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{{Short description|1999 film by Peter Hyams}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = End of Days
| name = End of Days
| image = End of days ver5.jpg
| image = End of days ver5.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Peter Hyams]]
| alt =
| writer = [[Andrew W. Marlowe]]
| director = [[Peter Hyams]]
| writer = [[Andrew W. Marlowe]]
| starring = [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]<br />[[Gabriel Byrne]]<br />[[Kevin Pollak]]<br />[[Robin Tunney]]<br />[[Rod Steiger]]
| starring = {{plainlist|
| producer = [[Armyan Bernstein]]<br />Bill Borden<br/>[[Thomas Bliss]]
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]
| cinematography = [[Peter Hyams]]
* [[Gabriel Byrne]]
| editing = Steven Kemper
* [[Kevin Pollak]]
| studio = [[Beacon Pictures]]
* [[Robin Tunney]]
| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]] (US)<br />[[Buena Vista International]] (non-US)
* [[Rod Steiger]]
| released = November 16, 1999 <small>(Premiere)</small><br />November 24, 1999 <small>(Theatrical)</small>
}}
| music = [[John Debney]]
| runtime = 123 minutes
| producer = {{plainlist|
* [[Armyan Bernstein]]
| country = United States
* Bill Borden
| language = English
}}
| budget = $80 million
| cinematography = Peter Hyams
| gross = $211.9 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|title=End of Days|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=endofdays.htm}}</ref>
| editing = Steven Kemper
|}}
| music = [[John Debney]]
'''''End of Days''''' is a 1999 American [[action film|action]] [[horror film|horror]] [[thriller (genre)|thriller film]] directed by [[Peter Hyams]] and starring [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], [[Gabriel Byrne]], [[Robin Tunney]], [[Kevin Pollak]], [[Rod Steiger]], [[CCH Pounder]], and [[Udo Kier]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/film/112499days-film-review.html|date=November 24, 1999|first=Janet|last=Maslin|title=`End of Days': Satan Is Planning Millennial Mischief}}</ref> The film follows former [[New York Police Department]] detective Jericho Cane (Schwarzenegger) after he saves a banker (Byrne) from an assassin, finds himself embroiled in a religious conflict, and must protect an innocent young woman (Tunney) who is chosen by evil forces to conceive the [[Antichrist]] with [[Satan]].
| studio = [[Beacon Pictures]]
| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]]
| released = {{film date|1999|11|24}}
| runtime = 122 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English<br>Latin
| budget = $100 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|title=End of Days|url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=endofdays.htm|access-date=2019-11-11|archive-date=2002-11-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021105110523/https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=endofdays.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross = $212 million<ref name="BOM" />
}}


'''''End of Days''''' is a 1999 American [[action horror film]]<ref name="BloodyDisgusting"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/61138-END-OFDAYS?sid=d2b1e7f6-3094-4760-a7e9-6af94cd94ca9&sr=9.549292&cp=1&pos=0|title=End of Days|work=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]|access-date=May 9, 2023|archive-date=May 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509170725/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/61138-END-OFDAYS?sid=d2b1e7f6-3094-4760-a7e9-6af94cd94ca9&sr=9.549292&cp=1&pos=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=End of Days |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/end-of-days-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zmdazoda |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509172229/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/end-of-days-film-qxnzzxq6vlgtnjcwnjex |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |access-date=May 9, 2023 |work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]}}</ref> directed by [[Peter Hyams]] and written by [[Andrew W. Marlowe]]. It stars [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], with [[Gabriel Byrne]], [[Robin Tunney]], [[Kevin Pollak]], [[Rod Steiger]], [[CCH Pounder]], [[Derrick O'Connor]], [[Miriam Margolyes]], and [[Udo Kier]] in supporting roles.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=http://partners.nytimes.com/library/film/112499days-film-review.html|date=November 24, 1999|first=Janet|last=Maslin|title=Movie Review: End Of Days (1999)|access-date=August 4, 2013|archive-date=October 2, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002224114/http://partners.nytimes.com/library/film/112499days-film-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The film follows alcoholic former [[New York Police Department]] detective Jericho Cane (Schwarzenegger) who, after he saves a banker (Byrne) from an assassin, finds himself embroiled in a religious conflict and must protect an innocent young woman (Tunney) who is chosen by evil forces to conceive the [[Antichrist]] with [[Satan]].
The film was released by [[Universal Pictures]] on November 24, 1999. It has grossed $66.8&nbsp;million in North America and $145.1 million elsewhere, for a worldwide total of $212 million.


The film was released by [[Universal Pictures]] in North America on November 24, 1999, and received largely negative reviews, but was a box office success grossing $212 million worldwide.
==Plot==
<!-- PER WP:FILMPLOT, PLOT SUMMARIES FOR FEATURE FILMS SHOULD BE BETWEEN 400 AND 700 WORDS. The plot summary does NOT intend to reproduce the experience of watching, nor is it meant to cover EVERY detail. It should serve as an overview of the major plot elements and events. -->
In 1979 a [[priest]] at the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] sees a comet arching over the moon (described as the "Eye of God"), heralding the birth of one chosen to be the mother of [[Satan]]'s [[Antichrist|child]]. The priest is sent on a mission by the [[pope]] ([[Mark Margolis]]) to find and protect the girl from Satan, although a few Vatican knights (led by a corrupt [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] (Michael O'Hagan)) insist that she must die. In [[New York City|New York]] a newborn girl, Christine York ([[Robin Tunney]]), is identified by [[Satanism|Satanists]] (including her physician, Dr. Abel ([[Udo Kier]]), and her nurse and future guardian, Mabel ([[Miriam Margolyes]])) as the person chosen to bear Satan's child on [[New Year's Eve]], 1999. The Satanists perform occult rites on the newborn.


==Plot==<!-- Summaries for film should be less than 700 words. -->
In late 1999, Satan possesses an investment banker ([[Gabriel Byrne]]) in a restaurant; he then destroys the restaurant, killing many inside. [[Suicide|Suicidal]] and [[alcoholism|alcoholic]] former police detective Jericho Cane ([[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]), [[Depression (mood)|depressed]] since his wife and daughter's ([[Denice D. Lewis]] and [[Renee Olstead]] respectively) [[contract killing]]s, works for a [[private security company]] and blames [[God in Christianity|God]] for his plight. Jericho and co-worker Bobby Chicago ([[Kevin Pollak]]) are assigned to protect the possessed banker. A priest, Thomas Aquinas ([[Derrick O'Connor]]), unsuccessfully tries to kill the banker. Jericho captures Aquinas, who tells Jericho: "The thousand years has ended, the dark angel is loosed from his prison" and says that a girl is central. Jericho shoots Aquinas, who is arrested by the [[New York Police Department]]. Marge Francis ([[C. C. H. Pounder]]), an NYPD detective and Jericho's former colleague, tells him that Aquinas has no tongue.


