In many video games, player choices can directly influence the outcome of the game's story. In movies, however, the ending is always predetermined. With no interactivity, there's just no way to change how a movie's events unfold. However, alternate versions of a film's ending do exist in particular circumstances.

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While the events of a given film seem to be set in stone, depending on where audiences watched some movies, the conclusions of the films may differ. Some differences may be minor, while others might change the fates of the characters entirely. At the most extreme, two variations of the same movie might differ drastically in tone, ultimately resulting in what appears to be two separate movies. Most movies will have one canon ending; some, however, have multiple.

6 28 Days Later

Cillian Murphy in 28 days later

This classic British horror movie brought the zombie genre back to life and jump-started the career of actor Cillian Murphy. Director Danny Boyle originally envisioned a darker and bleaker ending to the film. When that ending didn't test well with audiences, it was exchanged for a happier and upbeat ending where the characters are saved by an aircraft.

Ironically, Americans thought that the ending wasn't dark enough. A new ending was then filmed, showing protagonist Jim dying on a hospital bed while his wounds are being treated. This was tacked on as a post-credits scene for American audiences. Understandably, this sparked discussion among American audiences as to which ending was more appropriate for the story. While most audiences saw one definitive ending to this zombie apocalypse, Americans were treated to two wildly contradicting conclusions.

5 Brazil

Jonathan Pryce in Brazil (1985)

In both movies and video games, dystopias make excellent settings. The bizarre futuristic-dystopian movie Brazil, from Monty Python's Terry Gilliam, has an even more bizarre story behind its release. The 1985 comedy-drama stars Jonathan Pryce as a low-level government employee in an unnamed dystopian city trying to find Jill, a mysterious woman he keeps dreaming about, played by Kim Greist. While the movie has a ton of dark and absurdist humor, the effectiveness comes from its original bleak ending. While studios were fine releasing that version internationally, Universal opted for a happier alternative for American audiences.

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By the end of Brazil, Pryce's Sam fantastically escapes the government and flies off with Jill to their happily ever after. Only, this is revealed to all be a part of Sam's imagination, having succumbed to insanity after being captured by the government. This ending was deemed to be too dark for American audiences by Universal, who re-edited the film without Gilliam's knowledge for the American release. Gilliam was rightly furious, taking out an ad in Variety asking Universal to release the film as intended. After Brazil won numerous awards at the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, including Best Picture, Universal finally agreed to release Gilliam's version to Americans. The version of Brazil with Universal's happy ending is now called the "Love Conquers All" edition and sometimes still airs on television.

4 Blade Runner

Harrison Ford in Blade Runner

Very few films have had the same turbulence regarding their endings as much as the sci-fi classic Blade Runner. While fine overseas, the original version of Blade Runner tested poorly among American test audiences, prompting Warner Bros. to rework Ridley Scott's movie. The first thing that was added was voice-over narration from Harrison Ford, which was originally recorded but never intended to be used. The second change went to the ending. A happier ending was tacked onto the American release, where Deckard and Rachel drive off into the sunset, Deckard's voice-over confirming that Rachel doesn't have a four-year lifespan like most replicants.

So while modern audiences might be surprised to discover that the initial reaction to Blade Runner was mixed, knowing that the version screened for American audiences wasn't Scott's original vision makes that fact more understandable. Blade Runner has been re-edited multiple times since its initial release. The original prototype version, which excluded the additions made by Warner Bros., was eventually released to positive reactions in America in the early 90s. Since then, a Director's Cut and Final Cut of the film made their way to DVD, allowing Scott's original version to finally reach American audiences.

3 Fatal Attraction

Glenn Close Fatal Attraction (1)

While most audiences might be familiar with the Hollywood ending to this 80s thriller, they may not know that it wasn't the original ending. In Fatal Attraction, Michael Douglas plays Dan, a married father who has a brief affair with Alex, played by Glenn Close. When Dan tries to break off the affair, Alex becomes obsessive and eventually begins to terrorize Dan and his family. Most worldwide audiences are familiar with the blockbuster ending, in which Dan and his wife manage to kill Alex in a climactic struggle.

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Japanese audiences were treated to an ending that was far darker, but also arguably more satisfying, than the international version. Earlier in the film, Dan and Alex briefly discuss the opera Madame Butterfly, which ends with a key character committing suicide. Alex later commits suicide using a knife that Dan handled earlier in the film, framing him for murder. He eventually is acquitted, and the final scene of the film flashes back to Alex's suicide.

She is shown listening to Madame Butterfly, with the ending of the opera posing similarities to the ending of Fatal Attraction. While the Hollywood ending is more exciting, the Japanese ending is more in line with Close's character and pays off much of the plot setup that's wasted in the American ending. A series based on Fatal Attraction is set to air on Paramount+ within the near future.

2 The Sound Of Music

Julie Andrews Sound of Music (1)

One of the most beloved musicals of all time, The Sound of Music seems to be a favorite everywhere except Germany. Due to the heavy Nazi imagery throughout the film, Germans were far more sensitive to the historical elements of The Sound of Music than most audiences. Because of this, 20th Century Fox did a dramatic re-edit of the ending. They opted to cut out the ending entirely, choosing to end directly after Maria's wedding. Everything that worldwide audiences saw after, including the escape to Switzerland, went unseen by German audiences.

Director Robert Wise eventually restored The Sound of Music to its original ending. However, due to the fact that the whole third act was essentially missing in the German cut of the film, the initial release was received rather poorly and flopped at the German box office. Even with a restored version, The Sound of Music is still met with mixed reactions in Germany, as are a lot of World War II films.

1 Once Upon A Time In America

Poster for Once Upon a Time in America

No single film has ever been so viciously torn apart by studio interference than Once Upon a Time in America. Director Sergio Leone's final film is a crime epic starring Robert De Niro as the leader of a group of Jewish New York gangsters in the early 1900s. Leone was a masterful director, so when Warner Bros. completely re-arranged the careful structuring of his movie, the result was quite a mess. The original version released in Europe clocked in at 229 minutes and was a powerful story of growing up and growing old, flashing between Noodles' childhood and his elderly years throughout the entire film.

The version released in the US was only a little over 2 hours, cutting out so much of the film that it became incomprehensible. The childhood scenes were cut almost entirely, removing the context behind essential scenes in the adulthood timeline. The film was also made to be in chronological order, removing the sense of nostalgia and remembrance that works so well in the original. In the original, the fate of Noodles' friend Max is left ambiguous to a powerful effect. This ambiguity is removed in the re-edited version, negating its emotional impact. The original was eventually restored by Leone's children long after his death, and the result is one of the best films ever made.

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