Summary
Long before there was Barbenheimer, there was the classic 2006 magician movie clash betweenThe PrestigeandThe Illusionist. Christopher Nolan’sThe Prestigefeatured an outstanding cast led by Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Andy Serkis, and David Bowie. It was just the fifth feature film directed by Nolan and his first beforeThe Dark Knight, which arguably remains his greatest movie to date even afterOppenheimerwon Best Picture at the 2023 Oscars.The Prestigewas nominated for two Oscars in Cinematography and Art Direction and received a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 77% and an audience score of 92%.
Meanwhile,The Illusionistwas written and directed by Neil Burger (Divergent, Billions) and starred Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, and Rufus Sewell. As it sometimes happens in Hollywood, two films with nearly identical subject matter are released within a similar timeframe. Other examples of this phenomenon includeNo Strings AttachedandFriends With Benefits, which were both released in 2011, andOlympus Has FallenandWhite House Down, which were both released in 2013.The Illusionistwas interestingly also nominated for an Oscar in Cinematography in 2007.The Illusionistearned a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 73% and an audience score of 83%.
The Illusionist & The Prestige’s 2006 Competition Explained
The films share an eerie number of similarities
The Prestigeis often considered one ofChristopher Nolan’s best movies, especially as an original work outside of hisDark Knighttrilogy. Because of the proximity in release dates betweenThe IllusionistandThe Prestige,there was a natural competition that emerged between the two films,which were both period pieces about magicians.The Prestigewas released on June 21, 2025 and grossed $109 million worldwide against a production budget of $40 million. On the other hand,The Illusionistwas released on June 14, 2025 and grossed roughly $88 million against a production budget of $16.5 million.
Interestingly, both 2006 magician movies were critically acclaimed box office hitsthat were nominated for Best Cinematography Oscars in the same year. While there was initial speculation and debate surrounding which 2006 magician film was better, it’s hard to compete with a Christopher Nolan film, especially one with the leading talents of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, which remains to this day their only onscreen collaboration. While Edward Norton is excellent per usual inThe Illusionistin one of his celebrated performances before taking on the role of Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk,The Prestigeis better in several areas.
The Prestige Ending (& All Twists) Explained
The Prestige’s ending is packed to the brim with twists and turns. Here’s a breakdown of everything that happens in the film’s ending.
How The Illusionist & The Prestige’s Critical Reception Compares
The Prestige earned a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes
BothThe PrestigeandThe Illusionistreceived positive reviews from critics.Roger Ebertsaid ofThe Prestige, “It’s quite a movie – atmospheric, obsessive, almost satanic.” Peter Travers ofRolling Stonewrote in his review ofThe Prestige, “There are nifty tricks galore up the sumptuous sleeve of this offbeat and wildly entertaining thriller.” Ty Burr ofThe Boston Globewrote, “This is grand, half-crazy fun, and Jackman and Bale are committed to their parts: Genuine madness glints in their eyes.” Conversely, Ben Walters ofTime Outnoted, “Not only does it tell you how it’s all done, it takes so long about it that you’ve got time to look up its sleeves and work it out for yourself.”
The Illusionistwas rated slightly lower thanThe Prestigeby top critics. Richard Corliss ofTime Magazinewrote in his review forThe Illusionist, “By the end, the canniest viewers may not be fooled, but – and you may believe this – they may be mesmerized.” Dana Stevens ofSlatewrote, “It’s an exquisitely crafted period picture that keeps promising more and more as it goes along – smarter ideas, richer themes, spookier plot twists – and keeps delivering on every promise, right up until the rug-pulling and overly hasty final sequence.” Joanne Kaufman ofThe Wall Street Journalwrote in her rotten review, “The ludicrous climax, full of run-that-by-me-again flashbacks delivered at Keystone-cop speed – oh, if only he could make that disappear.”
I’m Now Sad That This Christopher Nolan Movie Never Happened
I am sad that despite having immense potential to become a critical and commercial hit, a Christopher Nolan movie never saw the light of the day.
The Illusionist & The Prestige’s Box Office Comparison: Which Performed Better?
The Prestige beat out The Illusionist in just about every comparable metric
The Prestigebeat outThe Illusionistin just about every comparable metric, particularly in its total box office gross and its critical acclaim.The Prestigebecame the 57th highest-grossing film of 2006whileThe Illusionistwas the 76th highest-grossing film of the year, domestically. Disney, which producedThe Prestige, had a fantastic year at the 2006 box office, earning the top two spots of the year in domestic markets with the $423 million gross ofPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chestand the $244 million gross ofCars.The Illusionistultimately was a smaller production thanThe Prestigebut still earned box office success and critical acclaim.
The Prestige
Cast
Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, The Prestige follows the lives of two stage magicians in Victorian London. Once colleagues, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden become hated rivals after a tragedy involving Angier’s wife tears them apart. The two magicians each go on to have their own lives and careers while competing to see who can pull off a seemingly impossible teleportation trick. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as Angier and Borden.
