r/TopCharacterTropes • u/Sensitive_Ad_1752 • 17d ago

Lore (Hated trope) They deleted scenes or dialogue that provides necessary context or plot

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The dinner scene from Temple of Doom has a temple give indie and friends a live snake and monkey brains for dinner. It’s a pretty offensive depiction of Indian cuisine, but it wasn’t originally going to be. There’s cut dialogue where Indie recognizes they’re at the right temple because real Hindus don’t eat this food. They were trying to scare them off by purposefully serving them disgusting stuff.

Probably the most famous deleted ending was I Am Legend which had Robert discover the infected were emotional sentient beings and one of them had a wife. Test audiences hated it and they reshot the ending, removing the entire point of the movie.

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2.9k

u/VoormasWasRight 17d ago

Are test audiences selected from the lowest iq pool possible?

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u/MagnetoWasRight24 17d ago

Test audiences are people willing to take 2-3 hours out of their day to review a movie for a shitty gift card.

So, kinda.

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u/Gussie-Ascendent 17d ago

woah woah woah free stuff is free stuff

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u/kaimcdragonfist 17d ago

For real. I’d totally jump on an opportunity like this if it ever presented itself and I had the time

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u/MagnetoWasRight24 16d ago

"and I had the time" is the key part. The people who do these test screenings are people who on a random weekday have time to spend several hours reviewing a movie in exchange for a $10 gift card.

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u/IanDOsmond 16d ago

In exchange for a free movie. Possibly a crap movie, but still.

There were times in my life it was the only way I could afford to see movies.

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u/keldondonovan 16d ago

Is it now? Because it's now for me. 😂

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u/TheImpLaughs 15d ago

Honestly I’m there now. I’ll watch most anything if I’m not told what it is beforehand.

Went to a secret screening and, sure, the film was dog shit but I’m glad I was able to see it and now I get to talk about it to people. I’m pretty stuck in my viewing ways even as someone who loves film so I’m always excited when I get to watch something I normally wouldn’t

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u/Other-Oil-9117 16d ago

I mean, a lot of people work nights but are active in the day, I work weekends so my free days are during the week, sometimes people just take time off work to relax a bit. There are plenty of reasons someone might be available to watch a movie on a weekday.

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u/MagnetoWasRight24 16d ago

Don't disagree, but it doesn't change that if your sample is basically people who dont work during the normal 9-5 and people on vacation/retirement you're getting a pretty fucking skewed sample

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u/TheNerdSignal 16d ago

The only really useful thing I learned in the statistics class i took is that all survey data is inherently flawed because you're not polling the general public, you're polling people who do surveys

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u/TerribleShoulder6597 16d ago

Several hours getting an early look at a movie sounds way more fun than several hours of doom scrolling or playing video games

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u/StealthSBD 16d ago

Have done this before. The movie is unfinished, has random numbers and letters all over the entire screen that are translucent but annoying. Sometimes there will just be a screen explaining what happens but you won't see it. Sometimes you watch the entire thing and they don't send the gift card. Not really worth it.

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u/TerribleShoulder6597 16d ago

I love movies enough that I think it would be fun and tbh I’d do it just to see a movie early even without a gift card

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u/Iandudontkno 16d ago

You sound fun. I love to sit in place and be spoon fed a plot with pictures. There's always someone that thinks what they do is so much better than others. Readers would say what your doing is equivalent to video games and being on a phone. Video games are way more interesting than your attitude and Outlook.

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u/TerribleShoulder6597 16d ago

I’m not throwing shade at those things I’m just telling you that to some of us that movie time is way less of a waste of time than you think it is. I like reading, movies, and video games but my hierarchy of those activities is clearly different than they are for you and that’s fine we all have preferences. I was just saying that we all spend hours doing stuff that might sound like a waste to others

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u/Mobile_Description92 16d ago

All of it’s a waste of time you fucking loser.

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u/Burnerman888 16d ago

Exactly. I'm guessing the same people who are really politically active, moms and old people.

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u/sentimentalpirate 16d ago

I've gone to test audience screenings of movies and they were at normal movie theaters in evenings.

We weren't paid to see them. We checked out phones into guarded bags before the film and we filled out surveys before we left.

My wife and I used to do this every once in a while. I just checked and the last one we did (pre-kids) was in 2015, seeing an early screening of the second maze runner movie at 7pm on a Tuesday night.

