Top 20 Most Tragic Movie Endings

Can somebody pass the tissues? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the best films with the most heartbreaking endings. If you didn’t feel like crying today, rest assured, there won’t be any animated entries on this list. Our countdown includes "Brokeback Mountain", "Parasite", "Million Dollar Baby", "The Fault in Our Stars", "Philadelphia", and more! Which other mournful movie ending left you emotionally bereft and lying on the cold, hard floor? Let us know in the comments down below!
Watch more heart-wrenching videos here:
Top 20 Movies So Depressing You Can Only Watch Them Once: • Top 20 Movies So Depre...
Top 20 Saddest Movie Deaths Ever: • Top 20 Saddest Movie D...
Top 20 SADDEST Cartoon Movie Moments Ever: • Top 20 SADDEST Cartoon...
Become a channel member to get access to special perks:
/ @watchmojo
Don't forget to play our Live Trivia games at 3pm EST for a chance to win cash! The faster you answer, the more points you get!: www.watchmojo....
Have your idea become a video!
wmojo.com/suggest
Subscribe for more great content!
wmojo.com/watc...
Visit our shop for awesome merch!
shop.watchmojo...
Your trusted authority for Top 10 lists, reviews, tips and tricks, biographies, origins, and entertainment news
#movies #endings #tragic #parasite #logan #philadelphia #seven #milliondollarbaby

[@WatchMojo]

Which other mournful movie ending left you emotionally bereft and lying on the cold, hard floor? Let us know in the comments down below! For more content like this, click here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/anu7aX59nJWentU Play our Daily Point Battles to earn MojoPoints and qualify for CASH BATTLES! Check it out: WatchMojo.com/play

[@brunodelobel93410]

The Lord of Ring was particularly emotive for me when the Gollum die

[@beatstar-o1375]

The ending of train to busan got me in tears, and i'm the type of guy that doesn't have emotions

[@brunodelobel93410]

@@beatstar-o1375 we've got same trouble 😁

[@geeshep4836]

Love Story, The Godfather: Part 2, Do The Right Thing, The Notebook And What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

[@jereqo3686]

Bridge To Terabithia

[@Caffeine_Club]

Number 7: Se7en. Well of course it is you clever bastard.

[@Oskir_Schlickarsson]

💀

[@flexivefowl8186]

Requiem for a Dream shows that no one has to die for an ending to still be tragic.

[@BigFella117]

Considering the state all the characters were in, death would seem like a preferable alternative

[@mattmcgrath3244]

I completely agree. It's a dissension into Hell. While there are bleaker concepts for endings, it's a sum of its parts. The score, lighting and editing amp the dread and build to despair. This movie has been with me since I saw it nearly 20 years ago. I still recommend this movie as "don't watch this movie if you were having a good day!" 😂

[@gevdarg]

Ah, that movie stained my soul!!

[@AnthonyGarcia-dr8nz]

That movie scared me for life man... I also saw it for the first time while having special brownies for the first time.... extremely bad combo, do not recommend

[@chelseacanales8763]

Million Dollar Baby is the saddest movie ever. Life is Beautiful: cannot bear to see it again I can never read AND watch The Green Mile without crying

[@slystone4892]

Agree wholeheartedly

[@redviper6805]

Remember when Pam from The Office used that sad ending in Million Dollar Baby as a personal story of losing an aunt she was close to?

[@batgurrl]

Someone else used Weekend at Bernie’s too.😇

[@redviper6805]

@@batgurrl That movie didn't have a tragic ending

[@ThaloniusPFunk]

​@@batgurrl Someone used The Lion King

[@khalidhenry3857]

I cried watching The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

[@mattbernabe]

This wasn't on the list, but the ending of the movie 'Selena.' If you know, you know.

[@CliveWarren69]

just watched the ending and that was utter pish

[@kcallamajaji]

You mean the tragic ending to the actual woman's life? Yes, that was tragic.

[@mattbernabe]

@kcallamajaji Correct, but the way they showed it in the movie was sad.

