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I Am Legend scrapped its original ending because test audiences 'felt cheated' by the big twist
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this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2026
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Fair enough, haven't watched I Am Legend, so can't comment on that specifically. There's quite a few examples of movie endings being changed from the script after test audiences have watched though. The contract of Brad Pitt in Seven stated that they couldn't change the ending, but sure enough, they wanted to do it.
There are many examples where the test audiences and the much maligned studio interference greatly enhanced a movie.
One of the most famous in scenes in Jaws is when Ben Garner’s gnawed on head came threw the bottom of the boat. It was put in place because of test audiences.