Revolution Studios and Sony Pictures, which respectively made and are releasing Gigli, are now nervously awaiting the film's reviews, fearful critics will do battle to be the meanest. If the film's history can be trusted, their fears are understandable: Plenty of movies struggle and often fail, but few do so publicly and with so much gang tackling.

HOLLYWOOD, CA—Focus groups at advance screenings for Gigli, a romantic comedy starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez set to open nationwide July 30, have demanded a new ending in which both stars die "in as brutal a manner as possible," sources at Sony Pictures said Tuesday.