Is it true that the market does not like controversial films?

Some of the directorial debuts on that list seem controversial, but most I don't know. I don't mean just edgy content, I mean actual controversy but with some edgy content as long as it's necessary to the themes of the plot. Movies that have dark content to the point where it makes people uncomfortable, such as Hard Candy or Oldboy. That's where my script falls in. Not just the content itself, but the themes. Swingers and Brothers McMullen are comedies pretty much though, right? I can look around for comedy scripts more, but so far they haven't been as good it seems, that I have come across. Are there any hit thrillers that are debuts that are not controversial that are actually remembered?
 
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It's not the violence that creates controversy, it's the context of the violence usually.

So if controversy is bad for most audiences than how come a lot of times on DVD covers they will put that the movie is controversial! with an exclamation point? I read the cover for in the company of men and it said "Disturbing and Controversial". I read the cover for Nixon, and it said 'from controversial filmmaker Oliver Stone".
 
Human Centipede got tons of press just because it was so sick. I HAD to watch it after all of the press it got! When people say "Don't watch it" that's when I watch it.
 
The answer is definitely not.

I just watched the documentary on "Apocalypse Now", and the studios refused to fund it because it was too controversial. Guess what?
 
And Apocalypse Now is one of the most popular movies ever made, because partially of the controversy. It's hard to believe controversy doesn't sell. As far as movies like Swingers and Brothers McMullen, no one has ever heard of those. When I ask friends to name the most recent indie films they can think of, that they have heard of, Human Centipede keeps coming to mind, and the average movie goer cannot seem to remember a non-controversial indie film.
 
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I find it hard to believe that many don't remember Swingers - that movie was a hit.

And yes controversy sells - I think Kids, while not a box office smash, was highly regarded by critics and it was very controversial.
 
Yeah I hear Kids was good. But even if it was not a box office smash, I cannot think of one movie that was and still an indie film. Swingers maybe, but today's generations seem to have no non-controversial indie films that most audiences go to see. The only one I can think of is Paranormal Activity of recent films that people would have heard of. And one of you said that a first time director should not take on a controversial script but when you are self funding your first feature most likely, and it is very low budget, what do you have to offer that audiences will want to see besides controversial material? Most audiences seem to hate low budget, and want big stars, and big production values, but they seem to notice microbudget films mostly if they are controversial and have material in them, that Hollywood is not wanting to show to the more escapist Friday night movie goers. Human Centipede featured some pretty controversial ideas for it's premise. If the villain that movie were committing a much more conventional movie villain crime, the movie would not have been noticed at all, unless big stars were in the script.
 
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Ok, I am not understanding what you are asking. Are you asking about what independent film was controversial AND a box office hit? If so, you have to define what you are talking about as a box office hit. Money in the area of Titanic? Or money in the area of Blair Witch? I would say that Boys Don't cry was a successful indie film, both in awards and money made, as well as being controversial.
 
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