How did they pitch that movie, and how did it actually work?

You might get a kick out of perusing the Better Than It Sounds page on TV Tropes :)

@muppetish – this is the best thing I’ve ever seen. Ever.

@iamthemob Conversely, there is a Worse Than It Sounds page. I’m always happy to convert people into Tropers ;)

I’m still trying to think up of a few ideas of my own. Wristcutters is probably a good one to start with: ... so this young 20-something guy commits suicide and wakes up in a world full of other people who have also committed suicide. It’s almost exactly the same as earth except they can’t smile.

. . . what? Haha. It’s a wonderful movie though (with a surprisingly happy ending.)

@xdimqt

I don’t think that actually qualifies as a successful or generally well-accepted film.

Movie-making is highly collaborative endeavor—and not always in a positive way—so what winds up on the screen is often very different from the original concept and pitch.

@Austinlad

Okay – but I’m not really looking for a reason “why” so much as examples “of” ;-)