In 1979, a Vatican City priest witnesses a comet arching over the full moon, prophesying the birth of the mother of [[Antichrist|Satan's child]]. A corrupt [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinal]] insists that the child must die to stop Satan having sex with her, but the Pope rejects that plan as contrary to God's will and instead sends a Vatican-trained priest called Thomas Aquinas on a mission to find and protect the newborn baby. Meanwhile [[satanist]]s in [[New York City]] have identified that baby, Christine York.
Jericho and Bobby investigate on their own, learning that Aquinas was trained at the Vatican and was sent to New York before disappearing. Jericho questions Father Kovak ([[Rod Steiger]]), a priest who knew Aquinas. Kovak asks Jericho if he believes in God; when he says no, the priest tells him that Aquinas was driven mad by forces an [[atheist]] could not understand. They go to Aquinas’ apartment, where they find his tongue in a jar and messages and symbols written in apparent blood on the walls. Marge arrives, forcing them to leave. Satan infiltrates Aquinas' hospital, and [[crucifixion|crucifies]] him on the ceiling. Although he survives, he is shot by a Satanic police officer. Jericho and Chicago see Latin words and "Christ in New York" scratched into Aquinas' skin, and begin searching for Christine York.


Twenty years later, during late December 1999, Satan [[Spirit possession|possesses]] an investment banker at a restaurant. He then passionately kisses a business associate's wife without her consent, leaves the restaurant and causes it to explode. The following day he is assigned ex-
Jericho and Chicago find Christine in her apartment, saving her from the Vatican knights, and she brings them to Mabel's house. Mabel attacks Jericho, mistaking him for an agent of Satan and refusing to let him have Christine. Satan arrives and blows up Chicago's van, killing him. Satan enters the house and kills Mabel for failing him; Jericho and Christine escape. Marge and another officer, both Satanists, tell Jericho to surrender Christine. Jericho kills them, but Satan resurrects Marge. Father Kovak tells Jericho and Christine that Satan must impregnate her moments before midnight on New Year's Eve to usher in the [[Christian eschatology|"end of days"]]. Christine accepts Kovak's protection.
New York City Police Department (NYPD) detective Jericho Cane ([[Alcoholism|alcoholic]] and [[Depression (mood)|depressed]] since his wife and daughter's [[contract killing]]s, for which he blames God) and his friend Bobby Chicago as his private security. When Aquinas tries to kill the banker, the pair prevent him, listen to the priest's ramblings and then hand him over to the NYPD. Marge Francis, an NYPD [[detective]], tells Jericho that Aquinas has no tongue.


Jericho and Bobby investigate Aquinas's apartment, finding his tongue in a jar and messages and symbols written in blood on the walls. Jericho questions Father Kovak, a priest who knew Aquinas, who had been sent to New York before disappearing. However, Kovak refuses to tell him much else about Aquinas. Later in the evening, Satan confronts his head priest, the doctor to whom Christine had been taken just after her birth. He reveals that Satan's followers are ready to enact his plans.
Satan infiltrates Jericho's apartment, showing him a [[vision (spirituality)|vision]] of his family's murder, offering to bring them back in return for Christine. Enraged, Jericho throws Satan through his apartment window after a fight, and Chicago appears.


An orphan since an early age, Christine now lives in an apartment with her guardian Mabel, one of the nurses who delivered her and also (unbeknown to Christine) another Satanist. While Christine dreams of the doctor's wife and daughter having sex with Satan, the doctor's family merges and suddenly transforms into her. The day after his visit to the doctor, Satan enters Aquinas's hospital, and crucifies him on the ceiling. After he is presumed dead, a doctor reads read "Christ in New York" carved in Latin into Aquinas' skin and when he revives a police officer under Satan's influence shoots him dead.
At the church, the Vatican knights try to kill Christine before Satan kills them. Chicago tells Jericho that he is in league with Satan after he brought him back. Kovak rescues Jericho, and Satan kidnaps Christine. After locating Satan's underground temple, Jericho rescues Christine and again kills Marge. Chicago stops Jericho, who persuades him to fight off Satan's influence; Satan burns him alive. Jericho escapes with Christine into a [[Rapid transit|subway]] tunnel. He fires a grenade at Satan, who leaves the banker to die for a new host.


Jericho instead understands the carving as meaning Chris or Christine York and as he and Chicago begin searching for someone of that name they happen across the cardinal's Masonic Vatican Knights attempting to kill Christine. However, Satan then appears, [[Death by burning|immolates]] Chicago and a police car, and sets the apartment on fire.
Jericho and Christine escape to another church, where Jericho renews his faith in God and prays for strength. Satan confronts Jericho as a massive, winged creature and possesses him. Jericho attempts to [[rape]] Christine, who tries to escape before Jericho deliberately impales himself on a sword protruding from a statue. At the stroke of midnight God frees Jericho's dying body, sends Satan back to [[hell]] and the world celebrates the new millennium. Jericho and Christine see the former's family waiting for him in the [[afterlife]]. He dies in peace, and Christine waits with his body for the authorities.


Jericho fights off the Knights then Mabel and he and Christine flee. Marge and another officer, both revealed to be Satanists, demand that Jericho surrenders Christine. Jericho instead kills them both. Satan resurrects Marge to rally the other Satanists to do his bidding. Jericho and Christine take refuge in the church's crypt, the base for Kovak and his Vatican research team. He tells Jericho and Christine that Satan must impregnate her between 11pm and midnight on New Year's Eve to usher in the Apocalypse.
==={{anchor|Alternate Ending}}Alternate ending===


Christine stays in the crypt under Kovak's protection, and back at Jericho's apartment Satan confronts him and tempts him into giving up Christine in exchange for resurrecting his dead family. After Jericho resists his temptations, Chicago appears, and the two agree to retrieve Christine. At the church, Jericho again stops the cardinal and his Knights from killing Christine.
An alternate ending was filmed in which Jericho returns to life after being impaled on the statue's sword and leaves the church with Christine, but test audiences preferred the original version. The ending was used in the film's novelization.<ref>http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=3110&s=interviews</ref>


