counterpoint: B&W was all we had for almost half a century and many of the greatest works of (B&W) cinema came out after that -- notably Film Noir. Maybe B&W is good, and muting color in "color" movies is a recognition of that fact.
I doubt it. A film with a muted color palette doesn't come across the same as a black and white film--even if works well, it doesn't work the same way. And the characteristics that made film noir work so well visually--dramatic, unnatural lighting and inventive composition--just aren't present in these new movies.
