them but rather inspired by the legends and myths surrounding the poor, unfortunate soul who was the real man in the iron mask.
The man in the iron mask is an intriguing historical figure, so it’s only natural that there would be several movies made speculating who he was and what happened to him.
Since the 1923 movie,six different films have been released, beginning in 1928, followed by 1939, 1977, 1985, and two in 1998. However, the most popular one released in 1998 is undoubtedly the one starringLeonardo DiCaprio. The man in the iron mask is an intriguing historical figure, so it’s only natural that there would be several movies made speculating who he was and what happened to him. None of the movies do as much as they could with the premise, but they remain quite intriguing, if only for the mystery surrounding the tragic man.
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2’Miss Granny' (2014)
Number of remakes: 8
The South Korean filmMiss Grannyhas been remade eight times, though not a single one of these remakes is American. Most of the remakes come from various other countries in Asia, save for the 2022 version from Mexico. In South Korea, the film was a smash hit at the box office, and its success quickly became apparent in other countries. So, of course, other filmmakers hoped they would be able to achieve that same level of success with their versions of the film.
The plot concerns an aging widow who has professional photos done at a studio one day, but when she emerges, she finds she is 20 years old once again for some baffling reason. The fantasy dramedy was loved both by Korean and international audiences and has beenremade under several titles since 2014, making it much more accessible to a wider variety of audiences.
Miss Granny
1’Perfect Strangers' (2016)
Number of remakes: 24
Perfect Strangerscurrently holds theGuinness World Record for the most remade movie, sitting at a whopping 24 remakes. The original Italian film is a dramedy about a group of friends who argue that many couples would separate if they were to see the messages on each other’s phones. They then run an experiment wherein all of their messages and phone calls are shared with the rest of the group.Perfect Strangershas an interesting and funny premise but is nothing revolutionary, which makes the number of remakes a bit baffling.
In just eight short years,Perfect Strangerssomehow managed to be remade more than any other movie ever made.
Perfect Strangers' 24 remakesall fall under different titles and are made with entirely new actors in different countries, including but not limited to Greece, Mexico, South Korea, India, Japan, China, Vietnam, Armenia, Spain, and Germany. Yet surprisingly, not one of these remakes has been in English. In just eight short years, this movie somehow managed to be remade more than any other movie ever made, and yet it’s still unknown to a lot of English-speaking people. It might not be life-changing, butPerfect Strangersis well worth a watch, if only to see what all the fuzz is about.