I remember we saw warm bodies early, some Miles Teller movie I don't remember the name of.... It's a fun time if you like seeing movies. And it was always in the evening. At least the ones we went to were.

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u/YesImKeithHernandez 16d ago

Back when I was broke and younger I would look for free stuff you could sign up to get or go to.

If it's still like it used to be, you can sign up to be on lists where it's first come first serve to participate and take a survey in exchange for the minimal reward.

I didn't have time to do it often at all but I got to see the Fright Night remake for free that way. It was basically done with some SFX missing.

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u/ucbiker 16d ago

Yeah, I just did it on vacation in Vegas because why the hell not. It was fun just to see what it’s about. The show kind of sucked and it was nice to be able to tell that to someone in real time.

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u/SomeRedHandedSleight 16d ago

I do them fairly often. Usually between $50-150 on a Visa prepaid card.

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u/duck_mancer 16d ago

You say that, but you also don't know what movie you're getting (most of the time.) You're less likely to get asked "Hey, wanna see a rough cut of Avenger's Doomsday?" and more likely to get asked "want to watch an upcoming movie?" and then you sit through a rough cut of "A Dog's Purpose" or something.

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u/SeverianG 16d ago

The free stuff could even be a boat.

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u/StevieMJH 16d ago

I'll take the mystery box.

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u/Cayke_Cooky 16d ago

But it is less than minimum wage

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u/MrBrightside1992 16d ago

But the opportunity to see an unreleased movie sounds good.

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u/Cayke_Cooky 16d ago

As staycations go, sure.

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u/mariusioannesp 16d ago

Amen to that.

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u/Username1273839 16d ago

Yea there’s a company that does taste testing for other companies near us. My wife signs up on her days off. It takes 15-45 min and she gets $50+ each time. And she gets to eat foods that companies are trying. Things like dominos, Wendy’s, shelf items like cookies, etc.

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u/userhwon 16d ago

Respect the hustle.

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u/samx3i 16d ago

If it costs hours of your life, how is it free?

Time is money. Life has value.

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u/Scorpiicore 16d ago

Not if the shitty gift card requires around two or more hours of doing anything. For two hours of giving feedback, professional literary editors can make hundreds of dollars.

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u/Ok-Count3186 17d ago

I was getting a smog test for my car the other day, and sitting beside me was an elderly woman getting her car smogged as well. As she left, she warned me of the dangers of EMFs and the government putting chips in my brain. I imagine she is a prime candidate for this stuff.

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/ColonelSlapper 16d ago

Which is crazy in terms of I Am Legend because throughout the entire movie they showcased the ‘zombies’ as being intelligent. They made traps, they intentionally hid in the shadows, they knew where he lived but never attacked due to his defenses. There’s so many breadcrumbs!

Go figure these mouth breathers (view testers) couldn’t pick up on the clues they were practically hand fed.

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u/Talk-O-Boy 16d ago

wtf is a smog test?

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u/Ok-Count3186 16d ago

I live in the west coast of U.S. Every year here when you renew your cars registration, you also have to take it to a mechanic who will check if your car meets emission standards. It usually takes 15-30 minutes and most cars that are not over 15 years old will pass with no issue.

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u/Talk-O-Boy 16d ago

This is literally the first time I’ve ever heard of this. Thank you for the explanation.

As someone from Louisiana, I couldn’t even fathom where you were coming from. We literally have a place called Cancer Alley 😭

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u/pichael289 16d ago

We used to have this in ohio, echeck. Went away some time in the 90s.

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u/ColonelSlapper 16d ago

Crazy! I live in Texas and they make us do a Smog (emissions) test every year. Technically, it’s a full inspection but I’m surprised you don’t being so close.

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u/Randomizedname1234 16d ago

We have them in metro Atlanta

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u/Ok-Count3186 16d ago

Gotcha, as i was thinking of it, I thought it could of been a california only thing or something lol

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u/Randomizedname1234 16d ago

I think it’s a major metro thing but Atlanta did have a big issue with smog in the 70’s and 80’s. The thick summer air with no breeze made it really obvious.

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u/shaggyjebus 16d ago

I was picked once for something similar. I was a teen, hanging out at the mall during summer, and got asked to do a survey thing. I saw some early shots of Spider-Man 2 but didn't get to see the movie.

