What was the first 'single movie' released in theatres as multiple films?

[veryfrank]

@Jack_Burden

1973 The Three Musketeers was shot as one long epic film, including an intermission. During production the decision was made to release it as two separate films, resulting in 1974 The Four Musketeers. The cast however, was only contracted for the one film and paid accordingly. Per Wikipedia “This led to the Screen Actors Guild requiring all future actors’ contracts to include what has become known as the “Salkind clause” (named after producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind), which stipulates that single productions cannot be split into film installments without prior contractual agreement.”

And speaking of Richard Lester and the Salkinds…

The story of Richard Donner and Superman is pretty well-known. The original script for the 1978 Superman film was crazy long, and was conceived as a two-parter. Which actually explains why the scene with General Zod and his cronies is in part one. As films are generally shot out of order, Donner had shot 75% or so of what would be part 2, when a decision was made to just finish part 1 and get it out there. The Salkinds canned Donner and brought in Lester to direct the sequel, and he shot a pile of new material. The “Donner cut” of part 2, which I guess fans were clamoring for, has basically the same ending as the released version of part 1, which suggests that the “spinning the world backwards” horseshit ending was originally meant to tie up the whole saga.