15 movies with alternate endings that would have changed everything

Stanley Kubrick's satirical skewering of Cold War hysteria almost ended in a pie fight, as opposed to a nuclear holocaust cheerfully set to the song "We'll Meet Again," sung by Vera Lynn.

Already shot and ready to go, if not for a last-minute change by Kubrick, the film was to end with an absurd, mass custard pie fight between world leaders in the infamous War Room. However, after a test screening, Kubrick deemed the ending "too farcical," and it included a line of dialogue that could have offended audiences after the recent assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The end of Ridley Scott's "Alien," which would go on to become a quintessential sci-fi franchise, sees heroine Ripley narrowly escape the clutches of the malevolent Xenomorph, having fled her ravaged ship and crew in a shuttle that unknowingly carried the Xenomorph on board. But in the film's alternate ending, Ripley shockingly perishes, having never been intended to survive by Scott in the first place. When he was met with anger by studio executives, Scott was forced to shift the script to a happier ending.

Due to test screenings and studio meddling, "Blade Runner" has become notorious for its multiple alternate endings. There are seven versions of the film, and Ridley Scott continued to work on the most definitive version of the film after its poor reception in 1982.

The "U.S. Theatrical Cut" is what screened in 1982 and included narration and a happy ending. The "Workprint" version is what Scott had before changes were made due to test screenings. The "International Cut" is more violent.

The "Director's Cut" gets rid of narration and the happy ending and includes a dream sequence. The "Final Cut" has all the changes of the "Director's Cut" plus the violence of the "International Cut," an extended dream sequence, and additional footage added, and is what Scott considers to be the definitive version of "Blade Runner."

At the end of the final installment of the original "Star Wars" trilogy, our heroes Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and Han Solo triumph over the evil forces of the Galactic Empire and its leader, Emperor Palpatine. However, creator George Lucas had a much darker ending for the trilogy in mind—one where, after Darth Vader dies, Luke would have picked up Vader's helmet and placed it on himself, proclaiming to be the new Vader. Eventually, Lucas changed his mind, in an acknowledgment that the film is for kids.

The film based on the popular board game was intentionally shot with three separate endings, a gimmick that co-writer and executive producer John Landis thought would bolster the murder-mystery format, pay tribute to the original game, and make more money.

While it failed to bring in more revenue for the film, it's given the reappraised cult film an extra amount of charm. Two of the three endings pin the penultimate murder reveal on one person, while the third ending purports that everyone in the film is equally responsible in one way or another—there was even an unfilmed fourth ending.

Frank Oz's adaptation of the original Roger Corman film, which adds the musical element of the off-Broadway production, is bizarre, hilarious, sweet, and full of infectiously catchy tunes.

But the ballad of Seymour, Audrey, and man-eating plant Audrey II had a much darker ending intended by Oz than what was allowed by test audience reception. In Oz's true vision for the end of his film, Audrey II devours both Audrey and Seymour and the "Mean Green Mothers From Outer Space" take over planet Earth. Instead, in the reworked and released ending, Audrey and Seymour triumph over the evil plant and live happily ever after.

At the end of John Hughes' cult hit rom-com, Molly Ringwald's unpopular Andie Walsh ends up getting together with handsome, preppy rich boy Blane, forgoing her best friend Duckie's romantic intentions toward her. However, in Hughes' original draft, Duckie and Andie do end up together—which, if one has seen the film, feels like the natural progression of their friendship. Unfortunately, test audiences booed at this development, and so Hughes was forced to pair Blane and Andie together instead.

The classic psychological thriller about an affair gone horribly wrong ends with obsessive stalker Alex (Glenn Close) being murdered by Dan (Michael Douglas), the man she had an affair with, and his wife Beth (Anne Archer)—a portrayal that has since been criticized for sexism.

But the original ending sided more with Alex, where Dan is framed for murder and taken into custody, while Alex leaves a message for Beth to let her know Dan is innocent (though still guilty of adultery). This ending did not fare well with test audiences, who wanted Alex to suffer for her crimes, and so director Adrian Lyne was forced to change it—much to the chagrin of both himself and Glenn Close.