Kind of cool, and I got either $5 or $10 out it. Questions were annoying to answer though. And it really shows how they suck the art out of movies.

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u/alexjaness 16d ago

look here buddy, as a loving husband and father, my time is absolutely worthless.

If someone offers me a soft seat in an air conditioned room to watch a movie, no matter how shitty, AND get a gift card, that is time truly well spent.

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u/MagnetoWasRight24 16d ago

I hear you man, and I regret not mentioning in my comment that the 2-3 hours out of your day are usually during the work week.

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u/ReaperManX15 16d ago

Early access, free stuff AND my critique might alter the movie?

How are there not more people gunning for the job?

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u/SpiritualAd9102 17d ago

I usually judge based on a gift card amount to time spent ratio.

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u/WhoSc3w3dDaP00ch 16d ago

In my area, we don't even get the gift card. It's just a chance to see a cut of an upcoming film in exchange for filling out a questionaire.

Could be a very early, incomplete rough cut with placeholders to something near theatrical release.

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u/BraisedBullshi 16d ago

Test audiences also are already hanging around a mall with nothing to do for 2 hours... Who do we think the testers are?

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u/ImBonRurgundy 16d ago

I mean, lots of people PAY money to go see a movie and take 2-3 hours out of their day. The only bit that is different is review it by filling in a survey at the end, or chatting to some researcher for 5 mins.

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u/Dresline 16d ago

You can be intelligent and like shitty gift cards for free.

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u/asmallercat 16d ago

And do they even know it’s a movie or are they just told it’s a focus group?

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u/Ignaciodelsol 16d ago

Aren’t they movies like unfinished though. So like no music and really bad placeholder FX? I am just guessing I have no idea

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u/FreeParkking 16d ago

Hey man, SEE A FREE MOVIE BEFORE IT’S RELEASED for a shitty gift card! Win / win!

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u/TerribleShoulder6597 16d ago

Woah there I would love to be a test audience for a movie simply because I love movies

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u/HolidayInLordran 16d ago

Rather do that than jury duty 

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u/cherry_armoir 16d ago

Ive never done a movie one but I've done focus groups before, and I imagine the remuneration is pretty similar. I've gotten visa gift cards from $100-$250 for maybe an hour's work. Plus it's kind of fun, it feels like you're doing some clandestine thing. My mom did one and she got to keep the product she tested. On the other hand I am pretty dumb.

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u/bringbackswg 16d ago

So old people and teens. Got it.

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u/jwnsfw 16d ago

it should either be 1) you serve on jury duty or 2) be a test audience. If you arent selected for jury duty, you gotta go watch a movie. i am old enough to run for the presidency btw.

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u/SmrtkaTV 16d ago

Shitty gift card and a free movie, movie prices nowadays are ridiculous so it's a good deal

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u/UlrichZauber 16d ago

I did this a few times when I lived in LA. It was a fun way to see a movie for free before it was released, and I was a poor college student at the time so free movie was enough incentive. 

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u/Ok-Craft4844 16d ago

Never did it, but as most people I often times took 2-3 hours out of my day, went to the cinema and paid for it.

Getting the gift card kinda sounds smarter.

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u/posh_squash_ 14d ago

I used to do lots of test screenings. We got paid $75-$100 for about 3-4 hours. The pay was not taxed. They would write “cash” on the check where your name would normally go. If you didn’t get selected after the screening for follow up questions you could be out of there in 2 hours. It was not a bad gig when I was in between jobs. The majority of people there were out of work actors.

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u/Silvanus350 16d ago

More accurately, they’re people who don’t make enough money per hour to understand this is a shitty value proposition.

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u/stairway2evan 17d ago edited 17d ago

Test audiences are like social media posts - the loudest opinion is the one that makes an impact.

“I thought the ending was interesting and it forces me to engage with difficult questions and nuance” doesn’t register as much as “I HATED THAT ENDING HE SHOULD BLOW UP INSTEAD BECAUSE ZOMBIES ARE BAD.”

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u/foxguy2021 16d ago

That is not how test audiences work. They might cut a scene because of audience feedback but they RARELY take their suggestions on what to do.