[@ahsoei9641]

I don't think Pan's Labyrinth ending as 'tragic'. I mean, it's bittersweet and sad to see the girl died, but considering the lore and where the girl ended up, how her friends won their battles, I think it was quite a happy ending.

[@trippyboi91]

Well for me, I think it’s an ending that’s tragic because you’re left HOPING for the best, but aren’t sure that’s what’s happening. What happens to Ofelia could have been a dying dream, not the true nature of what happened. The others and her brother still have to deal with the rest of the war as well.

[@theresaiwright7085]

The Green Mile makes me cry every time.

[@DerekDolcy]

😊😢❤yea agreed 👍 john coffee

[@itssharktime6560]

Honorable mention: The Iron Claw - even if you already knew what happened, it doesn't cushion the blow any less than if you didn't.

[@manzi97]

Man I was gonna say how do you not have that one on here it's so sad they didn't have another brother in it cause it would of made this movie even sadder

[@tanja3712]

Thelma and louis' ending leaves me in tears every damn time

[@SeashelleBytheseashore]

I always feel empowered and very sad.

[@raymondsisco9877]

how could you leave ‘mystic river’ off this list???

[@Chocobear555]

Hachi wasn't adopted by another family. He ended up living with Parker's daughter, son-in-law and grandson. You also failed to mention that the film is based on a true story.

[@kcallamajaji]

I started crying about 30 minutes into that movie and didn't stop for hours after it was over. I'll never watch that again.

[@TheMonia2011]

​@@kcallamajaji The same goes for Eight Below. It's so heartbreaking that I won't watch it again.

[@kcallamajaji]

@@TheMonia2011 Never seen Eight Below and now I think I won't lol.

[@Scarleet89]

The movie Boys don’t Cry was pretty painful and sad

[@mandywalker3393]

I sobbed like a baby at the end of "The boy in the stiped pajamas." The ending of "the Mist," PISSED me off. I was not sad.

[@arhamsayeed319]

RIP HEATH LEGEDER LEGEND [ 4 APRIL 1979 - 22 JANUARY 2008 ]

[@kamsismith]

Any biopic about someone who dies tragically young.

[@106andie]

Selena 💔

[@ciravieira6650]

Selena

[@weRnd1000]

You forgot Ole Yeller

[@meccamitchell6481]

I can't even watch that

[@meccamitchell6481]

😢 I can't watch that

[@emmae5939]

I can’t watch that ever, I don’t like dog stories at all.

[@pcfultimes]

The Mist ending was heartwrenching to watch. I've watched the movie a few times since but stop it before the ending.

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah that ending is messed up

[@elephantbluepeter]

"Atonement" should've been included on this list!

[@tracidavis3565]

The only 2 movies I have ever watched my husband cry were The Green Mile and Marley & Me…😢

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

The Mist - if he'd only waited a few more minutes he wouldn't have had to shoot the others. It's one of the most tragic endings in movies.

[@dicitalore605]

There's a theory that this isn't the case. That for the mist to lift and help to arrive there had to be a sacrifice that was made (in this case that the sacrifice is the family that he killed). This is reinforced with Marcia Gay Harden's character and her ramblings about what the bible says. Personally, I would have been glad to be put out of that situation.

[@jeremygilbert7989]

The fact that it was a gross deviation from the book and one that, unlike The Shining, Stephen King himself approved of it speaks volumes.

[@samkingsway6564]

@@jeremygilbert7989 Coming to say the exact same thing

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah still hate that ending wish the film ended with the family just driving away from the house

[@mjweber0313]

(End of watch) Not detectives... Patrol officers 👮

[@Krookodile_King]

How is “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” not on this list!?!?

[@loluk867]

Because it's an offensively stupid ending and essentially makes a mockery out of the Holocaust.

[@Krookodile_King]

@@loluk867it may not be entirely historically accurate, but you can’t deny the tragedy of the two innocent boys’ deaths.

[@loluk867]

@@Krookodile_King It compels you to sympathise with people who are objectively the personification of evil - and yes, I include the young boy in that, too. It's cheap, manipulative, and tacky.

[@oswanimation9005]

EXACTLY!

