The purpose of test screenings is to give filmmakers insight into how their movie will be received and the chance to make some major changes if the screening is awful. Movie endings have been greatly improved by test screenings in Hollywood history; it is essentially the opportunity for one last do-over if something about the movie is going to ruin its chances. While it might seem like cheating, test audiences have doubtlessly saved some famous movies.
Test audiences often had something to do with alternate movie endings that thankfully didn’t happen, pointing out the flaws with a conclusion that would have confused people. Even some of the best movies of all time were changed at the last minute because of screen testing, resulting in the cinematic staple beloved by movie fans today. Test audiences might be evidence of the commercial interests of Hollywood, but they have been cemented as a vital part of the filmmaking process.
10
Pretty In Pink (1986)
Test Audiences Didn’t Like Andie Ending Up With Duckie
One of the most famous Brat Pack and John Hughes movies, Pretty in Pink ends with the star-crossed romance triumphing. Molly Ringwald’s Andie finds herself in a love triangle of sorts with the rich popular boy Blane and her nerdy friend Duckie, although the latter always felt something for her she never felt in return. After Blane scorns her, Andie creates her iconic prom dress and goes to the event with Duckie; the movie then originally ended with Andie and Duckie getting together after all.
Pretty in Pink‘s original ending works in the sense that Andie ends up with the boy who actually treated her well, but test audiences didn’t see it that way. Early viewers were disappointed that Andie didn’t end up with Blane, leading to a complicated reshoot when the actors had already moved on to other projects. Hughes still got his happy ending, with Andie ending up with Blane and Duckie supporting the relationship before moving on to another girl at the prom.
9
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)
Scott Ended Up With Knives, Which Is Worse Than Him Ending Up With Ramona
The movie as it is makes Knives a lovable character who leaves behind the drama of this relationship with her head held high.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World had two movie endings that both do a disservice to the characters involved, glossing over their issues that need to be resolved before committing to a new romance. Scott Pilgrim Takes Off would later fix a lot of what the movie did wrong with its crazy meta-narrative, but test audiences at least saved the movie from its original ending. Initially, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would have ended with Ramona leaving and Scott getting back together with Knives.
This doesn’t work when a lot of the movie’s conflict comes from Scott being awful to Knives and his friends gossiping about him dating a high school student. However, while the movie may have rushed through Scott and Ramona’s arcs, not allowing either of them to address their problems before they walk off holding hands, it at least makes it clear that Knives really is too good for Scott. The movie as it is makes Knives a lovable character who leaves behind the drama of this relationship with her head held high.
8
Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner’s Happy Ending Doesn’t Trust Audiences To Understand The Symbolism
There are several cuts of Blade Runner that need explanation, emphasizing the highly philosophical nature of the story. The US theatrical version was considered the official one for decades, heavily influenced by the negative test screenings. After the test audiences had their say, executives demanded that Ridley Scott add Deckard’s narration to explain some of the movie’s plot. This version also included a happier ending for Deckard and Rachael, as it is revealed that Rachael does not have a limited lifespan.
The later Director’s Cut removed the ending and added the unicorn dream sequence, heavily implying that Deckard is also unknowingly a replicant. These elements were maintained in the Final Cut, which is now regarded as the definitive version of the movie. Blade Runner was a divisive movie in its time because of the things that made it so different from other movies of the same genre. As appreciation for it has grown, Scott has been able to include the less conventional elements that he wanted.
7
Little Shop Of Horrors (1986)
Audrey II Kills The Main Characters & Takes Over The World
Little Shop of Horrors is a strange, beloved Broadway musical about a shy man who works in a plant shop and comes into possession of a strange plant which he soon discovers consumes human blood. Naming the plant after his co-worker and crush, things spiral as Seymour endeavors to keep Audrey II fed. All is well in the movie version of the musical, which ends with the plant being defeated before it can do too much damage and Seymour and Audrey happily in a relationship.
Little Shop of Horrors’ alternate ending saw Audrey accidentally being fatally harmed by the plant, and then fed to it per her dying wish. Seymour is then also killed by the plant, which grows large enough to start vying for world domination. Although test audiences opposed this ending, leading to a happier one, it is more similar to what is depicted in the musical. Little Shop of Horrors is ultimately a cautionary tale about good intentions gone wrong, demonstrating a case where test audiences missed the point.
6
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Loki Didn’t Survive, Preventing His Role In Ragnarok, Endgame, & Loki
Loki’s death in Thor: The Dark World was meant to be permanent, relying on the villain redemption through death trope. A large part of the reason that it was changed was that test audiences simply didn’t believe it, given Loki’s reputation for tricks and narrow escapes. On the other hand, Thor: The Dark World originally had a better ending, depicting Jane breaking up with Thor. This conclusion would have made both of their characters more complex and ultimately skipped ahead to the ending of the next movie.
