“I had no dependents in my life at that time”: Steven Spielberg Would Change the Ending of His $340M Movie in a Heartbeat if it Were Done Today

Pretty much every single work from Steven Spielberg is an immersive cinematic gem, with pieces like those from the Jurassic Park franchise and Schindler’s List being some of the best works credited to his name. And yet, there is still one piece of critically acknowledged masterwork from the early stages of his career that the filmmaker isn’t exactly satisfied with.

This piece is his sci-fi/fantasy from 1977, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which is widely regarded as one of his most remarkable works to date. And, the problem that Spielberg has isn’t exactly with the movie, but rather, with the note the movie ended on. In fact, if anything, the director wouldn’t hesitate to change the ending of his $340 million movie in a heartbeat if it were made today.

Steven Spielberg Wouldn’t Hesitate to Change the End of This One Movie

Back in the early stages of his career, Steven Spielberg made Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This sci-fi/fantasy was based on aliens and a government that denies their existence until electrical lineman Roy Neary gets drawn to the Wyoming wilderness after encountering a UFO.

This story ends on a somewhat teary note as [SPOILER ALERT] Richard Dreyfuss‘ Neary gets chosen to accompany the aliens and goes off with them. But while this ending was accepted by many, the filmmaker seems to differ in his opinion on it now.

In fact, if it comes to his perspective on it now, Spielberg wouldn’t hesitate to change the ending and would go ahead to do it in a heartbeat if it were made today, as per what the mastermind director himself expressed during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

Getting candid on how he thinks of it now, he said:

Oh, Neary going off with the aliens? I’ve always said I wouldn’t do it if I was making the movie from scratch today, because I have seven children.

At the same time, he also acknowledged just why he decided on that ending back then, saying:

I had no hesitation writing that and directing that then, but I had no dependents in my life at that time.

Needless to say, it is understandable why the Jaws director would want to change the end of the movie if he were to make it in today’s day and age. However, at the same time, it is also worth noting that the movie was an incredible masterpiece, just the way it was.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind Was a Massive Success

While Steven Spielberg would change the 1977 sci-fi masterpiece’s ending sequence in a heartbeat if he could, it can’t be denied that the movie was a true blockbuster just the way it was, when released over four and a half decades ago — both critically and commercially.

First off, the Richard Dreyfuss-starrer is tremendously appreciated by audiences worldwide. This has been backed up not only by the 88% of Google users who approved of this movie but also by the 90% rating that the movie has from critics, and the 85% score from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

That’s not all; the movie holds a 7.6 out of 10 rating from IMDb, which is an average of the ratings from the 218,000 people who have voted thus far.

Adding to this is the impressive 5 out of 5 score the movie has earned from Common Sense Media, which is, indeed, truly baffling.

Then there’s the fact that the film’s performance at the global box office was beyond commendable. This stands true when comparing the film’s budget with its worldwide gross, which stood at $20 million and a whopping $340 million respectively (as per The Numbers).

Effortlessly enough, even with its original ending, Spielberg’s science fiction/fantasy piece from 1977 was a massive, massive success; one that many couldn’t even comprehend and manifest in today’s day and age. And to say that Spielberg would change its end to a happier one if he could?

Well, that would have meant only roof-breaking, breathtaking, and never-seen-before success for Steven Spielberg!

You can watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind on Prime Video.