[@WonHakWoon]

IKR? I hoped it would be here

[@quangdluong298]

I love Clint Eastwood

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

Clint Eastwood and Hilary Swank make _Million Dollar Baby_ a sad watch because of its ending.

[@therunawaykid6523]

Never seen that film and wow that was sad ☹️

[@Agent_Volkat]

I've never been able to watch "Million Dollar Baby" a second time it hurt that much to watch. Same with the film "Boys Don't Cry". That one DESTROYED me. Oddly enough, both star Hilary Swank.

[@captainmarvelwilson508]

And both won her Oscars.

[@therunawaykid6523]

@@captainmarvelwilson508and she dies in both

[@ridedamaverick]

Y'all really did this list w/o House of Sand and Fog?

[@oswanimation9005]

I suppose you folks have never seen The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

[@meccamitchell6481]

I keep hearing about it, I have to check it out

[@CandiceVidito]

The Green Mile for sure! 😢

[@tylergoodman3560]

I've never seen it. 🎉

[@CandiceVidito]

@@tylergoodman3560 You should watch it. It's a good movie

[@Reaperguy67]

​@@tylergoodman3560 it's worth it to see it. Besides that it's like 3hrs long.

[@therunawaykid6523]

@@Reaperguy67yeah it sure is a long film! It was very sad what happened to the innocent man John cofee but also knowing that Tom hanks character had a long healthy life with mr bojangles made me happy

[@Reaperguy67]

@@therunawaykid6523 that is true. Its one of my favorites from Tom Hanks

[@marydauby5229]

Brokeback Mountain hit me really hard. I had friends who had trouble coming out because society was vicious. The music makes me cry for them.

[@globetrekker86]

LaBamba has got to be among the most harrowing biopics… Ritchie didn’t want to be on that plane, to begin with! 😭

[@therunawaykid6523]

Talking of planes to me one of the most creative, sad but chilling endings is the ending of final destination 5 the surviving couple are on the plane to go to Paris but they see some of the passengers also on the plane are the people who died in the plane crash in the first film so the film is a prequel - so these people were going on the doomed flight

[@samkingsway6564]

Great list! Million Dollar Baby broke me...Gone baby Gone is too true to life that I will never forget its tragic ending that happens when children are left with terrible parents ... how could anyone not cry?. A few I think are missing in this list in my opinion ... Boys N the Hood and Sophie's Choice

[@there4you19]

Well In Grand Torino Walt knew that he wasn't going to make it Especially since he has Stage 4 Cancer.

[@NotMeNaNaNa]

And the ending itself isn’t even sad from the executor having to read his will as it was written and the look on his granddaughter’s face when she doesn’t get the car she thought she deserved to Eastwood’s gravely voice singing to Thao driving off with his dog who he will be taking care of in Walt’s passing.

[@smicksite]

...growing up in Southern California in the 80's, ...the tragic ending of Boyz N The Hood had a deep emotional effect on me ...I've wondered if it was as relatable to others with a dissimilar background 🤔

[@meccamitchell6481]

Same here

[@meccamitchell6481]

I can't stand driving through certain parts of LA

[@BigFella117]

I’ve watched Million Dollar Baby countless times, and the ending will never fail to bring tears to my eyes every time

[@therunawaykid6523]

I’ve never seen it but damn that ending was very sad 🥺

[@tylergoodman3560]

Philadelphia was one of the few movies that put a tear to my eyes. 💯😢🎉

[@StanHalen1936]

Sure it did

[@BlackHatCinephile]

🏆🥇

[@valbirkner8131]

Less Than Zero... great movie. Thought it may be mentioned.

[@spike803]

The Gladiator. Paid forward. Blue Valentine. My girl.

[@twist58]

A few of Clint Eastwood’s films have that bittersweet, tragic ending. He sure knew how to convey that emotional tone. Whether he stars in them and/or directs them.

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah that is true I’m not a fan of a depressing endings so it was nice to see the ending to a fistful of dollars, Clint eastwoods character finally manages to shoot and kill the main villain of the movie and rides off into the sunset

[@Vook]

Sophie’s Choice, definitely.

[@motodunnito]

Nothing tops Hachi for me.

