Some movies are unforgettable. When they are, everyone wants credit. When a movie fails, no one is responsible. Success has 100 parents. Failure is an orphan. So, when a movie comes back with issues across the board, angry audiences, and disgusted critics, everyone goes scurrying. While directors and actors are usually easy to blame when their mistakes are obvious, it’s the studio that gets to hide behind the scenes, often making sweeping changes to the final product without public scrutiny. If not for the vocal response from those involved, these movies would be left to flap in the wind, picking up blame from whomever it can.
These 15 films all have suffered, and, in most cases, the fault has been assigned to the studios tasked to release them. Rather than looking for a scapegoat, it appears that these missteps can certainly be traced back to a meddling producer or executive (as was recently evidenced byM3GAN’s lack of R-rating). Everyone seems to have great ideas, but when dealing with a wide range of casts and crews, sometimes those ideas don’t flow with the overall story. These are great examples of that very point. While the movies might have been salvaged, they fell far short of where they could have been and there’s a very real reason why. These are 15 creative decisions that were forced on directors by studio execs that ultimately messed with the movie.
15Halloween 6
By the timeHalloween6limped to theaters, it was like watching a slashed babysitter run from Michael Myers. Still, those involved pressed on and tried to squeeze the last drip of blood from the machete for this franchise. Sadly, Miramax wanted in on the action. It would have been a cleaner cut if they had done it with a chainsaw.
The changes that the studio made were abrupt and in response to early screenings. While the sequel aimed to give more backstory on Myers, including why he just won’t die, that cut of the film tested poorly. To this, the studio asked for a reshoot. The problem? Star Donald Pleasance had passed away since the original cut. The only thing left to do was edit his scenes. 20 minutes of footage was taken from the film’s final release, resulting in plot holes and a major pivot from the original direction of the movie.
Related:7 Times a Director Had to Defend Their Movie
14Heaven’s Gate
Proposed as 1980’s saving grace for western films,Heaven’s Gatewas the opposite. Much like the cult of the same name, thisHeaven’s Gatebrought about Armageddon for the entire genre and nearlycaused United Artiststo go bankrupt.
This epic film was snake-bit from the start as director Michael Cimno’s vision was realized. Then, he realized that it was over five hours long. UA refused the release until it was shortened. It was…to three hours and 39 minutes. Coupled with drama on set and endless editing, the movie wasn’t even well received. In the end, it was the studio’s hands-off approach to Cinino’s final cut and their overreaching editing that caused this $44 million production to rake in just over $3 million.
13All the Pretty Horses
Another western that was put down like a sick animal,All the Pretty Horsesseemed to have it all. Matt Damon and Billy Bob Thornton were Hollywood hotshots. Surely, a film with them in it would produce excitement. However, when the original cut came in at over three hours, that’s when Harvey Weinsteinstepped in.
Weinstein had the film cut to two hours, a move that caused public criticism from Damon. Making matters worse, the act of disrespect by Weinstein caused composer Daniel Lanois to refuse to license the film’s score. It was yet another blow to a dying genre.
12The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Andrew Garfield, one of a few Spider-Men, was pretty vocal after the release of the final cut ofThe Amazing Spider-Man 2.Garfield claimed to “love” the original script. It was what happened to it that made him upset. Citing cuts to his character’s backstory and other vital parts of the film, he didn’t mince words.
In an interview withThe Guardianin 2014, Garfield explained, “I think what happened was, through the pre-production, production, and post-production, when you have something that works as a whole, and then you start removing portions of it — because there was even more of it than was in the final cut, and everything was related. Once you start removing things and saying, ‘No, that doesn’t work,’ then the thread is broken, and it’s hard to go with the flow of the story.”
11Spider-Man 3
After such a public rebuking following the second incarnation ofThe Amazing Spider-Man, the studio couldn’t possibly interfere with another, right? Well, with great power comes great responsibility. It’s easy to mess up that responsibility sometimes.
Sam Raimi had a vision forSpider-Man 3. Unfortunately, so did the producers. Avi Arad apparently approached Raimi about toy sales: in order to drum up as many potential figures as possible for shelves, he had to fit in as many characters as possible. That’s where Venom, a character that Raimi wasn’t overly familiar with, came from. In the end,Spider-Man 3ended up becoming the highest-grossing installment of the trilogy, however, pushed away many loyal fans and actors for its overloaded story.
10Once Upon a Time in America
Italian film director Sergio Leone is Hollywood royalty. With credits likeThe Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, and other gritty westerns, it seemed like he was a perfect fit to direct the crime dramaOnce Upon a Time in America,starring Robert De Niroand James Woods.
Leone’s cut of the film, after editing, was 229 minutes. Bloated by most standards, the work of Leone had always warranted a chance. Unfortunately, that was not the view of Warner Bros., who cut it down to 139 minutes for the U.S. release. This caused the film to feel rushed, messy, and missing major plot points.
The mistake by Warner Brothers was so apparent that the partially restored version was shown at Cannes in 2012. This cut was so well-received that there are currently plans to fully restore it for future showings.Once Upon a Time in Americastill has a chance to be a true classic.
9The Golden Compass
The original source material ofTheGolden Compassis dark and, admittedly, a bit scary. Still, the genre of dark children’s films isn’t completely foreign. New Line Cinema knew what they were buying, right?
It’s hard to understand how that can be true considering that the 2007 movie was completely changed from the novel. Dark points were cut in favor of a lighter mood. Between director changes, script edits, and massive cuts to the final release,The Golden Compassonly pointed one direction: down.
8Fantastic Four (2015)
One of the worst-reviewed movies of 2015, the word “fantastic” inFantastic Fourwas ironic by the time this one hit theaters. Whether it was rewriting Josh Trank’s screenplay without permission, Trank’s Twitter denouncement of his own movie, or the miserable 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the Forgotten Four was a huge swing and a miss in the superhero cash cow world. Hopefully, theupcoming MCU rebootwill reignite the fire of this franchise.
Related:These Actors Fought for Their Co-Stars' Casting in Movies
7X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Six years beforeFantastic Fourflubbed,X-Men Origins: Wolverinecrushed the spirits of sideburned fanboys around the world. For many wondering what happened, one name is all that needs to be said: David Benioff.
Held to the fire for his destruction ofGame of Thrones, Benioff is a polarizing figure among audiences. For this film, though, it’s hard to lay the blame solely at his feet. It was the producers who reduced Deadpool’s highly anticipated role in the film to a non-speaking one. Add to that, the studio’s pushback against the thought of Wolverine suffering from PTSD, and it definitely changed a movie that seemed to have potential right up until the claws came out.
6Super Mario Bros
Perhaps the greatest video game of all time,Super Mario Broson the big screen was a sure thing. The series had success on every console and even with Captain Lou Albano’s portrayal of the titular plumber on TV. So, what happened with the movie?
Hollywood Pictures couldn’t get out of their own way for this. They went through a number of writers and continuously changed the film’s tone. Even worse was that they strayed from the original video game story, which was the whole reason anyone would pay to see this movie at all. In the end, Nintendo’s clashes with the studio caused such massive issues that even Bowser and Toad were changed, and the Mushroom Kingdom was simply New York City. Needless to say, the final cut was Mario Brothers in name only.
