Anubhav Sinha’s Mulk (2018) was one of the best-reviewed films of that year. It also performed creditably at the box office, grossing ₹26 Cr in India, a fairly high number for a film that lacked star power and opened low, with a first-day box office of less than ₹2 Cr. Audiences loved the courtroom sequence, which is on screen for a total of 46 minutes in 128-minute film, including a long 31 minute scene that forms the film's climax. Seasoned actor Kumud Mishra, who plays the judge in this sequence, received rave reviews for his performance. But that’s what one saw in the final product.

However, when the film was tested with audiences using our testing tool for theatrical content (Ormax Moviescope) a few months before its release, there was no Kumud Mishra in it. Another actor played the judge. His performance, especially his talking style, did not match the mood of the film. The test audience found him (unintentionally) funny. His performance distracted them from the drama and the emotional appeal of the otherwise-intense courtroom sequence. Director Sinha took this feedback on board, and deftly re-shot the judge’s portions with Mishra, integrating him into the multi-camera scene, which elevated the final product significantly.

The result? An estimated jump of upto ₹5 Cr at the box office, vis-à-vis the test results!

Across over 1,000 content testing projects, creators (directors, showrunners, executive producers) are wary of going public with the impact of the test research on their property. Sinha, however, has spoken on record about his bold move to re-cast a key character based on audience research (video below), in a director's roundtable on CNN News18 in December 2018.

This case study is an example of how a content testing research report, when put in the hands of a creator who's willing to embrace audience feedback, can work wonders for a film or a series.

If you want to know more about content testing, you can get in touch with us here.