The Failure of Well-Made Crime Movies

On CrimeSeen, author and critic Dick Lochte raised the question: Why do well-made crime movies often fail at the box office?

He pointed to TWILIGHT, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, HEAVEN'S PRISONERS, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, and CHINATOWN as examples.

I commented:

I think the problem is that the brand of quirk and detail great fans of the genre look for doesn't appeal or goes over the heads of more general audiences. This much said, I think it's better to appeal to knowledgeable fans. Trying to appeal to everyone can lead to a bland mess.

Similarly, beyond the crime fiction community, the public is probably unaware of many fine authors, recognizing only the bestselling names. The bestsellers, in turn, often don't deliver the innovation a more well-read audience craves.