BUZZ TERMINATES SCHWARZENEGGER PREVIEW.

Byline: Dave McNary Staff Writer

The buzz over Arnold Schwarzenegger's next movie, ``End of Days,'' got a bit too loud for Universal Studios.

The studio took the unusual step of canceling test screenings at the Pacific Winnetka 21 on Wednesday and Thursday evenings after advance word about the showings hit the Internet and a local television station.

Those who showed up with passes were handed a flier saying the circumstances amounted to a ``corruption'' of the test process and were offered free admission to any other movie at the theater.

``There were a lot of people who had gotten wind of the screening,'' said Gary Frost, a manager at the theater. ``There were even rumors going around that Schwarzenegger was going to show up.''

Universal spokeswoman Terry Curtin said the studio canceled the screenings after hosts on KTTV-TV's ``Good Day L.A.'' show suggested Wednesday morning that viewers attend the screenings and then phone or fax in reviews. Curtin pointed out that attendees are required to sign a confidentiality waiver prior to seeing a test screening.

``The films shown at test screenings are not ready for public presentation,'' she added. ``They're a tool that makes the product better. We think this is an unethical breach of a private process.''

Curtin said Universal has been forced to cancel screenings in the past on occasion but never for anything similar to the ``End of Days'' circumstances.

The incident highlights how increasingly difficult it has become to keep secrets in the entertainment industry amid growing news coverage and surging interest on the Internet, where dozens of Web sites are updated daily with the latest rumors and developments around Hollywood.

Drew Devlin, an executive with Montana-based Clark Film Buying, said the cancellation was not a total surprise, given the need for filmmakers to obtain unbiased reaction from test audiences.

``The screenings are supposed to be secret in order to get a valid cross-section without the fanatics who have to see the movie before anyone else,'' Devlin said. ``So I'd say that canceling a screening is unusual but not unprecedented.''

As is typical for test screenings, those recruited for the ``End of Days'' showings had not been told the title of the movie and were given little detail other than it would be an action-adventure starring Schwarzenegger. Recruiting had taken place earlier in the week at nearby retail areas such as the Northridge Fashion Center.

Universal clearly has high hopes for ``End of Days,'' since the star's most successful films - ``Total Recall,'' ``Terminator 2,'' ``True Lies'' and ``Eraser'' - have been action-adventures. It has been given the choice release date of Nov. 24, the day before Thanksgiving.

In ``End of Days,'' Schwarzenegger plays a police officer trying to prevent an end-of-the-millennium global catastrophe by stopping the devil (played by Gabriel Byrne) from finding a bride. Kevin Pollak and Robin Tunney also star and Peter Hyams directs.

Robert Bucksbaum, president of the Reel Source forecasting service, said the proliferation of Web sites means it's become virtually impossible to keep local test screenings a secret. ``You can't do it in Los Angeles without being infiltrated,'' he said.

Bucksbaum also said an earlier test screening for ``End of Days'' had gone well but he added that such data can be deceptive. `` `The Iron Giant' had test scores that were through the roof, so it doesn't mean a lot,'' he said. ``When people are seeing the film for free and then they're forced to fill out a questionnaire, they're not going to give an honest reaction.''

To obtain passes to test screenings, prospective audience members must sign a confidentiality agreement, promise they are not affiliated with the movie industry or the media, and agree to rate the movie after they've watched it. Studios and directors often rely on how a test audience reacts to reach final decisions on how to cut the film.

Fan-based Web sites such as aint-it-cool-news.com also try to get test audience reaction - and descriptions of plot lines - to draw fans and the curious to their site. Although these Web sites have been around for years, their popularity has jumped in recent months as their ability to get early buzz - and key plot twists - has improved.

In ``End of Days,'' the Mr. Showbiz Web site included a one-sentence mention of ``supposedly top-secret recruited screenings'' at the Winnetka in its Showbiz Confidential column Tuesday. Cinescape Online ran an item Wednesday, sourcing the Mr. Showbiz site, and proclaiming, ``If you can get in, let me know about it!''

The Movie View recruiting firm distributed a flier Wednesday to those turned away at the Winnetka theater that said, in part, ``Due to the corruption of a private process, Universal has been forced to shut down its screening of `End of Days.' ''

The flier also took a potshot at those who had blown the cover of secrecy off the screening.

``Filmmakers rely on research screenings to help fine-tune edit their movies,'' it said. ``This is a critical part of the process. The only new dimension to the process is the lack of respect for the film and its makers demonstrated by some opportunistic news sources, mostly anonymous.''

``It is the hope of us all that films and their makers will be treated with more respect for their privacy in the future,'' Movie View also asserted. ``We appreciate your concern and help in this important matter.''