What ends up in theaters is often not what was originally written and produced, but something that had been created at the final stages due to some unforeseen circumstances. In many cases, the issues are minimal, maybe an actor or actress became ill and had to miss a few scenes in which their presence was needed, or maybe the budget ran out a bit early and a few improvised measures had to be made. On occasion, though, the reason a film had to change was because of how people would react to it, especially in a negative way.
Sometimes the changes to a film are made at the last minute, during post-production. Other times the movie trailer itself has to be changed before the rest of the film is created. There are even times when a film will be created in response to some national event, which might not have existed had the event not taken place. In either of these cases, it is through society’s reactions that some movies exist and some don’t make it past a script.
In some cases, it’s a matter of opinion that leads to a film’s change. One example is “I Am Legend” starring Will Smith, which had its ending changed because test audiences didn’t like the original scene. Before the change, the vampires were revealed to be intelligent beings that broke into Neville’s house to rescue one of their own whom he had kidnapped. In the book, this was not only the way the story ended but also a major part of the story’s plot, in which the “hero” is found to actually be the villain, and the vampires, exhibiting tactical and leading characteristics are revealed to not be what the reader thought they were. However, due to a room full of opinions, this was changed to the final product where the vampires are beast-like and mindless up until they get blown up. In an article on Cracked.com which identifies films that had been ruined by last minute changes, writer Rick K says, “Perhaps the saddest thing about all this is that it shows that no one involved really believed in the message of the final product. They didn't produce a film in order to convey any kind message, they just strung together a bunch of cool scenes and called it a movie”.
Another byproduct of national disasters that influence the film industry is that of changing taste in movies. After the 9/11 incidents, there were movies that gained a lot of attendance because the people wanted something that comforted them, or in some way took their mind off the events. Early on these films were unrelated to the event, as the “wounds” were still fresh, but as the years passed, movies that were in some way connected to 9/11 generated a lot of interest, especially around the month of September. The anniversary of 9/11 is also when movies that are relevant to the event are released, which might appeal to those who still feel the pain and find relief in a story about President Bush in the film “W”, or a story about the passengers on board one of those planes like that in “United 93”.
Other films that become popular shortly after some tragic event are so well received because they provide an escape from reality and tell a story that give people a positive feeling. Stories like “Pirates of the Caribbean” tell about an underdog who fights against an evil enemy by banding together with a few allies and undertaking dangerous quests. It’s the kind of story that does what people need, it takes them out of their world, away from their problems, and puts them in a world in which they can watch and be entertained by these events without any negative side-effects. “Harry Potter”, “Spiderman”, and “Lord of the Rings” all have this in common. Some are placed in a modern setting, while some take place in an alternate version of the past, but all of them achieve this same result.
The film industry is heavily influenced by those that watch movies, and how they feel about the production and the producers. "A lot of movies can be influenced by the masses. Prequels and Sequels especially which are based off of the popularity of the original are heavily influenced by what the masses enjoyed or disliked about a film" says Bobby Stephens, game programming student at University of Texas. Whether intentionally or not, people who sit in theaters are already giving feedback, both positive and negative, when they purchase their ticket, and film makers use this data to determine what is popular and what is not in order to release the next project that they believe will earn the most income. It is because of this that some movies don’t survive very long, and are soon forgotten. "Movies are an art form often exploited to reap money" says Marc Seidel, lore developer for gaming company Cracked Monocle.
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