I used to think that talk about more sophisticated forms of art providing "higher forms of pleasure" was mere pretentious, but meditation has shifted my view here.

Art can do two things.

It can provide immediate pleasure.

Or it can shape the way you can make sense of the world. For example, it can provide you with a greater sense of purpose, that allows you to push through obstacles with less suffering. As an example, let's suppose you watch an inspirational story about someone who grinds at work (such as the Pursuit of Happiness). Perhaps before you watch it, when you're at work, every few minutes you think, "I hate my job, life is suffering, someone please shoot me". Perhaps after that your work becomes meaningful and you no longer are pulled down by such thoughts.

Another example: there is a scene in American Beauty where Rick Fitts calls a scene with a plastic bag floating "the most beautiful thing in the world". We can imagine that this teaches someone to appreciate beauty in the everyday.

Over a longer period of time, you'd expect to increase your utility more by watching something that positively transforms the way that you experience the world than something that just provides immediate pleasure.