Satan reappears and kills the Vatican clergy. Chicago betrays Jericho, leaving him to be beaten and crucified by Satanists, revealing that he made a pact with Satan in exchange for his resurrection. After Chicago leaves with Christine, Kovak finds and rescues Jericho. After his recovery, Jericho tracks down Satan to his lair, kills Marge again and rescues Christine.
==Cast==
{{div col}}
*[[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as Jericho Cane
*[[Robin Tunney]] as Christine York
*[[Gabriel Byrne]] as Satan's host/The Nameless Banker
*[[Kevin Pollak]] as Bobby Chicago
*[[C. C. H. Pounder]] as Det. Marge Francis
*[[Derrick O'Connor]] as Thomas Aquinas
*[[Miriam Margolyes]] as Mabel
*[[Udo Kier]] as Dr. Abel
*[[Victor Varnado]] as Albino
*[[Mark Margolis]] as The Pope
*[[Rod Steiger]] as Father Kovak
*John Timothy Botka as the Satanic police officer
*[[Marc Lawrence]] as Old Man
*Michael O'Hagan as Vatican cardinal
*[[Denice D. Lewis]] as Emily Cane
*[[Renee Olstead]] as Amy Cane
*[[Mo Gallini]] as Monk (as Matt Gallini)
{{div col end}}


In the ensuing fight, Jericho convinces Chicago to resist Satan's influence. Satan later kills Chicago for breaking their pact. Jericho destroys the lair, escapes with Christine into a [[Rapid transit|subway]] tunnel and boards a train. Satan follows them, killing the train's driver. Jericho fires a grenade, destroying the train car Satan was in. Satan leaves the banker's irreparably damaged body to die and instead pursues Jericho and Christine non-corporeally.
==Production==
Directors [[Sam Raimi]] and [[Guillermo del Toro]] were offered ''End of Days'', but turned it down due to other projects. [[Marcus Nispel]] was going to direct the film, but he left because of budget and script problems and was replaced by [[Peter Hyams]].


Jericho and Christine arrive at another church, where he renews his faith in God and prays for strength. Satan appears as a winged creature, possesses Jericho and attempts to [[rape]] Christine. Responding to her pleas, Jericho resists long enough to deliberately impale himself on a nearby sword, sacrificing himself to prevent Satan's endgame. At the stroke of midnight, Satan is sent back to hell. Jericho sees his wife and daughter waiting for him in the [[afterlife]] and dies peacefully. Christine embraces him as the world celebrates a new millennium. The ambulance then arrives and takes his dead body away.
The role of Jericho Cane was written for [[Tom Cruise]], but he chose to work on ''[[Magnolia (film)|Magnolia]]'' and [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] was then cast. [[Liv Tyler]] was the first choice for the role of Christine York, but she declined over contractual issues. [[Kate Winslet]] was then set to play the character, but she dropped out and [[Robin Tunney]] replaced her. According to Hyams,
<blockquote>[[James Cameron|Jim Cameron]] was the kind of godfather of me doing that film, because of his relationship with Schwarzenegger. He told me I was doing it! ... End Of Days was going to be [[Marcus Nispel]], but it wasn’t working somehow, but they had Arnold and a start date, and Jim came to me and told me I had to do it. This was the first picture Arnold had made for a couple of years. I think he had a heart thing. So this was Arnold coming back. And he wanted to try to make something good, and to take some chances. I applauded that. And we had very, very good actors around him, like Gabriel Byrne and Kevin Pollak and Rod Steiger. It was a very enjoyable experience. Half way through shooting I told Arnold I thought he should die in this movie. Of course Universal blanched at the idea, so I shot the ending both ways, and everybody agreed that the dying ending was the better one.<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/features/peter-hyams-film-by-film/p8 "Peter Hyams Film by Film" ''Empire''] accessed 30 July 2014</ref></blockquote>


===Alternate ending===
==Reception==
After Satan gets sent back to Hell, Jericho dies from his wounds, and Christine tearfully embraces his body and thanks him for saving her life. Suddenly, God removes the sword from Jericho's body and heals his wounds, bringing him back to life. Christine is surprised and glad Jericho is back, and they embrace before leaving the church together.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
''End of Days'' received mainly negative reviews from critics. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]] the film has an approval rating of 11 percent, based on 99 critics. It has an average score of 33 on [[Metacritic]], based on 33 critics. The film grossed $66,889,043 in the United States and about $212&nbsp;million worldwide,<ref name=BOM/> against a budget estimated at $80&nbsp;million to $100&nbsp;million. Although it was profitable because of strong international revenue and [[DVD]] sales, its final numbers fell short of [[Universal Studios]]' expectations. Schwarzenegger received a salary of $25&nbsp;million for his role in the film.<ref name="NumbersSalaries">{{cite news|url=http://www.the-numbers.com/people/ASCHW.php|title=Arnold Schwarzenegger|publisher=The Numbers|accessdate=February 19, 2009}}</ref> ''End of Days'' was nominated for three [[Razzie Awards]]—Worst Actor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Worst Supporting Actor (Gabriel Byrne) and Worst Director—and was pre-nominated for Worst Picture, but it was withdrawn shortly before the awards ceremony.{{cn|date=October 2015}}


==Soundtrack==
==Cast==
{{cast list|
{{Infobox album
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as Detective Jericho Cane
| Name = End of Days Original Movie Soundtrack
* [[Gabriel Byrne]] as [[Satan|The Man]]
| Type = Soundtrack
* [[Robin Tunney]] as Christine York
| Longtype =
* [[Kevin Pollak]] as Bobby Chicago
| Artist =
* [[CCH Pounder]] as Detective Marge Francis
| Cover =Endofdays.jpg
* [[Derrick O'Connor]] as Thomas Aquinas
| Cover size =
* [[Miriam Margolyes]] as Mabel
| Caption =
* [[Udo Kier]] as Doctor Abel
| Released = November 2, 1999
* [[Mark Margolis]] as [[Pope]]
| Recorded =
* [[Rod Steiger]] as Father Kovak
| Genre =[[Alternative metal]], [[industrial rock]], [[nu metal]], [[hardcore hip hop]]
* [[Victor Varnado]] as Albino
| Length =
* [[Marc Lawrence]] as Old Man
| Language =
* [[Denice D. Lewis]] as Emily Cane
| Label =[[Geffen Records|Geffen]]
* [[Renee Olstead]] as Amy Cane
| Producer =
* [[Mo Gallini]] as Monk (as Matt Gallini)
| Compiled by =
| Chronology =
| Last album =
| This album =
| Next album =
| Misc =
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
|rev1 = [[Allmusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|1.5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url={{Allmusic|class=album|id=r443442|pure_url=yes}}|title=End of Days - Original Soundtrack|publisher=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref>
|rev2 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
|rev2score = B+<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,271602,00.html|title=End of Days (Soundtrack) Review|last=Sinclair|first=Tom|publisher=''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''|date=1999-11-12|accessdate=2013-07-03}}</ref>
}}
The film's soundtrack primarily contains tracks by [[alternative metal]] and [[industrial rock]] bands. It features the first song released by the "new line-up" of [[Guns N' Roses]], the industrial-rock "Oh My God". During ''End of Days''{{'s}} editing, soundtrack songs were overlaid in scenes that are typically silent in thriller films. A sample from [[Spectrasonics]]' "Symphony Of Voices" is heard in several scenes.


