Before the pandemic, some of us were already writing about an unsustainable hospitality industry. Rents too high, appalling work conditions and pay and punters disinclined to square the circle by paying more. Then we had lockdowns, where small and nimble businesses showed fortitude and flexibility. We came out of the pandemic battered, into a protracted financial crisis. Perhaps it’s unsurprising that the hospitality industry we’re seeing today is so different and running at double speed.
Movie production today requires a coming together of people and resources for a short period of time, and there are certain individuals or assets around which these things happen. I’d have zero hope of selling a screenplay in Hollywood, but if Tom Cruise shows interest in a two-line “elevator pitch” and says he’s on board, everything crowds around . Cruise, they say, can “open” a picture. For a while, James Cameron could open a picture. And so could Christopher Nolan.