20 Things You Never Knew About Star Trek: Insurrection
1. The Test Audience Loved The Humour And Killed The Ending
Michael Piller recalled being extremely nervous as the test screening began. The audience had been pulled together from various street corners and pavements in Los Angeles, and represented a mix of both Star Trek fans, and those who weren't familiar with the franchise. Piller sat there knowing that it would not score as well as First Contact had, but hoped for the best.
He relaxed as the film went on, as the audience seemed to be enjoying the humour of the piece. When the screening was over, Piller felt that it went well. The executives did not.
They felt that the film's pacing was completely off. They also felt that there was no sufficient climax to the film. This was a belief shared by the test audience, though they did like Picard's romance. Ru'afo's final fate, though still in its early stages of post-production, was immediately scrapped - as several members in the audience weren't even sure that he had died or not.
With barely any time to spare, several million dollars were dropped on reworking the ending. The film's budget came in at roughly $70million, and it went on to gross $117million. This was lower than both Generations and First Contact, though still high enough to greenlight Star Trek: Nemesis.