re: Is the the worst era for movies in your lifetime?

There's plenty of original ideas. You just don't go to see them, so Hollywood doesn't make them, and its left to independent studios to try and distribute them. Shocking to know, but Hollywood will put out whatever the public demands. They are interested in making money. So the problem isn't Hollywood, its audiences for continually going to see retreads and formula films.

Last year, the following original films came out in wide release: Arrival, La La Land, Split, Hacksaw Ridge, Lion, Passengers, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Nocturnal Animals, A Cure for Wellness, Moana, The Edge of 17, The Founder, The Girl on the Train, Silence, the Accountant, Nice guys, Hell or High Water, etc. And that's not even getting into limited release films like Green Room (or hell, the terrific year in horror I keep raving about).

On the other hand, every single film in the top 10 grossing films of the year was either based on an existing property or an animated feature. The highest grossing film that was not either based on existing IP or an animated film was Hidden Figures, which ranked 19th at $133 million. Just one spot ahead of the Ghostbusters remake.

Maybe, just maybe, the problem isn't a lack of original films. It's that audiences don't WATCH original films.