Focus Group Endings.

Chagen

They're retarded, mess up everything, and show disgusting our society has become. My mom was watching I Am Legend an hour ago, and I decided to tell her of the Alternate Ending. We watched it together, and both of us agreed that it was much better than the theatrical ending. Yet the common man, as disgustingly idiotic and simple as he is, did not think so. Fuck you, Focus Group. Fuck you.

IanExMachina

I Am Legend was the first thing that came to mind when I read this thread.

I hated that end, I hated the christian message they placed in a perfectly good story. I hate they nearly removed every sense of intelligence from the infected.

glennmagusharvey

I thought this thread was about focus groups in school and business and how they end.

IanExMachina

Again at I Am Legend.

Derp the original end is too sad even though when we change it the whole point of the fucking title is gone herp derp.

GLORIOUSLeader

Totally relevant. 

BonSequitur

I should probably point out that films are hardly, if ever, brought before focus groups. The usual practice is to put them before a test audience of at least 50 people, selected to fit the demographics the producers want to reach. This is very different from focus group testing, and it does produce some stupid decisions every once in a while, especially when producers fail to consider the limitations of the testing.

glennmagusharvey

Oh, this IS about focus groups.

My bad.

Icalasari

Probably helps if one realizes that the test audience isn't representative of everybody, meaning that sometimes it is best to out right IGNORE them

Ponicalica

«Yet the common man, as disgustingly idiotic and simple as he is, did not think so.»

lololololololololololololololol

Iaculus

Sometimes, they're cool. For instance, it was focus groups that saved Hiccup losing his leg in the ending of How To Train Your Dragon from hitting the cutting-room floor.