I wonder if its because life is becoming more grim. Well, apart from the billionaires, obviously.

Seems like gritty, dystopia-like films are something of a luxury, only to be afforded when daily life itself isn't too close to the harsh realities being put on film.

No, they are not. They are only getting better at hiding the deep dystopia.

All of those charts seem to have a lot more noise than signal.