It doesn’t matter if XYZ will “generate way more money” than ABC, if XYZ costs absurdly more money than ABC to create.
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Movies (especially) and bowling are both probably a lot larger than you think. Punch Bowl Social usually signs leases of 25,000 sq ft, which is almost as large as this entire building (31,206 per the assessor, probably including the 3rd floor penthouse). The new cinemas at Fenton are around 35,000 sq ft. The CineBowl combination at Parkside is… 60,000 sq ft.
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Both uses require incredibly expensive interior construction, especially in a renovation. These are uses that typically require high ceilings and, when in multi-story spaces, lots of circulation space: escalators, multiple wide exit stairs, etc. Cinemas in particular rarely go into existing buildings (and, in turn, are difficult buildings to reuse) because their spaces are just too weird: sloped floors, super-wide column spacing, angled walls, soundproofing, etc.
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Most selfie museums I’ve seen have been pop-ups on short leases; longer-term leases only work in super-touristy settings. They do switch up the backgrounds frequently for return visitation, since it’s all just wallpaper (i.e., incredibly cheap interior construction). Ergo, there’s no reason to be disappointed that your dream now will never ever ever happen here, because it could be possible… in a year or two. The new owners just paid a lot of money for it, and might want some short-term income while they figure out what else they can do.
You will definitely see something like this downtown soon, but probably in the middle of a wide block… like at Seaboard Station: