How could so much money get put into that while there are much better film ideas out there?
I have no answer to that.
I don't see the decision making process in the same way you do.
There are always “better” ideas out there. It's not always the case
of a producer/studio greenlighting the better idea. Many times
movies are passion projects, many times the pitch is really good,
many times the idea looks like easy marketing. Tastes in ideas
can be different from person to person. Maybe this WAS the best
idea at the time. When a person with access to funds likes one idea
they may not want to hold off hoping for a “better” idea.
In this case I can see some very good reasons to greenlight; the
producer has a profitable track record, the writers she hired have
a profitable track record, the director she hired has a profitable track
record, the potential for merchandising is high. On paper I bet this
looked pretty good. I don't see the concept as all that bad.
I saw it. It seemed like the writers were trying for a "Love Bug" feel
jumped up for today's short attention-span/video game playing kids.
It sure missed, no argument there, but as a concept I can understand
the possibilities and what drove the studio to go with it. I kept thinking
while watching the movie that if I were ten I might actually like it.