==Production==
=== Track listing ===
Directors [[Sam Raimi]] and [[Guillermo del Toro]] were offered ''End of Days'', but turned it down due to other projects. [[Marcus Nispel]] was going to direct the film, but he left because of budget and script problems and was replaced by [[Peter Hyams]].<ref name="HyamsDirect">{{cite news |date=October 20, 1998 |title=Beacon drafts Hyams to helm 'End of Days' |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/beacon-drafts-hyams-to-helm-end-of-days-1117481608/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181744/https://variety.com/1998/film/news/beacon-drafts-hyams-to-helm-end-of-days-1117481608/ |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |access-date=July 1, 2021 |work=Variety}}</ref>
{{tracklist
| total_length =
| extra_column = Performer(s)


The role of Jericho Cane was written for [[Tom Cruise]], but he chose to work on ''[[Magnolia (film)|Magnolia]]'' and [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] was then cast in March 1998.<ref name="ArnoldCast">{{cite news |date=March 18, 1998 |title=Arnold to duel devil |url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/arnold-to-duel-devil-1117468917/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181922/https://variety.com/1998/film/news/arnold-to-duel-devil-1117468917/ |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |access-date=July 1, 2021 |work=Variety}}</ref> [[Liv Tyler]] was the first choice for the role of Christine York, but she declined over contractual issues. [[Kate Winslet]] was then set to play the character, but she dropped out and [[Robin Tunney]] replaced her. According to Hyams,
| title1 = Camel Song
| note1 =
| writer1 =
| extra1 = [[Korn]]
| length1 = 4:21


<blockquote>[[James Cameron|Jim Cameron]] was the kind of godfather of me doing that film, because of his relationship with Schwarzenegger. He told me I was doing it! ... ''End Of Days'' was going to be [[Marcus Nispel]], but it wasn't working somehow, but they had Arnold and a start date, and Jim came to me and told me I had to do it. This was the first picture Arnold had made for a couple of years. I think he had a heart thing. So this was Arnold coming back. And he wanted to try to make something good, and to take some chances. I applauded that. And we had very, very good actors around him, like Gabriel Byrne and Kevin Pollak and Rod Steiger. It was a very enjoyable experience. Half way through shooting I told Arnold I thought he should die in this movie. Of course Universal blanched at the idea, so I shot the ending both ways, and everybody agreed that the dying ending was the better one.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Directors Special: Peter Hyams Goes Film-By-Film |url=http://www.empireonline.com/features/peter-hyams-film-by-film/p8 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140809220024/http://www.empireonline.com/features/peter-hyams-film-by-film/p8 |archive-date=August 9, 2014 |access-date=30 July 2014 |work=[[Empire Magazine]]}}</ref></blockquote>
| title2 = [[So Long (Everlast song)|So Long]]
| note2 =
| writer2 =
| extra2 = [[Everlast (musician)|Everlast]]
| length2 = 5:00


Over 60 visual effects shots were created by [[Rhythm & Hues]].<ref name="R&HEffects">{{cite news |date=March 4, 1999 |title=VIFX will do effects for 'End of Days' |url=https://variety.com/1999/digital/news/vifx-will-do-effects-for-end-of-days-1117491950/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709182617/https://variety.com/1999/digital/news/vifx-will-do-effects-for-end-of-days-1117491950/ |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |access-date=July 1, 2021 |work=Variety}}</ref>
| title3 = Slow
| note3 =
| writer3 =
| extra3 = [[Professional Murder Music]]
| length3 = 3:58


In 2016, actress [[Miriam Margolyes]] complained about Arnold Schwarzenegger's behavior on set.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Heritage |first1=Stuart |title=Something about Miriam Margolyes v Arnold Schwarzenegger smells funny |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/20/miriam-margolyess-arnold-schwarzenegger-fart-feud |website=The Guardian |date=20 July 2022 |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720120148/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/20/miriam-margolyess-arnold-schwarzenegger-fart-feud |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hemelryk |first1=Simon |date=1 January 2015 |title=Miriam Margolyes: "I Remember..." |url=https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/celebrities/miriam-margolyes-i-remember |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720185752/https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture/celebrities/miriam-margolyes-i-remember |archive-date=20 July 2022 |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=Reader's Digest}}</ref> In 2022, Margolyes' reported that he farted in her face while on set.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bucklow |first1=Andrew |title=One-on-one with Miriam Margolyes |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/one-on-one-with-miriam-margolyes/id1593788055?i=1000570194295 |website=I've Got News For You |publisher=news.com.au |access-date=20 July 2022 |archive-date=20 July 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720185750/https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/one-on-one-with-miriam-margolyes/id1593788055?i=1000570194295 |url-status=live }}</ref> Schwarzenegger did not respond to the allegations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sharf |first=Zack |date=2022-07-19 |title='Harry Potter' Actor Says 'Rude' Arnold Schwarzenegger Farted in Her Face on Set: 'He Did It Deliberately |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-farted-miriam-margolyes-1235319845/ |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720003858/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/arnold-schwarzenegger-farted-miriam-margolyes-1235319845/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 18, 2022 |first=Glenn |last=Garner |title=Miriam Margolyes Says Arnold Schwarzenegger 'Farted in My Face' While Filming End of Days |url=https://people.com/movies/miriam-margolyes-says-arnold-schwarzenegger-farted-my-face-while-filming-end-of-days/ |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=PEOPLE.com |language=en |archive-date=2022-07-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719230942/https://people.com/movies/miriam-margolyes-says-arnold-schwarzenegger-farted-my-face-while-filming-end-of-days/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| title4 = Crushed
| note4 =
| writer4 =
| extra4 = [[Limp Bizkit]]
| length4 = 3:24


