Agreed. This story is not for everyone but everyone wants to read it because everyone else is reading. The pitfall of having eye catching art but a plot that is meant for a niche group of readers.
There are literally thousands of good reads available, but they just can't let go of this one, even though it's clearly not their thing. Why waste your precious time? I just don't get it.
I think this is the same instinct that make people participate in things just because everyone else is and they want to follow the cloud. They don't want to feel left out.
Like going to a party that you would not care about but since everyone is going, they go too. Then they sit there whining about the music, the food, the people and if asked why the went, they reply with some idiotic excuse like 'oh, because the place looked so nice' ... that is the equivalent of the people who say they read for the 'art'.
It give also a lot of these people an opportunity to make themselves feel superior by shaming the readers with some version of moral superiority.
Even the people who say 'I dropped long time ago' but hang here on the topics, reading and following the story by proxy. Like hanging on the parking lot of the party, still unable to go home and saying that they are not interested. Okay.
One thing is clear: this story is not for everyone.