The question here is "sells well compared to what?" Not "what sells well according to this climate?"
Patronage and sales for comics and film have continually spiraled (and still do) for decades. And from what I can tell, the downward trend is proportionate to an escalating lack of originality. While I acknowledge that originality is not necessarily conducive to quality, I maintain that, through originality, you're most likely to churn out a greater number of balanced, cohesive, and interesting stories since authors and film makers won't have to concern themselves with recycling quippy heroines, charismatic/genius villains, sparkling vampires, and martial arts exhibitions (outside of popcorny Kung Fu flicks).
What's more, if the general viewership had a more apparent frame of reference by which to distinguish the mediocre from the well written, your example of "sell well" would assuredly decrease in dollar amount. Unfortunately, we only have so many true professionals per generation. And even when you have them, that doesn't guarantee they have the opportunity or resources to flex their artistic muscles.
From my point of view, you're correct insofar as the media authorities would want to discourage quality in favor of making it indistinguishable from mediocrity and thus make a media standard that's easier to package for a quick buck. But that doesn't make mediocrity the most effective money machine. Just the most seemingly efficient one.