==Music==
| title5 = [[Oh My God (Guns N' Roses song)|Oh My God]]
===Soundtrack===
| note5 =
{{Main|End of Days (soundtrack)}}
| writer5 =
| extra5 = [[Guns N' Roses]]
| length5 = 3:40


The film's soundtrack primarily contains tracks by [[industrial rock]] and [[alternative metal]] bands. It features "[[Oh My God (Guns N' Roses song)|Oh My God]]", the first song released by the "new line-up" of [[Guns N' Roses]]. During the editing of ''End of Days'', soundtrack songs were overlaid in scenes that are usually silent in thriller films. In several scenes, a sample from [[Spectrasonics]]' "Symphony of Voices" is heard. The score for the film is composed by [[John Debney]] and conducted by Pete Anthony.
| title6 = [[Poison (The Prodigy song)|Poison]]
| note6 =
| writer6 =
| extra6 = [[The Prodigy]]
| length6 = 6:15


==Release==
| title7 = [[Superbeast]]
''End of Days'' opened on November 24, 1999 and was released on [[DVD]] and [[VHS]] on April 18, 2000.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hartl |first=John |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-journal-news-april-the-cruelest-mon/112121996/ |title=April, the cruelest month: Oscar losers make home video debuts |date=April 6, 2000 |access-date=October 16, 2024 |page=77 |work=Knight-Ridder Newspapers |publisher=[[The Journal News]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] }}</ref>
| note7 = Girl On a Motorcycle Mix
| writer7 =
| extra7 = [[Rob Zombie]]
| length7 = 3:51


==Reception==
| title8 = Bad Influence
| note8 =
| writer8 =
| extra8 = [[Eminem]]
| length8 = 3:40


===Box office===
| title9 = [[Nobody's Real]]
{{Anchor|Box office}}
| note9 = Punk Rock & Electronic
''End of Days'' grossed $31 million in the United States and Canada from its five-day Wednesday opening. With a gross of $20.5 million in its opening 3-day weekend, it ranked third place at the US box office behind ''[[Toy Story 2]]'' and ''[[The World Is Not Enough]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lyman |first=Rick |title=Those Toys Are Leaders In Box-Office Stampede |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/29/movies/those-toys-are-leaders-in-box-office-stampede.html |access-date=March 25, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=November 29, 1999 |archive-date=March 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220319232310/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/29/movies/those-toys-are-leaders-in-box-office-stampede.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The film went on to gross $66,889,043 in the United States and Canada and $145.1 million elsewhere, for a worldwide total of $212&nbsp;million,<ref name=BOM/> against a budget estimated at $100&nbsp;million. Although it was profitable because of strong international revenue and [[DVD]] sales, its final numbers fell short of [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]]' expectations. Schwarzenegger received a salary of $25&nbsp;million for his role in the film.<ref name="NumbersSalaries">{{cite news |title=Arnold Schwarzenegger |url=https://the-numbers.com/people/ASCHW.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210021545/http://www.the-numbers.com/people/ASCHW.php |archive-date=February 10, 2009 |access-date=February 19, 2009 |work=The Numbers}}</ref>
| writer9 =
| extra9 = [[Powerman 5000]]
| length9 = 2:54


===Critical response===
| title10 = I Wish I Had
{{Anchor|Critical response}}
| note10 =
Review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]] gives the film an 11% 'Rotten' score, based on 103 critic reviews with an average rating of 3.8/10. The site's consensus states: "An overblown thriller with formulaic action scenes and poor acting."<ref>{{cite web |title=End of Days |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/end_of_days |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=4 June 2024 |website=Rotten Tomatoes |language=en}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] gives the film a weighted average score of 34/100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web |title=End of Days |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/end-of-days |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=4 June 2024 |website=Metacritic}}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com |access-date=2017-10-17 |archive-date=2022-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413083139/https://www.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| writer10 =
| extra10 = Stroke
| length10 = 6:34


''[[Newsweek]]'' wrote that "Peter Hyams's lurid, FX-happy thriller slams pieces of a dozen other movies into a noxious new compound. It has to be seen to be believed, but who'd want to?"<ref name="Newsweek">{{cite web |last=Ansen |first=David |date=5 December 1999 |title=Hasta La Vista, Arnold? |url=https://www.newsweek.com/hasta-la-vista-arnold-163170 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228082319/https://www.newsweek.com/hasta-la-vista-arnold-163170 |archive-date=28 December 2021 |access-date=28 December 2021 |website=[[Newsweek]]}}</ref> while [[Mark Kermode]] called it "idiotic beyond the point of redemption, this sinfully stupid farrago manages to insult audiences and critics, Christians and Satanists alike, reducing 2000 years of fertile mythology to the level of an incoherent pop video.".<ref name="RottenTomatoesTopCritics">{{cite web |last=Kermode |first=Mark |date=February 2000 |title=End of Days |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/351 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051129084116/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/351 |archive-date=2005-11-29 |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=[[Sight & Sound]]}}</ref> ''[[USA Today]]'' called Schwarzenegger's performance "among his worst" noting that he "seems to have trouble with his lines and doesn't get to make his trademark wisecracks".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Seiler |first=Andy |date=January 1, 2000 |title=End of Days |work=[[USA Today]]}}</ref> The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''{{'s}} critic Eric Harrison called it "bloodless as a cyborg, and it feels as if it has been assembled according to diagrams supplied by someone who studied every successful sci-fi action thriller and then multiplied the findings by 10".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harrison |first=Eric |date=November 24, 1999 |title=Review: End of Days |url=http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Movies-X!ArticleDetail-3384,00.html?search_area=Movies&channel=Movies |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010507195415/http://www.calendarlive.com/top/1,1419,L-LATimes-Movies-X!ArticleDetail-3384,00.html?search_area=Movies&channel=Movies |archive-date=May 7, 2001 |access-date=June 19, 2024 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that ''End of Days'' is "as incoherent about its mysticism as it is about anything else".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=November 24, 1999 |title='End of Days': Satan Is Planning Millennial Mischief |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/112499days-film-review.html |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
| title11 = [[Sugar Kane]]
| note11 =
| writer11 =
| extra11 = [[Sonic Youth]]
| length11 = 5:58


