10 Movie "Ripoffs" That Actually Weren't

The moment that the trailer for Friends with Benefits dropped, it was impossible to separate the film from another identically-premised rom-rom that released six months prior - No Strings Attached.

Friends with Benefits stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis as two friends who decide to begin having casual sex with the promise that it won't become romantic, and No Strings Attached has the exact same premise, while subbing out Timberlake and Kunis for Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman.

Tempting though it might be to call Friends with Benefits a cynical, even lazy cash-in, the less-dramatic reality is that both projects were independently in development at the same time, with No Strings Attached being shot just two months before Friends with Benefits.

After all, this isn't exactly the most ferociously unique concept for a rom-com.

The productions were aware of one another, though, as No Strings Attached was originally entitled "Friends with Benefits," before the decision was made to rename it to avoid confusion between the two projects.

Ultimately it all worked out shockingly well for both sides - Friends with Benefits was more broadly well-received and grossed just $0.3 million more than No Strings Attached, with both films netting almost $150 million a-piece worldwide.