In fact, on a January 2025 episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show," Close revealed that she initially refused to film the new ending. "I was saying, 'What if it was you? What if it was your character?'" she recalled to Barrymore. "I was so furious."

There was once a grittier version of the beloved rom-com, surrounding a Hollywood sex worker and wealthy businessman who fall in love. Though posited as a kind of fairy tale once snagged by Disney and director Garry Marshall, it was originally a darker drama and capitalist critique entitled "3,000," which ends with Julia Roberts' Vivian and Richard Gere's Edward not ending up together.

Instead, Vivian and her friend Kit hitch a bus bound for Disneyland with the money she made off of Edward, as Vivian stares off into the distance. When the original company that purchased "3,000" went bankrupt, the film went to Disney, where rewrites to the film occurred, giving it its lighter tone.

If the alternate ending to the "Terminator" sequel had come to fruition, there probably wouldn't have been any more "Terminator" movies at all. Though heroine Sarah Connor succeeds in averting "Judgment Day," the story is left open still for continuation (which is exactly what happened).

An alternate ending shows Sarah Connor many decades into the future, reflecting on the events prior in voice-over. Her son becomes a U.S. senator and has a daughter, and Skynet is vanquished. In the long run, it was a bit too optimistic of an ending for the dark series.

In the classic animated Disney film, Simba, heir to the Pride Lands, reclaims his late father's post from evil uncle Scar, restoring peace and carrying on the circle of life.

But there was an alternate ending to the beloved tale, revealed via storyboards, which was considerably more terrifying. Scar wins the final battle between him and Simba, pushing Simba to his death, but is quickly burned alive by encroaching flames. Though more in-tune with its Shakespearean roots (even directly lifting a line from "Hamlet" itself), it's obvious why the more family-friendly approach won out.

The epic romance film based on real events concludes with Rose completing the retelling of her fleeting romance with Jack and the treasure hunters pursuing her Heart of the Ocean gem giving up their search. She secretly drops the gem into the sea to reunite it with Jack.

In the alternate ending, the treasure hunters run to meet Rose at the stern of the ship, believing she's about to jump, until Rose drops the gem (to the treasure hunters' dismay), and Rose offers some emotional exposition. Actor Bill Paxton believed cutting this alternate ending was necessary to complete the story.

After escaping the fortified mansion, survivors of the zombie apocalypse, Jim, Selena, and Hannah retreat to a remote cottage, and Jim recovers from his gunshot wound. They experience a small flicker of hope as they unfurl a sign meant to catch the attention of a passing jet so that they may possibly be saved.

But there were actually three other endings—one in which Jim doesn't survive his wounds and one that cuts Jim's rescue differently, both of which were tested with audiences. The third ending, only storyboarded, shows Jim save Frank via blood transfusion after encountering a mysterious scientist. The soldiers in the final act would have also been removed entirely.

However, director Danny Boyle eventually decided to end the movie by confirming Jim's survival, setting the stage for Cillian Murphy to bring Jim back to the silver screen in the 2026 sequel "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple."

The divisive theatrical ending to the post-apocalyptic sci-fi allows protagonist Robert Neville to find a cure for the vampiric disease that has plagued humanity. He sacrifices himself to a horde of vampires so that two other survivors may take his cure to others.

However, an alternate ending is more in line with the ending of the novel the film is based on. Neville discovers his test subject is the vampire leader's partner, and he lets her go and abandons his research after realizing the vampires actually fear him. But negative reactions from test audiences had the final say in this.

After Chris escapes the clutches of his girlfriend Rose and her deranged, racist family, things suddenly look bleak when what looks like a cop car appears before Chris. Rose, dying on the ground, pleads for help—only for Chris's TSA buddy, Rod, to jump out of the car and save him. It's an upbeat ending for the protagonist, but originally Chris is captured by the real cops and sent to jail. However, audience reactions during test screenings led to the far more optimistic conclusion that made the theatrical cut.

Additional writing by Cu Fleshman.