However, there were a few mixed reviews. The ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' stated that "there are moments in ''End of Days'' when Schwarzenegger seems to be gunning for an Oscar", but "those moments play like comic relief".<ref name="SanFranciscoChronicle">{{Cite news |last=LaSalle |first=Mick |date=November 24, 1999 |title=An Explosive 'End' / Schwarzenegger takes on the devil in intense but silly thriller |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/An-Explosive-End-Schwarzenegger-takes-on-the-2893880.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228082321/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/An-Explosive-End-Schwarzenegger-takes-on-the-2893880.php |archive-date=28 December 2021 |access-date=28 December 2021 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]}}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]] called it "a deliciously bad motion picture"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Berardinelli |first=James |date=1999 |title=End of Days |url=https://www.reelviews.net/movies/e/end_days.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020031049/https://www.reelviews.net/movies/e/end_days.html |archive-date=October 20, 2007 |access-date=June 19, 2024 |website=ReelViews.net}}</ref> while [[Roger Ebert]] stated that "''End of Days'' involves a head-on collision between the ludicrous and the absurd" giving it two stars out of four.<ref name="ChicagoSunTimes">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=November 24, 1999 |title=End of Days |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/end-of-days-1999 |website=RogerEbert.com}}</ref> In a retrospective editorial twenty years since the film's release, ''[[Bloody Disgusting]]'' highlighted how the film "is always fascinating and entertaining".<ref name="BloodyDisgusting">{{cite web |last=Navarro |first=Meagan |date=30 December 2019 |title=20 Years Later: The New Year's Eve Horror of 'End of Days' |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3598950/20-years-later-new-years-eve-horror-end-days/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228082324/https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3598950/20-years-later-new-years-eve-horror-end-days/ |archive-date=28 December 2021 |access-date=28 December 2021 |website=Bloody Disgusting}}</ref>
| title12 = Wrong Way

| note12 =
Schwarzenegger later said he thought Hyams was "the wrong director" for the film. "He did not have the potential... I think visually and intellectually to really do something with that movie, but he was recommended by James Cameron, so we thought 'Well he must know.'"<ref>{{cite web |last=Knowles |first=Harry |date=November 10, 2012 |title=Harry interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on the set of The Last Stand. We cover a lot of ground! |url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/59565 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019055509/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/59565 |archive-date=October 19, 2017 |access-date=October 18, 2017 |website=Ain't It Cool News}}</ref>
| writer12 =

| extra12 = [[Creed (band)|Creed]]
===Accolades===
| length12 = 4:19
{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}
}}
''End of Days'' was nominated for three [[Razzie Awards]]—Worst Actor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Worst Supporting Actor (Gabriel Byrne) and Worst Director (Peter Hyams)—and was pre-nominated for Worst Picture, but it was withdrawn shortly before the awards ceremony.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}}

It also received a nomination from the [[Motion Picture Sound Editors]] for Best Sound Editing - Effects & Foley as well as two nominations in the [[Blockbuster Entertainment Awards]] for Favorite Actor - Action/Science Fiction and for Favorite Supporting Actor - Action/Science-Fiction for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Pollak respectively.


==See also==
==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1999]]
* [[Christian eschatology]]
* [[Arnold Schwarzenegger filmography]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikiquote}}
* {{official website|http://www.end-of-days.com/}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0146675}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0146675}}
* {{Amg movie|181132|End of Days}}
* {{ISFDB title|id=680965|title=End of Days}} <!-- novelisation -->
* {{rotten-tomatoes|end_of_days|End of Days}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|end_of_days|End of Days}}


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{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:1990s action films]]
[[Category:1999 action thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s action thriller films]]
[[Category:1999 horror films]]
[[Category:1999 horror films]]
[[Category:1990s thriller films]]
[[Category:1990s supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American action films]]
[[Category:1990s action horror films]]
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:American action thriller films]]
[[Category:American horror films]]
[[Category:American supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:American thriller films]]
[[Category:Beacon Pictures films]]
[[Category:Beacon Pictures films]]
[[Category:Buena Vista International films]]
[[Category:Apocalyptic films]]
[[Category:Apocalyptic films]]
[[Category:Films about cults]]
[[Category:Demons in film]]
[[Category:Demons in film]]
[[Category:Dystopian films]]
[[Category:American dystopian films]]
[[Category:The Devil in fiction]]
[[Category:The Devil in film]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:Films about widowhood]]
[[Category:Films about widowhood in the United States]]
[[Category:Films directed by Peter Hyams]]
[[Category:Films directed by Peter Hyams]]
[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the New York City Police Department]]
[[Category:Films about the New York City Police Department]]
[[Category:Films produced by Armyan Bernstein]]
[[Category:Films produced by Armyan Bernstein]]
[[Category:Film scores by John Debney]]
[[Category:Films scored by John Debney]]
[[Category:Films set in 1979]]
[[Category:Films set in 1979]]
[[Category:Films set in 1999]]
[[Category:Films set in 1999]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films set in New York City]]
[[Category:Films set in religious buildings]]
[[Category:Films set in Vatican City]]
[[Category:Films using computer-generated imagery]]
[[Category:Films set in religious buildings and structures]]
[[Category:Incest in film]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:New Year fiction]]
[[Category:Films shot in New York City]]
[[Category:Religious horror films|End of Days]]
[[Category:Holiday horror films]]
[[Category:Spirit possession in fiction]]
[[Category:Films about incest]]
[[Category:Supernatural horror films]]
[[Category:Films set around New Year]]
[[Category:Films about Satanism]]
[[Category:Films about the Antichrist]]
[[Category:Films about spirit possession]]
[[Category:Religious action films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:Universal Pictures films]]
[[Category:American action horror films]]
[[Category:1999 action films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:English-language action horror films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Andrew W. Marlowe]]
[[Category:American multilingual films]]
[[Category:American religious horror films]]
[[Category:Fiction featuring the turn of the third millennium]]
[[Category:English-language action thriller films]]

Latest revision as of 06:16, 2 January 2025

End of Days
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Hyams
Written byAndrew W. Marlowe
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Hyams
Edited bySteven Kemper
Music byJohn Debney
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • November 24, 1999 (1999-11-24)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Latin
Budget$100 million[1]
Box office$212 million[1]

End of Days is a 1999 American action horror film[2][3][4] directed by Peter Hyams and written by Andrew W. Marlowe. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, with Gabriel Byrne, Robin Tunney, Kevin Pollak, Rod Steiger, CCH Pounder, Derrick O'Connor, Miriam Margolyes, and Udo Kier in supporting roles.[5] The film follows alcoholic former New York Police Department detective Jericho Cane (Schwarzenegger) who, after he saves a banker (Byrne) from an assassin, finds himself embroiled in a religious conflict and must protect an innocent young woman (Tunney) who is chosen by evil forces to conceive the Antichrist with Satan.

