Comment Re:Studios demanding happy endings (Score 1) 16
The question is if the studios demand it or if the test audiences demanded it.
Movies have test screenings all the time, and the original director's vision and script might get completely tossed because the test audiences hated it, requiring a last minute rewrite and re-shoot that changes the ending.
Studios demanding happy endings means studios have a chance to fix it at the writing stage before the movie is shot (this is MUCH cheaper). Test audiences only see the mostly-finished movie, so if it movie test screens bad, then you have to do a last minute change. Usually directors get a chance to fix the movie but sometimes they also have a right to refuse to do so. Of course, if a movie does bad because the director refused to make changes after a test screening, that director's chances of another movie go down significantly.