10 Movies Ruined In Their Final Shot

10. Knowing

2009's Nicolas Cage-starring sci-fi thriller Knowing isn't a great movie, but it does include a number of standout set-pieces, namely a technically superb plane crash sequence and a totally ballsy ending in which Earth is destroyed by a massive solar flare, ending all life on the planet.

To soften the blow, a race of extraterrestrial angels show up to rescue Earth's children - including John (Cage) and Diana's (Rose Byrne) kids - on a series of interstellar arks, getting them to safety before the solar event strikes.

This seems like a fittingly bittersweet ending, but because general audiences absolutely need that crowd-pleasing affirmation, a brief final scene is tacked onto the very end showing John and Diana's kids being safely dropped off on an alien planet.

And even if you still accept the possibility that the angels could have malevolent intent, the final shot basically obliterates that theory entirely, by showing the children running towards what is very clearly the tree of life - one of the most elemental symbols of peace and harmony in all of human history.

The entire scene, but this shot in particular, feels like it was the result of a studio note, that an executive couldn't face a bummer ending possibly affecting the film's box office potential.

It's a strategy that worked, evidently, as Knowing grossed over $180 million worldwide against a $50 million budget.