Whether it be because of a tight budget or creative differences, sometimes a film doesn’t turn out the way a director hopes. Shorter movies used to perform better at the box office due to attention spans and because a shorter film can play more times per day at the movie theater. Although after blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and Dune, more movies are trending toward longer run times; even the new The Batman had a four-hour test screening. Usually a producer’s demands for a shorter runtime or lower production costs beat out over a director’s ambition, though. While this benefits and improves many films, it’s not uncommon for a director to release their own version of the film for home viewing.
Most recently, fans campaigned for years for the release the Snyder cut of Justice League after the films disappointing theatrical release. The Snyder Cut famously altered the entire Justice League film in almost every way, including the structure and the characters (and even made it black and white). The whole movie has a more serious look than Joss Whedon’s version. Of course, this was not the only director’s cut to dramatically alter the film. Here are five movies with director cuts incredibly different from theatrical releases.
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5 Little Shop of Horrors
Warner Bros.
Some people love it, and some people can’t get over how weird it is. Little Shop of Horrors tells the story of an alien that looks oddly alike a venus fly trap. It is the kind of movie that doesn’t take itself seriously and becomes increasingly colorful as it goes on. In a hodgepodge of genre tropes, this film (one of the few remakes which improves on the original) combines horror with comedy and musicals with science fiction.
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The director’s version of the film didn’t hold anything back. Instead of the happy ending of the theatrical release, the director’s cut sees the alien take over the world. In the final musical number “Don’t Feed the Plants,” the homicidal flytrap calls on his friends from outer space, and they all come crashing into buildings and destroying the Earth. Some people find this hilarious ending more in keeping with the weirdness and theme of the film, and find it delightful to see director Frank Oz, the famous Muppeteer, get so nihilistic. However, test audiences didn’t appreciate its sudden cynicism, and the producers changed the theatrical ending to the fairy tale-like one we know now.
4 Superman II
Superman has a history of directors leaving or being replaced part-way through the film’s production. Superman II started under the direction of Richard Donner, but his vision for the movie was very costly. When the film became too expensive for his superiors to stand, he was replaced by Richard Lester, who re-shot almost the whole film.
Even for the director’s cut, Donner didn’t get the chance to film everything he wanted to, so the film doesn’t really feel like a movie as much as a rough cut. In Donner’s version, Lois Lane figures out Superman’s secret identity from the very beginning by shooting blank rounds at Clark Kent. The movie also better explains why and how Superman gives up his powers. Donner also changes aspects of the villains’ story– Lex Luther is given more screen time, and Zod’s minions are given new (though ridiculous) powers in the final fight scene.
3 Once Upon a Time in America
Once Upon a Time in America follow the story of David Aaronson as he attempts to enter society as a “self-made” man after earning a fortune bootlegging. According to Empire, Sergio Leon cut the film from its 269-minute original version into a 139-minute version. While the resulting film was much more chronological and efficient, some of the movie’s best moments were cut because they were unessential to the basic plot. The movie did not perform well at the American box office.
Thankfully, in 2012, the director’s lengthy 251-minute version was released for home viewing. With all the backstory brought back, the intended depth of the film returned. The movie is widely praised as one of the best crime movies ever made, having everything from suspense and gore to epic cinematography and insightful characters. Clearly the extra time was needed to tell this story right and give space for character development, but this version of the film is lesser known, probably in part because of its daunting length.
2 Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Warner Bros. Pictures
Most people agree that Batman vs. Superman was a disappointment; it has a Rotten Tomatoes score of 27%, after all. Zack Snyder’s cynical view of the main characters, and the back to back action sequences gave little room for character development or real plot. However, half of those concerns were solved in the director’s cut. With an extra 30 minutes, Snyder managed to fill in most of the plot holes and give the characters stronger motivations. Lex Luther’s evil genius shines through as his behind the scenes planning and calculating becomes more obvious. Hardcore fans may still disagree with Snyder’s portrayal of the DCEU’s most beloved characters, but at least the director’s cut of the movie has a much more compelling storyline.
1 Kingdom of Heaven
20th Century Fox
Here is another film that did not preform well at its initial release. Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven wasn’t terrible, but it lacked the depth to become a real blockbuster. The theatrical version did not perform well at the box office. With a budget of $130 million, it only earned back $47 million domestically.
According to Collider, the DVD boom in the early 2000s actually saved this movie. Scott released his intended version of the film on DVD for home viewing, one with an extra hour added to the runtime, and the world’s opinion of the film dramatically improved. This new iteration fundamentally changed the characters by taking the time to build them and their relationships, The main character is kept on his heels as he faces one unexpected challenge after another, and the story becomes less about a larger-than-life hero, and more about a relatable person grappling with loss. Ridley Scott is not a stranger to re-shaping a film in a director’s cut (as Blade Runner can attest to), and this director’s cut adds all the depth that the original film lacked, showing that, in the effort to make a hit, studios and producers sometimes do the exact opposite.
