8 Movies That Were Changed AFTER They Were Released

Not to be conflated with Crocodile Dundee, Major Dundee is set during the American Civil War, and stars the late Charlton Heston as an officer who leads a group of soldiers on a mission to take down a gang of troublesome Apache raiders.

Even with some sublime production design and great performances, the film was received poorly by critics and audiences in 1965, despite going through a series of complicated edits and changes which were, obviously, intended to make it better. And many of these changes occurred after the film had premiered.

Director Sam Peckinpah's original cut reportedly clocked in at over four hours, which was edited down to just under three hours by removing some battle scenes and violence. By the time it was ready to release, the film was 136 minutes long, but unfortunately for everyone involved, this version wasn't received too well.

So, additional post-release edits were required. Against Peckinpah's wishes, 13 extra minutes were chopped - leading to a 123 minute theatrical cut - a decision which had the opposite intended effect, since many believe that it ruined the film further.

Finally - in 2005 - the film was re-released with 12 minutes of added footage. This is why it has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, despite its muted response back in 1965; most of those reviews are from the mid-2000s, when appreciation for the film had grown significantly.