Thank you Christopher, for your excellent posts. My mind is reeling (no pun intended).
I always have The Iron Giant on my list of favorite SF films because, I think it belongs there - along side the original Day The Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, Metropolis, Blade Runner, 2001 et al. It's a great movie.
In a similar vein, I always put Spirited Away on my list of favorite fantasy films, because it's a great movie.
Films have intrinsic value; they stand (or fall) on their own as works of art. They don't need box office success to validate their worth. Movies do require a certain amount of success to gain notoriety and to make a profit - but popularity and/or box office success is hardly an imprimatur of excellence.
I'd love to see TIG again in a theater. As a matter of fact, a group of us prevailed to get it a screened a few years ago at the Heartland FIlm Festival as part of a retrospective. It was one way to spread the word on this marvelous film.
As others have said, no need to remake a perfect film, particularly one that already exists in its perfect medium.