Budget Issues Saved Back To The Future From Its Ridiculous Original Ending

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When *Back to the Future* first came out in 1985, it was a huge success, and its popularity has only increased over the last 40 years. The film remains a favorite with audiences, but the final version is quite different from the original concept. This included changes to the lead actor and even the ending. Surprisingly, it was budget limitations that prevented a less-satisfying conclusion, ultimately saving the film from a potentially disappointing finale.

The ending we see in the movie today wasn’t the first plan. Storyboards created by artist Andrew Probert, which were discovered in 2016, showed the original climax taking place near a bomb test tower. Instead of being triggered by lightning, the DeLorean was supposed to jump to 88 MPH when a bomb detonated. In this original version, the bomb would explode as the car reached 88, creating a massive mushroom cloud and destroying the city. Ultimately, the studio decided to change the ending to save about $1 million.

The initial ending was quite dramatic – the city was destroyed, and incredibly, the DeLorean survived the blast, somehow ending up in the future. Even for a movie like *Back to the Future*, that felt a bit far-fetched. However, the studio ultimately decided against it because the scene was too expensive. They reworked it into the final scene we see in the movie, which proved to be a much better choice.

Back to the Future’s Original Ending Was Too Expensive (And It Worked Out For The Best)

Bob Gale, a co-writer of *Back to the Future*, revealed on The Collider Podcast that building the town set for the film’s destruction was the most costly part of the sequence, even more so than the explosion itself and its aftermath.

Gale explained that the biggest cost of the production was building the town set on location. They realized they could save at least $1 million by using the existing backlot instead of building a new set elsewhere.

Honestly, I always love hearing about the behind-the-scenes stuff with classic movies. Apparently, when they were filming *Back to the Future*, they had to get creative with the location – they ended up using the studio backlot. That’s when they decided to switch how the DeLorean traveled through time, changing the original plan of a bomb to using a lightning strike instead. But get this – that wasn’t the only change! Apparently, designer Mark Probert actually talked Bob Gale into altering a crucial plot point, which helped make the ending’s big reveal so surprising. It’s amazing how much can change even after a script is written!

In the movie, Doc puts the pieces of Marty’s letter inside his jacket. This seemingly small act cleverly sets up a big reveal when the story returns to the present. Initially, the script called for Doc to tear up the letter and toss it into the DeLorean, but the filmmakers worried that would give away the surprise. They decided it was better to have Doc simply pocket the note, hoping audiences would forget about it until the crucial moment.

According to Probert, if you’re not prepared, you might miss that he quickly moves past the main issue because he considers it unimportant. He’ll address it later. The immediate priority, he explained, was getting a cable connected before a critical component arrived and they lost the opportunity. Bob then suggested they visually plan out the process to see if it would work, and Probert confirmed that it did.

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2025-10-09 05:10