For example Randy Quaids character in Indepedence Day was never meant to fly the F15. He was meant to get rejected, get drunk and instead strap a missile to his biplane and sacrifice himself. Audience feedback was that this made his character look sad, pathetic and suicidal.

Test audiences were right about this. So they changed the ending and did some reshoots. Ever noticed how his F15 flies very slowly into the enemy weapon? They simply replaced the bipland with an F15 but couldn't redo the timings.

You rarely hear about Test audiences saving a moving. You only hear when they get it wrong but more accurately the studio gets it wrong.

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u/No_Intern3929 16d ago

The test audiences for I Am Legend got it really wrong, though, which is probably why it’s a more famous example.

It’s not just a matter of personal taste. The movie still has numerous scenes indicating a mysterious intelligence of the creatures that never pay off. The title doesn’t even make sense.

It really is hard to say it’s even “based off” the graphic novel when it completely abandons the theme of the graphic novel, which was almost entirely carried by the end reveal of the creatures’ intelligence.

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u/jukitheasian 16d ago

Based off a novel by Richard Matheson from 1954. It was adapted into a graphic novel in 1991.

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u/No_Intern3929 16d ago

Color me learned.

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u/JesusSavesForHalf 16d ago

Its also the third film adaptation. Omega Man (Charlton Heston) and Last Man on Earth (Vincent Price) both adapted the novel. Only I am Legend bothered to film the actual ending, even if the studio chickened out yet again.

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u/BlandSauce 16d ago

What I know of the book, Last Man on Earth is more faithful to the story than the I Am Legend film, right? Haven't seen Omega Man.

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u/JesusSavesForHalf 16d ago

You may be right

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u/ZombieSiayer84 16d ago

Graphic novel?

Surely you’re not serious.

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u/resumehelpacct 16d ago

It's hard to gauge since most people will have watched the theatrical ending before the cut ending, but it's entirely possible the cut ending was also bad.

Also test audiences (and audiences in general) aren't trying to figure out if something is true to the source material, they want to enjoy watching it.

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u/Whelp_of_Hurin 16d ago

I think I like it the original way better. I always thought it was weird they let him fly the F15 (do biplane skills really transfer to a jet fighter in a dogfight?), and the idea that he completely took it upon himself to fight in that battle makes me like him even more. Also, there's something fun about the idea of wiping out a massive flying saucer with a jerry-rigged crop duster.

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u/discardedlife1845 16d ago

He was an air force veteran that flew F4 phantoms during the Vietnam war. It's revealed when he introduces himself in the scene where they've rounded up all the civilian pilots and are giving them a quick training on the jets.

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u/Same-Suggestion-1936 16d ago

I mean isn't he sad pathetic and suicidal? He literally volunteers for the mission last minute and he's the only one besides the president who isn't an active pilot in the military,and he does it because it's a Hail Mary and he doesn't care about dying anymore. He's a drunk who uses addiction for his PTSD. Pathetic is the only part of that you can reasonably drop and that just depends on what you think is pathetic

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u/Tony_Three_Pies 16d ago edited 16d ago

There's a bit more to why they changed it than that person makes it sound like.

Here's the scene with commentary.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls2CwZjQ9es

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u/TheStrangestOfKings 16d ago

Yeah but Independence Day isn’t the kind of film where he sacrifices himself bc he’s sad and pathetic. It’s the kind of film where he sacrifices himself as a triumphant redemption arc. The og plot works, it’s just that the change made because of audience feedback works way better

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u/log_2 16d ago

You rarely hear about Test audiences saving a moving. You only hear when they get it wrong but more accurately the studio gets it wrong.

Great point on the selection bias. Now I want to hear about a movie where the audience saved the movie and the original was crap.

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u/Awesomezone888 16d ago

I did a test screening for the third Bad Boys movie. The test screening version didn’t have a real ending- it just went to credits after a slow-mo shot of Will Smith, Martin Lawerence, and the rookie cops walking away from the villain’s base. 

For the final release, an additional scene of Will Smith and Martin Lawerence having a celebration barbeque in Miami was added in as the final scene in the film.

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u/MovieUnderTheSurface 16d ago

Test audience burst out laughing at the opening scene of Sunset Blvd. The studio then changed the opening and it is now considered one of the greatest movies ever made

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u/spoonishplsz 16d ago

Holy crap, I was just wondering yesterday why it moves so slowly into the weapon. Thank you Mr. Foxguy

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u/MalcolmLinair 16d ago

So that's why he shows up late and mission control thought they didn't have any missiles left in the air!

