For the past 10 years or so, I've found myself gradually steering more and more away from the avg. cookie-cutter Hollywood hero-movie. Except for Dark Knight, which was good - IMO most of the hero movies and Harry Potter stuff is just for kids anyway. Maybe it's a sign I'm getting older (lol) but I have a hard time finding them entertaining at all. I probably would have like them when I was 17 though. My buddy (he's 37) the other day said "dude, did you see the last Harry Potter movie? I felt like it was made for kids and teenagers".... lol.. I'm like YA THINK?!?! Really? What's with all the 30-40+ people running out to see these over-hyped, over-produced movies made for teens and kids anyway. (I'm not talking about good animated features like "Up" and "Toy Story 3". There is some great, universal cinema in those whether you're 10, 40, or 80).
Some of the best movies I have seen in recent years have had <$100k budgets and they were incredible. Sad part is, the masses would have enjoyed them too - but marketing a movie to that level takes serious moolah.
As to the $200 mill. It's just proof that more money != more quality. It does mean more exposure though. As long as it's profitable, the studio doesn't care. It's a business. They would make a $1 billion movie if they could, as long as they knew it could turn a healthy profit.
It's basically the same in the music industry. It is generally not talent that makes "stars" out of artists. It's whoever the record companies with big $$$ decides to promote heavily (based on what "the market wants" at the time) until exposure alone makes them popular enough to milk and profit for a while. Most of the true talent gets left behind and/or unheard.
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