Punjab, Oct. 13 -- Hollywood's unions have published a report warning that US film and television production is "on the brink" - in the same month a major studio merger was approved and the domestic box office is running 15 per cent ahead of last year. Those facts are not as contradictory as they look.
The distinction the report rests on
Box office measures what audiences pay for films that were greenlit two or three years ago. Production volume measures what is being made now. They are different clocks, and they have come apart.
A strong 2026 at the box office tells you that the 2023 and 2024 greenlights worked. It tells you nothing about how many productions are shooting this quarter - which is the number that determines whether a gaff...