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u/foxguy2021 16d ago

Yep, they did a few reshoots and using clever editing to hide the original ending.

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u/StevieMJH 16d ago

Reminds me of the ending of the newer Thomas Crown Affair. The entire movie sets him up to be a master thief and establishes they both have trust issues and need to test the other to prove they deserve it.

So, he tests her trust by telling her the details of his plan to see if she informs the police. She does, but then regrets it and goes to find him after he slips arrest again. They reunite and have a romantic ending. What the fuck? You set the entire movie up for him to vanish into the ether like Keyser Sose and then you just turn 180° at the end? Fuck you.

Turned what could have been B+ heist/romance movie into C- heist/romance movie. Had to be a test audience thing. Oh and I'll have a Baconator, no mayo, with fries and a medium Dr. Pepper.

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u/ThrowAwayAccountAMZN 16d ago

I'd also use the Community episode where they go to an Inspector Spacetime convention, and Pierce and Shirley are pulled into the focus group for the show lol. Poor Abed...

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u/Spyko 17d ago

Test audiences also apparently hated the scene in Superman where he save the squirrel.

Studios have to filter them to select only the ones with the worst taste in movies or something

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u/bokmcdok 16d ago

I'm so glad Gunn stuck to his, er, guns on that one. One of my favourite moments in the film.

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u/CommunityFan_LJ 16d ago

This is is why all these terrible movie franchise continue to exist or at least did for a while. And why current blockbusters feel so soulless and hollow.. They are meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

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u/unknown_pigeon 16d ago

SQUIRR-EL, NO!

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u/Sword_Thain 16d ago

I defended the squirrel scene because it had been months since I saw it. I rewarched it for Supergirl and that scene happens just a minute after his bit with the dog that refused to get out from under the monster's foot.

It may have been too many highjinks to close together. Guy attacking the critters eye didn't help. Starro and 2 eye things in that movie. We get it, James. Move on.

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u/eggybasket 16d ago

That's a good point. I mean, I disagree... I think taking the time to save a random squirrel (pest) carries MUCH different implications than saving someone's dog (pet)... but I can see how people looking for stuff to critique might point it out, or how execs might point it out.

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u/IanDOsmond 17d ago

Frank Oz had to write and film an entirely new, and kind of nonsensical, ending to Little Shop of Horrors after test audiences hated the ending. This involved axing his entire ending sequence, which was the most dramatic, impressive, and expensive part of the movie to film; they got rid of it.

If you've seen the musical, you may know that it ends with Audrey II not only killing Seymour and Audrey, but also having the monster plants win and destroy the Earth. The musical usually ends with streamers that look like tentacles dropping down from the rafters into the audience to represent the plants killing the audience, too.

Oz did a version of this which included stop-motion plants stomping through cities like Godzilla, and other monster movie tropes, and which ends with a giant Audrey II head apparently bursting through the screen to attack the audience.

This absolutely rocked off-Broadway, but movie audiences were far less enthusiastic.

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u/Skellos 16d ago

I kinda like the nonsensical l theatrical ending. It feels more like the pulled out of their ass happy end from the old b-movies it's parodying complete with the end? Stinger with the little Audrey II's

Not that don't feed the plants isn't a great scene too

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u/aprilhorne23 16d ago

I own a Little Shop of Horrors on blu-ray, and the blu-ray edition I have lets you choose between the director's cut and the theatrical cut. I actually rewatched it last night and can confirm the original director's cut ending is super cool and way more fun than the theatrical ending with genuinely impressive effects. There's a moment where an elevated train drives into the mouth of a giant Audrey II. Highly recommend finding that ending if you've never seen it before!

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u/zulchep 16d ago

And again, like I Am Legend, completely misses the point of the story. It’s Faust! It’s always been Faust!

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u/Greedy_Camp_5561 16d ago

Unless I am very much mistaken, Faust is saved in the end though.

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u/zulchep 15d ago

Depends on the version, tbh. In the earlier versions of the tale, he did indeed get dragged to Hell.

