A 23 minute alternate ending, faithful to the original, stage ending, was originally shot. In it, Audrey and Seymour are eaten by Audrey II, and, after it becomes a worldwide sensation, the world is taken over by various Audrey IIs (à la a classic B-movie horror flick.) It featured miniature effects by
Richard Conway, who worked nearly a year and spent about $5 million on the sequence of Audrey II's takeover, and two songs; a reprise of "Somewhere That's Green," in which Audrey, after being attacked by Audrey II, tells Seymour to feed her to the plant after she dies so she can always be with him, and "Don't Feed The Plants," in which an off-screen chorus warns the audience not to feed the plants, no matter what they offer you.
Paul Dooley appears as Patrick Martin in this version. After two failed test screenings in San Jose and Los Angeles, in which the audiences rejected the ending, the theatrical, "happy" ending was shot, in which both Audrey and Seymour survive, and Audrey II is destroyed.