kai2: I don't believe I made that point at all. TBH I don't think there are so many The Avengers fans (circa 1998) -- 30 years after the series ended (over a generation later) -- that differing from the tone and / or style of the original series mattered at all to box office reciepts or general perception. No, I believe the knee-jerk extremely critical responses were the very beginnings of what we see now -- cynical critics demanding dark, serious, and ironic fare and being out-of-touch with many filmgoers. The only difference to now being that 20 years ago critics held more sway on the life or death of films and the over-all shape of public opinion.
Speaking of them wanting dark films....that reminds me of the current trend with horror remakes to go dark and edgy....ala films like Child's Play, Pet Semetary, etc.
kai2: From my time working in Hollywood, I feel pretty safe in saying that tastes of the public are fickle and cyclic... and except for the most incompetent movies, a film that is hated today might be loved a few years from now. Heck, It's a Wonderful Life was a total bomb when it was released. It essentially killed Liberty Films.
Damn, you worked there/with think tanks(iirc)/have cop family....is there anything you didn't do? :D
And as for It's a Wonderful Life....I recently watched a "How that film became a christmas film" documentary by a youtuber(a few months back)...basically they got it free or cheap and they ran it often to save on money and a holiday staple was born, as it were. It was fun to learn all that, at any rate.
kai2: I think it's completely valid to say "I don't like that" or "I like that," but I don't think it's particularly valid to say "that is bad."
TBF, it is if one says it is their opinion or somehow lets people know that it is some other way.
kai2: As to the other point of this thread...
I don't think in this day-and-age that
most studios have particular "personalities" and fare. Where early in their "lives" the studios were known for particular brands and genres of entertainment, it's all just seems a jumbled mess now... except for distributors who specialize in types and genres.
Corrected this bit to be more accurate....but you are correct...many studios make what sells nowadays and they follow trends a lot.