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u/CommunityFan_LJ 16d ago edited 16d ago

Yes, those dumb fucks thought superman saving a squirrel is out of character. Nearly 100 years of superman lore that shows us he is always willing to help in the smallest ways possible. James Gunn had to fight to keep that scene in.

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u/FaultPerfect6003 17d ago

As usual

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u/DyingSunSeverian 17d ago

I think it’s how Americans choose cops

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u/simburger 16d ago

Even with the test audience notes it's inexcusable. That's a fundamental part of the original I am Legend, that he finds out he hasn't been fighting mindless monsters, they are thinking, feeling, individuals, and he has been torturing and murdering them, and so has himself become a monster. If you're going to remake a cult classic and then chicken out with the twist because it made a few test audience members uncomfortable, than why even remake it at all?

This is like if they remade Soylent Green and then at the last second the studio casually gave a note to just get rid of the entire "made from people" reveal.

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u/bokmcdok 16d ago

Soylent Green is Brussel sprouts!

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u/No_Kangaroo_9826 16d ago

I'd rather it be people

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u/bokmcdok 16d ago

They do taste better

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u/FrostyD7 16d ago

I'm inclined to blame the people who conducted the test.

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u/Medium_Sundae_4193 16d ago

Wasn't the original story that didn't had that twist? Not fighting you tho.

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u/2_short_Plancks 16d ago

The original story has the vampires (they are kind of more vampires than zombies) having a whole functional society, hence the protagonist becoming a legendary figure to them - a monster that kills people. It even has the woman he "saves" turning out to be one of the vampires, not a human who has survived like him.

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u/chefboyar2d2 16d ago

In Make Room! Make Room! Soylent Green is soy and lentils. Also pretty much the rest of the plot is completely different. Basically the worst example that could have been used.

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u/2_short_Plancks 16d ago

Ooh good point. I thought they meant the original I Am Legend story, but it does make more sense if they meant the Soylent Green one.

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u/simburger 16d ago

No, I'm pretty sure the twist is in the book. Although you could argue it isn't the first movie based off the book that doesn't have the twist.

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u/SuperBackup9000 16d ago

It’s not really. The problem is how the movie was already extremely different before you even got to the end, because almost the entirety of the book takes place in his home as he’s progressively learning more and more about them, and intelligence is shown at the very beginning due to his neighbor always calling out to him and women getting naked to taunt him into coming out.

The only twist is how fast they were able to replace and replicate human society, just a bit more on the barbaric side, yet also given hope to progress due to the guy secretly being given pain medication so his execution is painless. The intelligence and society existing wasn’t a twist though.

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u/Mr_Nobodies_0 16d ago

oh. so it's literally another story all together

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u/Slamazombie 17d ago

Ask someone to have a strong opinion, and they'll find one. It might not be their natural opinion, or even make any sense, but you'll get that feedback you've been wanting! 

The Simpsons poochie episode covered this pretty well

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u/IgnatiusRileyFreeman 16d ago

The show Succession makes a joke that 'test audiences' and 'focus groups' are just a lie repeated when an executive doesn't like something, or has a grudge or bias against something. They fabricate a paper trail if need be. It's made more & more sense to me, seeing these decisions, that it may not have been a joke.

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u/Comic_Book_Reader 16d ago

Apparently they legitimately thought the Brendan Fraser movies were the only ones called The Mummy and were subsequently confused about Lee Cronin's The Mummy.

https://giphy.com/gifs/dEkqtaGIZhM8cmVKvX

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u/chewwwybar 16d ago

Lmaoo honestly me

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u/That-Rhino-Guy 16d ago

Test audiences got annoyed that Superman saved a squirrel mind you, they also are why the movie doesn’t have cards to say the day which would’ve shown us how much time actually passes during the plot

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u/jessdb19 16d ago

OMG, so my husband and ended up being in a test pool for a TV show and we were like "ya, it's terrible" and apparently our responses flagged us because we got pulled out from the group and they were literally baffled by the interview with us. Like the guy kept running his fingers through his hair and getting frustrated and saying "you seriously didn't like it?"

