Bill Murray classic Groundhog Day. In 2017 though, Happy Death Day successfully translated the standard time loop scenario into the framework of a slasher film, and found success in the process.
Yet another horror release by the producer/distributor tandem of Blumhouse Productions and Universal Pictures, Happy Death Day earned highly positive reviews from critics, and raked in heavy profits at the box office. Directed by Christopher Landon and written by Scott Lobdell, Happy Death Day earned over $125 million worldwide on a budget of only $4.8 million. That naturally led to a sequel, as from a business standpoint, not following up that profit margin with a second offering would be like leaving money on the table.
While 2019's Happy Death Day 2U failed to live up to its predecessor's gross, it still made back its $9 million budget many times over, and was far from a loss for the studios involved. Had they gone with the original intended ending to Happy Death Day though, a sequel could've looked completely different.
Happy Death Day's Alternate Ending Was Very Different
As released, Happy Death Day's standard ending sees protagonist Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) finally discover the true identity of her killer, and successfully take her out first. This enables Tree to escape from the loop, at least until Happy Death Day 2U. However, in Happy Death Day's original, and now alternate, ending, Tree kills Lori, but is then rushed to the hospital to treat the injuries she's accumulated during the loop, and while there, is murdered by the nurse wife of the professor she'd been sleeping with. It's left unclear if she's dead for good this time, or will have to began the entire daylong time loop again.
Thankfully, test audiences really, really hated that ending, arguing that it wasn't fair to have Tree end up either dead or stuck in another loop after she'd put so much effort into becoming a better person. The reactions were so bad that the current, happy Happy Death Day ending was created. Had they gone with the original ending, Happy Death Day 2 would've been completely different, if it even got made. Either Tree would be dead, necessitating a new main character and possibly a new setting, or she would've been forced to try and escape the original time loop for another entire film, which could leave to a feeling of been there, done that. As one might imagine, those aware of this alternate ending are generally quite glad it was ultimately scrapped.