[@saulhudsonbelg]

Yop, Each time I watch this movie, it breaks my heart

[@7_philk]

Million dollar baby broke my soul ❤

[@samkingsway6564]

Same!! To the bitter core!

[@dreamguardian8320]

When I heard and watched a little bit of that movie, I thought it was going to be like Rocky, a person struggling to be a champ, comes across some obstacles, become the new champ, and live happily ever after. But no, instead, we got a tragic fate, with a person suffering, and had to be put down like a dog. Jeez, where do they come up with this stuff?

[@sukiwatson]

The Green mile always hits hard

[@BlenderStudy]

Thank you for the update, WatchMojo..!! For me, a Polish movie called "Warsaw 44" (2014) had the worst and the most tragic ending of all. :(

[@CWPage]

Other movie endings that really hit me in the feels and even brought me to tears would be, "Godzilla vs Destroyah" 1995 when Burning Godzilla melted away. "Candyman" 1992 when Helen was dealing with her bummer situation, but saved the baby's life after being burned into the fire. & "Black Swan" 2010, as much as "Requiem for a Dream" did something like it, I thought when Nina's Mental Breakdowns developed, She backfired her one plan and suddenly turned it around to herself, to die for real. But I also agree with, "Requiem for a Dream", "Pan's Labyrinth", "Brokeback Mountain", & "The Mist"

[@meccamitchell6481]

Candyman was a sad ending. The only good part was her getting revenge with Trevor

[@howardmandel7930]

Your choices were great! I would add Gladiator… and of course Old Yeller! Can’t forget Brian’s Song!

[@WonHakWoon]

How is Train To Busan not on this list? That ending is so sad 😢😢😢😢. Also, I'm missing The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. From this list, I have only seen Parasite and Hachi. I didn't find Parasite to have a sad ending honestly.

[@therunawaykid6523]

But it was actually kind of a happy ending as the girl sang so the guards knew they were not infected and her and her father walked to safety

[@taradiane]

hachi destroyed me. everyone i talk to who has seen it says the same. i've never ugly cried at the end of a movie the way i did that one.

[@bbertgilo1574]

The ending of Somewhere in Time when they showed Christopher Reeve utterly devastated had me bawling when I saw it the first time...

[@jacobwinkfield]

hachi movie cut me deep still 😥. Him waiting for his owner not knowing he's never returning 💔

[@deannalumia1707]

Some others: Mistic River, Boys N the Hood, Buried, Thelma and Louise, Memento.

[@deannalumia1707]

And I saw "The Life of David Gale" in the comments.

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah buried is very sad seeing as it seemed like he would be saved but they went o the wrong location

[@the_Real_Grammy_of_6]

I still miss Heath Ledger. He would have had a very long career - like Paul Newman, Tom Hanks (he’s not done). Ledger was an incredible actor. I put him in the same category as Johnny Depp - getting so deep in their characters that sometimes forget that it’s just a character. They both could play one character in one film. Then a total opposite character in their next film. I wish he was still around to give us great movies. RIP Mr Ledger 😢😢

[@rubygracemoseley8144]

Life Is Beautiful, Old Yeller, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Titanic (I know it technically has a “happy” ending but it ends with a bunch of people all clapping over a couple that was torn apart by death and all the clapping people were also dead so that’s pretty darn heartbreaking) Those are the ones that come to mind that I have seen

[@jesseowenvillamor6348]

I wouldn't include Parasite on this list.

[@guillermorodriguezdomingue274]

For me, I would mention "Blow Out" because it really devastated me.

[@stayingalivewithsaad5351]

Really iconic, John Travolta was incredible in that. Underrated film

[@Marsha_Ann]

Who decided to start Sunday morning off with this??

[@ceithor]

Old Yeller. Saw that as a kid in the 70s, and I will NEVER watch it again.

[@meccamitchell6481]

Same here

[@therunawaykid6523]

Only reason I knew that ending was in friends where Phoebe watched the ending to the film for the first time

[@eviljohn101]

The Girl Next Door. Anyone who has a child, especially a daughter, will definitely cry.

[@meccamitchell6481]

Yes !