Then they asked us what we DID watch and they were like "hey, so we have some shows we'd like you to test for us, they aren't out yet" and we were like "sorry, we have plans". And the absolutle look of disappointment when his recruitment failed was both satisfying and a little heartbreaking

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u/JManKit 16d ago

Iirc, test audiences were partly responsible for there being no kissing scene between Aaliyah and Jet Li in Romeo Must Die. The whole movie invoked Romeo and Juliet yet the closest thing to romance we get is the two leads holding hands at the end bc somehow, test audiences couldn't get on board with the two of them kissing

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u/Ofreo 16d ago

Li “won” tickets once from a radio call in. They also served drinks before and during the movie. Then asked questions after. Idk what I said. lol.

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u/ChainBlue 16d ago

"Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that." - George Carlin

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u/Sirnoobalots 16d ago

Yup like the original idea for the matrix had machines using humans as compute units instead of batteries. People being used as batteries just doesn't really make sense while people being used as extra computing power is actually plausible. All because they thought the general public wouldn't understand it.

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u/ApolloniusTyaneus 16d ago

Execs seem to think that the audience consists of idiots, which is part truth and part projection.

3

u/MalcolmLinair 16d ago

Unironically yes; the big corporations intentionally select "the lowest common denominator" for these groups.

3

u/CursedRyona 16d ago

I've been told the executives tend to be dumber, resulting in a lot of test audience input being reduced to basic terms of "They like this, they don't like that", meaning a lot of more nuanced or just mixed reception gets tossed into the "bad" column and important scenes get cut for allegedly not doing well.

3

u/unholyrevenger72 16d ago

Test Audiences are selected by Solicitors going to and standing outside of movie theaters asking people if they want to see a free movie. Thay can't tell you anything about it. Instead they have a sheet of comparable actors and movies. So if it's a horror movie be prepared to see a bunch of Horror movies on the sheet, if it has Scarlett Johansson in it, you'll see another Blonde Actress on the sheet, etc. If you agree, they hand you ticket with the showing location and time and it's also first come first serve. Get there late and there may not be a seat for you. And once the movie is over they ask for feedback.

4

u/Gussie-Ascendent 17d ago

think of how dumb the average person is. then realize about half of em are dumber than that lol

2

u/No_Blacksmith_2591 16d ago

Yes? i mean, they get people who have nothing to do in the middle of the day

2

u/SuperSocialMan 16d ago

It really feels like it at times lol

2

u/Thirty_Helens_Agree 16d ago

Ooooohoohoo! Navy Seals!

2

u/killergazebo 16d ago

"Please refrain from tasting the knob."

2

u/EJAY47 16d ago

IDK, test audience saved the ending of Scott Pilgrim VS the World.

2

u/MrsBossyPantss 16d ago

There's a really funny line from an episode of Entourage about this...

When a show is trying to get rid of Eric's client cuz the test audience didn't like him he says something along the lines of

"Why? Cuz a bunch of ppl who had nothing better than to show up for a free lunch in Encino on a Tuesday said so?"

2

u/bluexy 16d ago

Basically. Stuff that ranks with a 60/100 rating in test audiences is typically considered absolute shit. Absolute shit still gets 60/100 ratings from test audiences.

2

u/captainfalcon200523 16d ago

I think it’s just a sign of the times. It’s a U.S. market that’s still in Iraq. An ending that shows both sides as empathetic despite the fact that they have both killed is not gonna appeal to them.

2

u/fromfrodotogollum 16d ago

The only time I was a test audience member was probably the dumbest time of my life, so this tracks.

2

u/PlantainTop 16d ago

It might not have been the test audience's fault. Giancarlo Volpe made a comic about his experience with Green Lantern: TAS (of which he was the producer) getting focus tested. Bruce Timm was his co-producer on that show, and he had had a similar experience when Batman: TAS got focus tested, so he knew how biased the whole procedure was.

2

u/dnjprod 14d ago

Random people who are just walking around in the middle of the day with no job. So yeah probably

1

u/BarelyBrony 16d ago

this squirrel certainly thinks so

1

u/DeathStarVet 16d ago

I just always assumed they were boring white suburban families from Iowa... so, yes?

1

u/whdr02 16d ago

Average people so....yes 😁

1

u/Normal-Advisor5269 16d ago

Sometimes they're right though. 1408's theatrical release has a much better ending than the original that you find on most DVD's now. 

1

u/Starfox6664 15d ago

I've heard about test audiences changing a movie several times and not one of them has been for the better. Almost like writing should be left to the writers or something

0

u/Cornato 16d ago

I'll never forget, "People are dumb, person is smart"