The film was released by Universal Pictures in North America on November 24, 1999, and received largely negative reviews, but was a box office success grossing $212 million worldwide.

Plot

[edit]

In 1979, a Vatican City priest witnesses a comet arching over the full moon, prophesying the birth of the mother of Satan's child. A corrupt cardinal insists that the child must die to stop Satan having sex with her, but the Pope rejects that plan as contrary to God's will and instead sends a Vatican-trained priest called Thomas Aquinas on a mission to find and protect the newborn baby. Meanwhile satanists in New York City have identified that baby, Christine York.

Twenty years later, during late December 1999, Satan possesses an investment banker at a restaurant. He then passionately kisses a business associate's wife without her consent, leaves the restaurant and causes it to explode. The following day he is assigned ex- New York City Police Department (NYPD) detective Jericho Cane (alcoholic and depressed since his wife and daughter's contract killings, for which he blames God) and his friend Bobby Chicago as his private security. When Aquinas tries to kill the banker, the pair prevent him, listen to the priest's ramblings and then hand him over to the NYPD. Marge Francis, an NYPD detective, tells Jericho that Aquinas has no tongue.

Jericho and Bobby investigate Aquinas's apartment, finding his tongue in a jar and messages and symbols written in blood on the walls. Jericho questions Father Kovak, a priest who knew Aquinas, who had been sent to New York before disappearing. However, Kovak refuses to tell him much else about Aquinas. Later in the evening, Satan confronts his head priest, the doctor to whom Christine had been taken just after her birth. He reveals that Satan's followers are ready to enact his plans.

An orphan since an early age, Christine now lives in an apartment with her guardian Mabel, one of the nurses who delivered her and also (unbeknown to Christine) another Satanist. While Christine dreams of the doctor's wife and daughter having sex with Satan, the doctor's family merges and suddenly transforms into her. The day after his visit to the doctor, Satan enters Aquinas's hospital, and crucifies him on the ceiling. After he is presumed dead, a doctor reads read "Christ in New York" carved in Latin into Aquinas' skin and when he revives a police officer under Satan's influence shoots him dead.

Jericho instead understands the carving as meaning Chris or Christine York and as he and Chicago begin searching for someone of that name they happen across the cardinal's Masonic Vatican Knights attempting to kill Christine. However, Satan then appears, immolates Chicago and a police car, and sets the apartment on fire.

Jericho fights off the Knights then Mabel and he and Christine flee. Marge and another officer, both revealed to be Satanists, demand that Jericho surrenders Christine. Jericho instead kills them both. Satan resurrects Marge to rally the other Satanists to do his bidding. Jericho and Christine take refuge in the church's crypt, the base for Kovak and his Vatican research team. He tells Jericho and Christine that Satan must impregnate her between 11pm and midnight on New Year's Eve to usher in the Apocalypse.

Christine stays in the crypt under Kovak's protection, and back at Jericho's apartment Satan confronts him and tempts him into giving up Christine in exchange for resurrecting his dead family. After Jericho resists his temptations, Chicago appears, and the two agree to retrieve Christine. At the church, Jericho again stops the cardinal and his Knights from killing Christine.

Satan reappears and kills the Vatican clergy. Chicago betrays Jericho, leaving him to be beaten and crucified by Satanists, revealing that he made a pact with Satan in exchange for his resurrection. After Chicago leaves with Christine, Kovak finds and rescues Jericho. After his recovery, Jericho tracks down Satan to his lair, kills Marge again and rescues Christine.

In the ensuing fight, Jericho convinces Chicago to resist Satan's influence. Satan later kills Chicago for breaking their pact. Jericho destroys the lair, escapes with Christine into a subway tunnel and boards a train. Satan follows them, killing the train's driver. Jericho fires a grenade, destroying the train car Satan was in. Satan leaves the banker's irreparably damaged body to die and instead pursues Jericho and Christine non-corporeally.

Jericho and Christine arrive at another church, where he renews his faith in God and prays for strength. Satan appears as a winged creature, possesses Jericho and attempts to rape Christine. Responding to her pleas, Jericho resists long enough to deliberately impale himself on a nearby sword, sacrificing himself to prevent Satan's endgame. At the stroke of midnight, Satan is sent back to hell. Jericho sees his wife and daughter waiting for him in the afterlife and dies peacefully. Christine embraces him as the world celebrates a new millennium. The ambulance then arrives and takes his dead body away.

Alternate ending

[edit]

After Satan gets sent back to Hell, Jericho dies from his wounds, and Christine tearfully embraces his body and thanks him for saving her life. Suddenly, God removes the sword from Jericho's body and heals his wounds, bringing him back to life. Christine is surprised and glad Jericho is back, and they embrace before leaving the church together.[citation needed]

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Directors Sam Raimi and Guillermo del Toro were offered End of Days, but turned it down due to other projects. Marcus Nispel was going to direct the film, but he left because of budget and script problems and was replaced by Peter Hyams.[6]

The role of Jericho Cane was written for Tom Cruise, but he chose to work on Magnolia and Arnold Schwarzenegger was then cast in March 1998.[7] Liv Tyler was the first choice for the role of Christine York, but she declined over contractual issues. Kate Winslet was then set to play the character, but she dropped out and Robin Tunney replaced her. According to Hyams,

Jim Cameron was the kind of godfather of me doing that film, because of his relationship with Schwarzenegger. He told me I was doing it! ... End Of Days was going to be Marcus Nispel, but it wasn't working somehow, but they had Arnold and a start date, and Jim came to me and told me I had to do it. This was the first picture Arnold had made for a couple of years. I think he had a heart thing. So this was Arnold coming back. And he wanted to try to make something good, and to take some chances. I applauded that. And we had very, very good actors around him, like Gabriel Byrne and Kevin Pollak and Rod Steiger. It was a very enjoyable experience. Half way through shooting I told Arnold I thought he should die in this movie. Of course Universal blanched at the idea, so I shot the ending both ways, and everybody agreed that the dying ending was the better one.[8]

Over 60 visual effects shots were created by Rhythm & Hues.[9]

In 2016, actress Miriam Margolyes complained about Arnold Schwarzenegger's behavior on set.[10][11] In 2022, Margolyes' reported that he farted in her face while on set.[12] Schwarzenegger did not respond to the allegations.[13][14]

Music

[edit]

Soundtrack

[edit]
Main article: End of Days (soundtrack)

The film's soundtrack primarily contains tracks by industrial rock and alternative metal bands. It features "Oh My God", the first song released by the "new line-up" of Guns N' Roses. During the editing of End of Days, soundtrack songs were overlaid in scenes that are usually silent in thriller films. In several scenes, a sample from Spectrasonics' "Symphony of Voices" is heard. The score for the film is composed by John Debney and conducted by Pete Anthony.

