Here is an interesting article about using data analysis to determine whether a movie will perform well.  I remember first reading about using data analysis for analyzing movies in Super Crunchers, a book which I recommend that Ol Parker read, since he, like so many people in so many industries outlined in Super Crunchers, fears that his unique creativity/insights  cannot be replaced:

“This is my worst nightmare” said Ol Parker, a writer whose film credits include “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.” “It’s the enemy of creativity, nothing more than an attempt to mimic that which has worked before. It can only result in an increasingly bland homogenization, a pell-mell rush for the middle of the road.”

Mr. Parker drew a breath. “Look, I’d take a suggestion from my grandmother if I thought it would improve a film I was writing,” he said. “But this feels like the studio would listen to my grandmother before me, and that is terrifying.”