10 Original Endings That Would Have Ruined Famous Movies

The Actual Ending:

After 90 minutes of relationship issues, existential crises, and Star Wars jokes, the film simply ends with two friends, Dante and Randal, closing up shop and ending this clever little story about a day in the life of directionless twentysomethings on an appropriately irresolute note.

The Ending We Almost Got:

Rather than cut to credits after Randal tosses Dante's handmade "I Assure You We're Open" sign to him and tells him "You're closed!", the scene keeps rolling.

While Dante begins counting out his register, another man enters the store. Dante tells the customer the store is closed, but looks up to the man has a gun pointed at him. After a brief Hitchcock homage - complete with a close-up of Dante's widening eyes - he shoots Dante, who immediately falls to the floor, dead.

The intruder makes off with the contents of the register, and we're left looking at Dante's lifeless body until it fades to black. It's not exactly a laugh riot.

Director Kevin Smith has since admitted that he only shot that scene because, at the time, he had no idea how to end a movie any other way. The actor playing Dante, Brian O'Halloran, made it clear he hated his fictitious death, and the downer portion of the scene was removed.