This is a somewhat subjective aspect of anything in the realm of the arts. Does the work in question deliver on the requirements of its genre, does it meet the viewer's expectations, and does it deliver on the hype?  If so, that work "delivers the goods."   

What the hell am I talking about "does the work in question deliver on the requirements of its genre?"  Well, simply, if I go to see an action film, I damn well better see some action.  If I go to a comedy, It had better make me laugh.  For a drama, it should make me feel something (and NOT an overwhelming urge to leave the theater).  This is basic, right?

The most subjective aspect, of course, is the viewer's expectations.  This is a quality that can be derived from any number of areas.  Maybe your expectations for a new film are high because you loved the director's or actor's/actress's last few films...  Maybe you have low expectations because you think Mr. Moonlighting can't possibly play a believable action hero, or you know it's based on a book you've read and you believe the film can't possibly measure up.  Maybe you have no expectations...  By meeting or exceeding one's positive expectations, a cinematic work achieves success. By failing to meet positive expectations, it's a flop.

One's expectations can be, and often are, influenced by the hype surrounding a particular film.  If the movie company tells you "It's the biggest movie of the year!" you formulate an expectation based on what you consider to be the biggest movie that you've seen that year. And if you decide to see the film, you expect it to be bigger and better than the film to which you were made to compare.  If you keep hearing it cost $200 million to make a movie, you expect it to be have a top-dollar cast, incredible special effects, and/or extravagant locations and sets.  Hype exists to get people to see movies, but it can work against a film by giving the viewer a preconceived notion by promising to deliver on the hype. A no-hype film may have a smaller audience, but very little hype can help a film be a "success" in the minds of the viewer, I think.  I suspect that the independent film boom of late lends a great deal to the simple fact that viewers from the greater audience have lower expectations when seeing a small budget film because of the lack of hype surrounding it, and when this film turns out deliver more than expected, as many independent films have in recent years, they are seen as a "triumph in filmmaking" in the mind of that viewer.

Now, I do make a lot of reference to what "you think" in this discussion, and I may make you feel like what "you think" is important, but don't forget, this is my site, and all I'm really concerned with here is what "I think."  You don't like it?... Well, there's the door!