12 Directors Who Blamed Studios For Failed Movies

A double entry for Ridley Scott, who clearly doesn't have the same clout as other acclaimed directors around the world. The story related to studio interference in Bladerunner has become legendary, with the studio enforcing the need for narration to explain the events of the film and a contrived happy ending. The changes were made due to poor test screenings, but couldn't save the film from being a box office bomb. Scott finally got his way with a Director's Cut and Final Cut, eventually finishing with the final product he desired.

This was nothing however compared to Scott's experience directing 2005's Kingdom of Heaven, which managed to somehow have more studio interference than Bladerunner. Worried about the over three hour run time and mixed reviews from test audiences, Fox studios forced Scott to make significant changes, including the removal of 45 minutes of footage. The film received mixed reviews and was a box office flop, failing to break even after advertising expenses.

Ridley Scott eventually managed a Director's Cut for this film, which like his BladeRunner cut, received critical acclaim. While it's hard to determine if the Scott version would have been any more successful at the box office, the much improved reviews suggest so. When asked of his opinion regards preview screenings, Scott was rather diplomatic in stating that "a good director should be experienced enough to judge what he thinks is the correct version to go out into the cinema." When it comes to this revered Director, we wholeheartedly agree.