Release

[edit]

End of Days opened on November 24, 1999 and was released on DVD and VHS on April 18, 2000.[15]

Reception

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

End of Days grossed $31 million in the United States and Canada from its five-day Wednesday opening. With a gross of $20.5 million in its opening 3-day weekend, it ranked third place at the US box office behind Toy Story 2 and The World Is Not Enough.[16] The film went on to gross $66,889,043 in the United States and Canada and $145.1 million elsewhere, for a worldwide total of $212 million,[1] against a budget estimated at $100 million. Although it was profitable because of strong international revenue and DVD sales, its final numbers fell short of Universal Studios' expectations. Schwarzenegger received a salary of $25 million for his role in the film.[17]

Critical response

[edit]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 11% 'Rotten' score, based on 103 critic reviews with an average rating of 3.8/10. The site's consensus states: "An overblown thriller with formulaic action scenes and poor acting."[18] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 34/100 based on 33 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[19] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[20]

Newsweek wrote that "Peter Hyams's lurid, FX-happy thriller slams pieces of a dozen other movies into a noxious new compound. It has to be seen to be believed, but who'd want to?"[21] while Mark Kermode called it "idiotic beyond the point of redemption, this sinfully stupid farrago manages to insult audiences and critics, Christians and Satanists alike, reducing 2000 years of fertile mythology to the level of an incoherent pop video.".[22] USA Today called Schwarzenegger's performance "among his worst" noting that he "seems to have trouble with his lines and doesn't get to make his trademark wisecracks".[23] The Los Angeles Times's critic Eric Harrison called it "bloodless as a cyborg, and it feels as if it has been assembled according to diagrams supplied by someone who studied every successful sci-fi action thriller and then multiplied the findings by 10".[24] The New York Times wrote that End of Days is "as incoherent about its mysticism as it is about anything else".[25]

However, there were a few mixed reviews. The San Francisco Chronicle stated that "there are moments in End of Days when Schwarzenegger seems to be gunning for an Oscar", but "those moments play like comic relief".[26] James Berardinelli called it "a deliciously bad motion picture"[27] while Roger Ebert stated that "End of Days involves a head-on collision between the ludicrous and the absurd" giving it two stars out of four.[28] In a retrospective editorial twenty years since the film's release, Bloody Disgusting highlighted how the film "is always fascinating and entertaining".[2]

Schwarzenegger later said he thought Hyams was "the wrong director" for the film. "He did not have the potential... I think visually and intellectually to really do something with that movie, but he was recommended by James Cameron, so we thought 'Well he must know.'"[29]

Accolades

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End of Days was nominated for three Razzie Awards—Worst Actor (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Worst Supporting Actor (Gabriel Byrne) and Worst Director (Peter Hyams)—and was pre-nominated for Worst Picture, but it was withdrawn shortly before the awards ceremony.[citation needed]

It also received a nomination from the Motion Picture Sound Editors for Best Sound Editing - Effects & Foley as well as two nominations in the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for Favorite Actor - Action/Science Fiction and for Favorite Supporting Actor - Action/Science-Fiction for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kevin Pollak respectively.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "End of Days". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2002-11-05. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  2. ^ a b Navarro, Meagan (30 December 2019). "20 Years Later: The New Year's Eve Horror of 'End of Days'". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  3. ^ "End of Days". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "End of Days". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  5. ^ Maslin, Janet (November 24, 1999). "Movie Review: End Of Days (1999)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  6. ^ "Beacon drafts Hyams to helm 'End of Days'". Variety. October 20, 1998. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "Arnold to duel devil". Variety. March 18, 1998. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  8. ^ "Directors Special: Peter Hyams Goes Film-By-Film". Empire Magazine. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  9. ^ "VIFX will do effects for 'End of Days'". Variety. March 4, 1999. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  10. ^ Heritage, Stuart (20 July 2022). "Something about Miriam Margolyes v Arnold Schwarzenegger smells funny". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  11. ^ Hemelryk, Simon (1 January 2015). "Miriam Margolyes: "I Remember..."". Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  12. ^ Bucklow, Andrew. "One-on-one with Miriam Margolyes". I've Got News For You. news.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  13. ^ Sharf, Zack (2022-07-19). "'Harry Potter' Actor Says 'Rude' Arnold Schwarzenegger Farted in Her Face on Set: 'He Did It Deliberately". Variety. Archived from the original on 2022-07-20. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  14. ^ Garner, Glenn (July 18, 2022). "Miriam Margolyes Says Arnold Schwarzenegger 'Farted in My Face' While Filming End of Days". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  15. ^ Hartl, John (April 6, 2000). "April, the cruelest month: Oscar losers make home video debuts". Knight-Ridder Newspapers. The Journal News. p. 77. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Lyman, Rick (November 29, 1999). "Those Toys Are Leaders In Box-Office Stampede". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  17. ^ "Arnold Schwarzenegger". The Numbers. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  18. ^ "End of Days". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  19. ^ "End of Days". Metacritic. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  20. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Archived from the original on 2022-04-13. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  21. ^ Ansen, David (5 December 1999). "Hasta La Vista, Arnold?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  22. ^ Kermode, Mark (February 2000). "End of Days". Sight & Sound. Archived from the original on 2005-11-29. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  23. ^ Seiler, Andy (January 1, 2000). "End of Days". USA Today.
  24. ^ Harrison, Eric (November 24, 1999). "Review: End of Days". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 7, 2001. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Maslin, Janet (November 24, 1999). "'End of Days': Satan Is Planning Millennial Mischief". The New York Times. Retrieved 2024-06-19.
  26. ^ LaSalle, Mick (November 24, 1999). "An Explosive 'End' / Schwarzenegger takes on the devil in intense but silly thriller". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  27. ^ Berardinelli, James (1999). "End of Days". ReelViews.net. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  28. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 24, 1999). "End of Days". RogerEbert.com.
  29. ^ Knowles, Harry (November 10, 2012). "Harry interviews Arnold Schwarzenegger on the set of The Last Stand. We cover a lot of ground!". Ain't It Cool News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
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