“Great films are not happening because some mid-level schluphead wants to hold onto his expense account. He doesn’t want to risk it on a decision, or on somebody who hasn’t already made 10 hits.”
– Brad Bird, director of The Incredibles, The Iron Giant
I don’t think movies should be tailored for audiences. They should be created, made, filmed and then whatever audience it appeals to, then so be it, and that should make for a movie’s success. Movie’s are treated as a product by companies and studios. While they do have potential many times for franchises and money making opportunities, they aren’t a product, nor should they be subjected to scrutiny by audiences who decide something is good or bad in the story, or the characters.
Movies are works of art, moving works of art, thus they should be on display for onlookers to observe as works from artists. Should we still call movies works of art if they were immensely tailored for audiences? Trim the climax, keep the storytelling to a minimum, change this character to fit a better profile. It’s all basic bullshit. Davinci never went around his village asking people which shade of black they’d prefer on the Mona Lisa, and Stephen King never asked people which ending they’d like better in “Carrie”, so why should movies be subjected to such ridiculous routines such as testing audiences?