10 Movies Totally Ruined By Test Audiences

Edgar Wright has had his struggles with studios over the years, with the helmer opting to add extra scenes to Shaun of the Dead after initial screenings found the denouement lacking in action. However, the biggest structural change he made as a result of test audience reactions came in the form of Scott Pilgrim’s ending.

Originally, the ambitious graphic novel adaptation had intended to stay faithful to its source material, leaving the titular protagonist shacked up with Knives Chau (Ellen Wong, in a superb debut role), rather than ending up with his anticipated love interest Ramona Flowers. It’s a clever, mature subversion, signalling that Scott was never sure what he wanted and grew over the course of the film.

However, test audiences didn’t care for such a dramatic upending of expectations, and as a result the film sees Ramona and Scott end up together after all. Despite this the film flopped, and after struggling and failing to find a home in the MCU it would be another seven years before Wright returned to our screens with Baby Driver, a kinetic distillation of his signature style.