That late 1970s-Early 90s period when Dramas printed money. How did it happen?
This is an actual question. They were not necessarily a trend, but at least once per year, between the late 70s to the early or mid 90s, there was a family or romantic drama/dramedy that made at least $50 million, usually north of $100 million. Think Kramer vs. Kramer, Ordinary People, Terms of Endearment, On Golden Pond, Steel Magnolias, Rain Man... More impressive still is that their success happened concurrently with franchise blockbusters consolidating themselves and that most of their collections happened during the year of release, instead of across several releases. But the really impressive thing is that if (and when) a movie like Kramer vs. Kramer today grosses $173 million, it would be considered a huge success, it would be touted as a victory of small, adult dramas against the flood of IP and superhero franchises, and there would be at least one major essay per Hollywood trade about the Industry needing to promote more intimate dramas because there's a market for that.
But also, adjusted for inflation (and probably equivalent ticket sales), Kramer vs. Kramer made $750 million in 2025 dollars. Now that's unimaginable. How did these dramas pulled it off? I know part of the answer hinges on the period being the peak of Movie Stars being a thing, plus the Oscars still being a major box office boost, and there being little competition for attention, etc. But there has to be another, deeper factor, right? I'm guessing that it also had to do with them being the "First Major Movie" tackling social issues... But it's not like TV wasn't doing that at the time, sometimes ahead of the curve. For those who were alive back then (and cognitively able to make memories, I was, but I was a toddler), what was it about these movies that helped them become so successful during their release?
SMALL EDIT: And the other question being: What would be needed for those kinds of small dramas to become successful theatrically again?