[@redalbatross5649]

No other movie has made me ugly cry so much as Hatchi. I can not deal with sad dogs.

[@litterboxpaws]

I mean, they could just do a list of sad dog endings, but not many people would watch it.

[@the_Real_Grammy_of_6]

PHILADELPHIA ➖Brilliant performance from Tom Hanks. I did shed a tear when the last hospital scene was played 😢😢. Love me some Tom Hanks⭐️⭐️⭐️ ❓❓This movie should have been on the list. Saddest Ending I’ve seen in a long time. SOPHIE’S CHOICE ➖ I just recently watched it for the first time. The ending of what she was forced to choose, made me cry like a baby. THE GREEN MILE ➖ I’ve never seen that movie because I know it’s plot and I can’t handle it. I’ve seen a scene or two and Duncan seems so sweet and knowing how it ends, it would make me too emotional for many days. Racial injustice is something that I can’t understand and knowing that SO MANY innocent people were framed or just treated inhumanly is something I can’t comprehend and it breaks my heart. Maybe I will be stronger at some point and I can watch it. 😢😢

[@Infinite-void908]

Selena (1997) has a very tragic ending, especially since she was so young and was on a great path to becoming a major superstar.

[@dietotaku]

can't believe you didn't mention that hachi was based on a true story. except the real hachiko lived in japan and there is currently a statue of him at the train station where he used to wait for his master.

[@jesseowenvillamor6348]

And there is an original Hachiko film in Japan.

[@davidchism6081]

The one between 6 and 8, clever editing...

[@Zed-fq3lj]

The Fly is the most heart-wrenching ending ever! 😢

[@meccamitchell6481]

Definitely sad

[@ov3gan369]

You missed The Life of David Gale

[@betterthanaverage_8507]

American History X?

[@meccamitchell6481]

I forgot about that one I felt bad for the older brother, but not the one who was killed

[@meccamitchell6481]

That one's 50/50

[@13REDDWOLFF13]

A Walk to Remember grabs you by the heart and rips it from you!

[@meccamitchell6481]

I forgot about that

[@MentalWellnessWithWaihiga]

Leaving Las Vegas was just crazy sad because I really did this to myself. God it was awful to watch. I also cried water Atonement. THE ENDING JUST HAD NE CRYING

[@rjhunter1873]

Hearing a snippet of DCD in The Mist ending was worth this entire video..

[@capergurl4eva28]

Armageddon. Bruce Willis’s character sacrificing himself so AJ could marry his daughter was heartbreaking. It’s also my favourite movie of all time.

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah and seeing the survivors crying in the church with pictures of the people who died with I don’t wanna miss a thing by Aerosmith playing 🥺

[@kaylashrader232]

As a mother, Life is Beautiful is the most heartwrenching movie I have ever seen, for so many reasons.

[@ruisantos3451]

True, and that "mamma " at the end breaks anyone

[@xyzharrishuang]

Where is West Side Story,Romeo and Juliet,Love Story,The Last Picture Show,Sophie's Choice,My Girl,The Virgin Suicides,Arlington Road,Dancer in the Dark,The Perfect Storm,Mulholland Drive, Mystic River,Atonement,Bridge to Terabrithia,Revolutionary Road,Eden Lake,The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,Drag Me to Hell,Buried,Blue Valentine,Melancholia,Manchester by the Sea? You can make lists of the saddest endings categorized into decades.

[@therunawaykid6523]

I know it’s meant to be a serious horror movie but to me I have always found it ironic that the ending to drag me to hell actually happened at the end when it looked like it would be a happy ending

[@SwitzerlandStrongestParaglider]

Titanic?

[@ciravieira6650]

The Boy with Striped Pijamas, made me cry

[@michaelmonthey5974]

Gone Baby Gone should have ended differently. Patrick should’ve left the girl with Captain Doyle. It probably would’ve made him corrupt, but at least the girl would’ve had a better life.

[@duncancurtis5108]

The ending was ambiguous. They jumped into the water on finding the missing child's body and everyone in the cinema leapt out of their seats.

[@michaelmonthey5974]

@@duncancurtis5108 Didn’t you watch the whole movie? That only happened in the middle of the movie; that was not how it ended.

