Movies of the 80s: The Incredible Release Debacle of 'Heaven's Gate'

Heaven’s Gate is a 1980 western written and directed by Michael Cimino, an Academy Award winner for The Deer Hunter. The film stars Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Jeff Bridges, and a vast array of well known character actors in an expansive western story about a deadly conflict between ranchers bent on taking over land in Montana and the settlers who claimed the land for their own. Amid the chaos, a love triangle breaks out between a hired killer, the local sheriff, and a local bordello owner and madam.

If you know Heaven’s Gate you likely know it for its reputation as an all time flop, a debacle that has become a Hollywood legend and a cautionary tale. In this article, we’ve laid out a timeline of the disastrous release of Heaven’s Gate. These are facts gleaned specifically from reporting at the time in Hollywood trade papers and an epic, all timer of an article by legendary film critic Vincent Canby, a must read for anyone interested in understanding Heaven’s Gate’s place in popular culture in 1980.

Timeline of Heaven's Gate (1978–1981)

1978: Initial Development and Pre-Production

March 1978: Heaven's Gate is greenlit by United Artists (UA). Director Michael Cimino had just won an Academy Award for The Deer Hunter (1978), so UA gave him almost complete creative control. The original budget is estimated at around $11.6 million.

Late 1978: Cimino begins assembling the cast, which includes Kris Kristofferson, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Walken, and John Hurt. The film is to be a Western epic loosely based on the 1890 Johnson County War.

1979: Production Problems Begin

April 1979: Filming begins in Montana. Almost immediately, the production starts to experience significant delays and cost overruns. Cimino is meticulous and often demands numerous retakes, resulting in extended shooting days.

Mid-1979: Cimino’s obsessive attention to detail leads to extreme measures. For example, entire sets are rebuilt or reconfigured at his request, and scenes are reshot multiple times. It is reported that over an hour was spent filming a 30-second shot of the lead actor walking through a doorway.

Late 1979: The film's budget skyrockets. By the end of the year, it had ballooned from $11.6 million to over $30 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever made at the time. Rumors about Cimino’s erratic behavior begin circulating in the press, and the project becomes infamous for its extravagance.

1980: Post-Production Delays

Early 1980: Production finally wraps, but the film is far from complete. Post-production takes much longer than expected due to Cimino’s perfectionism. He continuously edits the film, refusing to trim it down from its original 5-hour cut.

Mid-1980: United Artists executives, increasingly frustrated with the delays and rising costs, pressure Cimino to deliver a final cut. The studio has spent over $44 million by this point, and the release date is pushed back multiple times.

September 1980: After months of editing, Cimino submits a 3 hour and 39-minute cut. United Artists, desperate to release the film, schedules the premiere.

November 1980: Disastrous Theatrical Release

November 19, 1980: Heaven's Gate has its premiere in New York City. The initial cut, running at nearly four hours, received scathing reviews from critics. The movie is lambasted for its incoherent narrative, slow pace, and indulgent direction. Audiences and critics alike are overwhelmed by its length and excess.

Late November 1980: Negative reviews pile up, with critics calling the film "a disaster" and “unwatchable.” Vincent Canby of *The New York Times* infamously declares it "an unqualified disaster" and says it "fails so completely that you might suspect Mr. Cimino sold his soul to the devil to obtain the success of The Deer Hunter."

United Artists pulls the film from theaters just days after its limited release, in an attempt to salvage it.

Early 1981: Fallout and Re-Release

January 1981: Cimino re-edits the film, cutting over an hour from the original runtime, reducing it to a 2-hour-and-29-minute version. The studio re-releases the shorter version of Heaven's Gate, but it fails to revive the film’s reputation. Audiences remain uninterested, and the damage is done.

United Artists' reputation suffers severely, and the film's failure is a financial disaster for the company. The studio, already struggling, was eventually acquired by MGM later in 1981. The failure of Heaven's Gate is widely cited as the final blow to the studio’s independence.

Aftermath

1981–1982: Heaven's Gate grosses only $3.5 million at the box office, a fraction of its $44 million budget. The film becomes emblematic of directorial hubris and out-of-control auteurism. Its failure also contributes to the end of the era of director-driven films in Hollywood, leading to more cautious studio control over productions.

Michael Cimino’s career is severely damaged, and he never fully recovers from the debacle, though he continues to make films afterward.

Legacy

In the years since its release, Heaven's Gate has undergone some critical re-evaluation. Modern restorations and screenings have helped some critics appreciate its visuals, themes, and scope. However, it remains a cautionary tale of excess in filmmaking and one of the most infamous flops in cinema history.

How to Watch Heaven's Gate Today

There are three main versions of Heaven’s Gate (1980), directed by Michael Cimino:

1. The Original Theatrical Cut (1980) – This was the initial version of the film, with a runtime of around 219 minutes (about 3 hours and 39 minutes). Released on November 19, 1980, this long cut was heavily criticized for its length and pacing, leading to its poor performance at the box office.

2. The Shorter Theatrical Cut (1981) – After the disastrous reception of the original release, Cimino and the studio re-edited the film, cutting it down to 149 minutes (about 2 hours and 29 minutes). This version was released a few months later, but it did not save the film from financial failure or critical derision at the time.

3. The Director’s Cut (2012) – In 2012, the Criterion Collection released a fully restored 216-minute version, which was Cimino’s preferred cut. This version received a more favorable reassessment from critics and film historians, gaining appreciation for its ambitious vision and technical accomplishments.

These are the primary versions released over time, with the 2012 Director’s Cut now seen as the definitive version of the film. The director's cut is available via the Criterion Collection website