But we are not talking about a production of Hamlet that nobody sees. We are talking about a production of Hamlet that has been seen and applauded by millions and comparing the ticket sales to a production of Mrs. Doubtfire the musical. Obviously the watered down family content is going to generate more revenue, but nobody is pointing Mrs. Doubtfire or recent MCU films as success stories. And as an audience member, I'd rather watch a great version of Hamlet in a smaller crowd than a soulless content that lacks characters and good writing.
The Suicide Squad made over 168 Million theatrically with a day-in-date release on HBO Max. That's not "no one watching" How many watched it online? 2.8 Million households.
Peacemaker...638 Thousand views within the first 4 days of streaming. The finale broke HBO Max records and saw viewership increase 44% throughout the run. That's not "no one watching."
Creature Commandos became the third most-watched show in their first week of streaming.
Parrot Analytics has found that the audience demand for Creature Commandos is 30.9 times the demand of the average TV series in the United States in the last 30 days. That's not "no one watching."
The Batman made 772 million in Box Office. That's not "no one watching."
Joker made over 1 Billion in Box Office. That's not "no one watching."
As for artistically...
The Suicide Squad - 90% RT
Creature Commandos - 95% RT
Peacemaker - 93% RT
The Batman - 85% RT
All pretty solid scores.
Captain America: Brave New World - 51%
Deadpool v Wolverine - 78%
Ant-Man & The Wast: Quatumania - 46%
Doctor Strange 2 - 74%
The Marvels - 62%
It's clear that DC has been doing a whole lot better than Marvel, artistically, when it comes to their recent projects post Snyder. And it's clear that people are watching and enjoying what they have been seeing from DC.
Sure, you can argue Marvel/Disney makes more money. Duh. Luckily, box office is rarely tied to a film's quality. I wouldn't say that Fast and the Furious movies have more artistic merit than Sing Sing or Ghostlight. They made a ton more, sure. But I know which ones I remember and revisit.