[@olleselin]

There's not always a Happy Ending....

[@flowerfaeri]

Hachi is the only one of these to make me cry. If you want to go further back, Ol' Yeller is number one!

[@therunawaykid6523]

Green mile is also very sad 😔

[@andrewmcnamara6305]

According to TV Tropes this list would fall in the category of "Tear Jerker."

[@batgurrl]

Solid, sad list. Requiem for a dream is one of the most depressing and artistic films ever made. What gets me most about The Fly he when he grabs the rifle end and points it directly at his brain for her. The Green Mile’s final scene had me weeping throughout.

[@dicitalore605]

I'm watching at number 19 right now. I'd like to see Gone Baby Gone on this list. It's simply heart wrenching to think what good outcome the little girl could have. Oh there it is at 17

[@vaibhav9609]

Gone baby gone has worst ending. I really hate Patrick descision

[@texas2step266]

Australian movie "Red Dog." A portion of the middle was actually harder on me than the ending. Bring two boxes of tissues - you're gonna need 'em.

[@Bram25]

Oldboy. I mean. You cannot draw a conclusion from the protagonist teary eyes. (Yeah. I am not going to spoil anything but man! It left me totally emotional and flabbergasted)

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah I’ve not actually watched the film myself but know of the ending but man was that a sad twist

[@MrBrunoUSA]

"Ran" could have been on this list too. if you guys decide to do a followup list, please consider this Kurosawa masterpiece.

[@MADBD619]

If there’s one thing that I absolutely hate about certain good stories and movies is when it all ends on a BAD note! 😡

[@nixda9326]

ok?

[@mike91mdk45]

That thumbnail guts me all over again. Never felt so bad for one of jeff goldblum's characters, and geena davis acted her ass off

[@ellnats]

#13 uh oh i know where this is going, lets just say that episode of futurama is based on this story

[@SupermarketSweep777]

Just imagine Seymour teaching Hachi to bark sing Walking on Sunshine as duet and it becomes semi-wholeome on the other side.

[@shesakillerqueeeen]

The scream at the end of The Mist reaches deep into my soul now as a parent myself

[@OldFartFilms]

Love the music by Dead Can Dance, ‘The Host of the Seraphim’, at the conclusion of ‘The Mist’. Lisa Gerrard has an amazing, ethereal voice.

[@Ricer015]

You missed The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It killed my heart.

[@Wolfie713]

7:20 Voice over talking about what happens in the film... "... takes a turn for the worst..." No, it's "takes a turn for the worse." The turn can either be for the better or the worse.

[@amandab262]

I would love to see The Fly remade with current special effects technology….

[@meccamitchell6481]

OMG ! I've been saying this for the longest. Except CG'S I would like to see good costumes with realistic makeup

[@louiseander01]

How is Boy in the stripped pajamas not on the list. Beautifully told but it rips your heart out at the end 😢

[@maryann7619]

Life is Beautiful left theater full of people in absolute silence. We walked out into the daylight stunned.

[@tammylynnbeatricedoyle4500]

Omg 😭 Leaving Las Vegas and Million Dollar Baby broke my heart! So did Boys Don't Cry!

[@codyhiginbotham6616]

King Kong (2005) The way this remake was told, it made Kong’s death absolutely heartbreaking

[@Lilmovieman27]

Not even a mention of the boy in the striped pajamas makes this list (for lack of a better word) laughable

[@thesj5595]

Marley and Me

[@cyatic]

Can’t believe “Atonement” wasn’t on the list.

[@Syrin23]

I'll never understand why people pay for something that makes you feels sad and despressed.

[@therunawaykid6523]

But some of these films you don’t really know how the film will end like million dollar baby, the mist, hachi, - but yeah I agree I wouldn’t purposefully watch a depressing film if I want to enjoy my time at the cinema

[@Syrin23]

@@therunawaykid6523 Well yeah, but in general, you know what the movie is about before buying a ticket. No one goes to an Alien movie expecting a Rom Com

[@craiggrossman9182]

Sling Blade had a tragic ending and should have been on this list.