For media moguls, maximizing shareholder value is the only metric that counts. In the months following 2023’s Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strikes, film industry workers adopted a refrain: “Survive ‘til ’25”—a meager goal reflecting industry reality. The strikes came shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic ground production to a halt. The dream factory had become a nightmare.