I watched to see if he nailed the ending.

That reason could be accurate. Another reason could be that the subject matter was unappealing to the majority of the film-going audience. Few people wanted to pay $20+ to see a movie about some guys arguing about whether or not a woman was raped.

Hollywood is greedy. Period. They no longer understand that the money will come AFTER they make a GREAT movie. Instead, they're so focused on the money, they forget to make a great movie.

If only storytelling was about the cool things the camera can do.

If you have to explain a point in your movie after it's come out, then you didn't communicate your point correctly in the movie.

It's one of the few films in which every part is excellent: the script, the acting, the story, the direction, the editing. That's why it one Oscars for both its acting leads, the director, the script and the movie itself. Few films, especially today, excel in even one of those areas. Silence of the Lambs excelled in all of them.