The OP is so wrong on so many levels.
1) "films should have universal appeal" - name one film that has universal appeal, because I simply don't believe that such a thing exists. Some films may have a bigger market than others, but not one film even made in the 100+ years of cinema has ever appealed to everyone.
2) It's a flop - well, the box office figures here seem to be just from the US, so no reckoning of box office around the world, nor of VHS/DVD sales (which incidentally are still selling) nor of revenue from sales to broadcasters around the world. It's still getting fairly regular screenings on TV, I watched it last night. All this shows that it is still a revenue generator. How many films from 1985 are still doing that I wonder?
3) Following from point 2) The idea that quality is judged by box office return is really really shaky ground to argue from. Let's think about another film from 1985, oh I don't know, how about .... Desperately Seeking Susan. Production cost $4.5mill, box office $27mill. Who now thinks that is a good film, let alone better than Brazil.
4) "Cinema is not true art" - wtf?! Just don't know where to begin with this. It's art - sometimes it's really really bad art, sometimes it touches the core of my being, and speaks to me about the way people are, the values of life and so on. Even when I hate what I've watched, it's an art.
5) "Hollywood brought to it's knees" - last year Warner Bros had over $5bill revenues, Disney exceeded $3bill... I can't be bothered to go on.
Bottom line is the OP didn't like this film, which is fine. As much as it's wrong for people to criticise other film fans for 'not getting' a movie that they don't like, it's wrong for the OP to pretend that it's bad because it's pretentious (although s/he didn't actually use that word, that is in effect what was said).
For me, I loved this when it came out - I was 14, I went to the cinema a couple of times, I bought the VHS a couple of times (worn out) and still make time for it when it's screened on TV now. I don't expect everyone to love it, and can see why it doesn't have 'universal appeal' but I don't understand why my love for this film should be dismissed as being somehow intellectually elitist.
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