Thor and Jane’s breakup may not have been written out because of test audiences, while Loki’s survival was. Loki deserved to have his final outing with the MCU be a better movie than Thor: The Dark World, and the results of the test screening at least allowed his storyline with his brother in Thor: Ragnarok and emotional death in Avengers: Endgame, regardless of people’s opinions about his show. However, the original ending would have been better for Jane’s character, helping her escape the passive damsel characterization.
5
Back To The Future (1985)
Test Audiences Wanted To Know That Doc’s Dog Einstein Was Okay
Back to the Future was an ambitious movie in its time, essentially functioning as the comedic counterpart to The Terminator, the other big time-travel adventure movie of the 1980s. Back to the Future‘s tumultuous production included casting changes and stressful test screenings before it became the classic comedy adventure people still love today. One extra scene clarifying a minor plot point was added because of the test audience’s reactions to the dog Einstein’s fate.
Originally, when Doc puts Einstein in the time machine, he just disappears from the story. Because this left the audience worried, another scene was shot showing him arriving safely a minute into the future (via MovieWeb). This created a satisfying moment with the initial demonstration of how time travel works, as Doc and Marty can wait for Einstein to arrive in the future/present. It also keeps the movie’s tone intact by not including a presumed dead dog.
4
Goodfellas (1990)
Goodfellas Was Too Violent For Audiences The First Time Around
It’s not as if this had a negative result, as Goodfellas is considered one of the best crime movies ever made.
Goodfellas is a landmark movie in several categories: for the crime genre, Martin Scorsese’s unofficial saga of American greed, the careers of several major actors, and cinema in general. It is shocking to hear that Goodfellas’ test screenings were so bad, almost entirely because of the movie’s violence. Goodfellas hardly shies away from violence and other distressing subject matter, as this is part of the story Scorsese wanted to tell. However, these elements initially terrified and appalled audiences.
Therefore, Scorsese was forced to tone down some of the depictions of violence and drug use in Goodfellas. Specifically, the scene of Billy Batts being stabbed was changed from him being stabbed seven times on-screen to four times, the sequence of Henry’s drug abuse being abridged, and some other bloody moments being cut. It’s not as if this had a negative result, as Goodfellas is considered one of the best crime movies ever made.
3
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Sunset Boulevard’s Opening Scene Was Changed, Rather Than Its Ending
Sunset Boulevard also holds such a high status in the history of Hollywood that people would not naturally imagine a time when it was poorly received, or that the team behind it was anything less than brilliant and confident while making it. Yet the original beginning of Sunset Boulevard was clearly a mistake that was too weird for the type of movie it set out to be. The movie still opened with Joe Gillis’ death, but showed him waking up in the morgue and relating the story to the corpses (MovieWeb).
This bizarre opening was just too ludicrous when the rest of the movie showcased the final version’s film noir tone. After the test audience’s feedback, Sunset Boulevard changed its opening to an establishment of Joe’s death that was more in line with the rest of the story. This became the famous, dark take on Hollywood and its stars who fade from fame, intriguing and nuanced from the beginning to Norma’s perfect last words.
2
The Lovely Bones (2009)
Test Audiences Demanded A More Karmic Death For The Villain In The Lovely Bones
The Lovely Bones is as disturbing of a movie as the book was before it, following the perspective of a murdered 14-year-old girl who watches over her family and her killer from the afterlife. The protagonist is skillfully played by a young Saoirse Ronan, while the role of her terrifying murderer goes to Stanley Tucci. The Lovely Bones ends with the villain’s death, but originally, this death was a very swift and non-graphic fall from a cliff; test audiences changed this.
According to director Peter Jackson, test audiences weren’t satisfied with the character’s relatively painless death, prompting him to change the scene (via The Guardian). The final product includes a much more prolonged and painful death for the character, giving the audience exactly what they wanted after two hours of seeing a story from the viewpoint of a girl he murdered. With a movie as tragic as The Lovely Bones, a comeuppance like this was valued, implying a karmic universe for the audience to believe in.
1
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Shawshank Redemption’s Ambiguous Ending Was Changed To A Surprisingly Happy One
The Shawshank Redemption is by no means an easy, happy movie, showcasing a lot of injustice, regrets, and catharsis experienced by the inmates at Shawshank Prison. The filmmakers might have thought that an ambiguous final scene which doesn’t confirm a happy ending was more in line with the story. In The Shawshank Redemption‘s original ending, the same as depicted in Stephen King’s story, Red plans to break his parole and go to find Andy, but the story never confirms if he does.
Screen Crush actually says that the ending of Red and Andy’s reunion was shown at the test screening and that it was the audience’s positive reaction to it that convinced Frank Darabont to keep it. Meanwhile, a scene of Red having a panic attack before going to the tree to find what was buried there was cut (via IndieWire). These changes created a well-paced, cathartic, and hopeful ending for one of the greatest movies of all time, proving the value of test screenings, no matter how much filmmakers hate them.
Source: MovieWeb, The Guardian, Screen Crush, IndieWire
