The original version by the director was 166 minutes when it was first released on 21 December 1968. This version was shown in European cinemas, and was a box-office success. For the US release on 28 May 1969, "Once Upon a Time in the West" was edited down to 145 minutes by Paramount and was a financial flop. The film is the first installment in Leone's "Once Upon a Time" trilogy, followed by "Duck, You Sucker!" and "Once Upon a Time in America", though the films do not share any characters in common.