Business | Bartleby

What if Hollywood blockbusters were remade as workplace dramas?

Putting the office into box office

An office worker cowering below a movie-camera-monster.
Image: Paul Blow

The office is not the most promising setting for films. Desk warriors can occasionally be caught up in dramatic stories, whether journalists (“Spotlight”), lawyers (“Dark Waters”) or whistleblowers (“The Informant”). The greed and fear of high finance (“Dumb Money”) have an enduring appeal. But office-based blockbusters are still pretty thin on the ground: typing, malfunctioning toilets and meetings are just not that exciting.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Pitch perfect”

From the September 30th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

Discover more

Food packaging with "Notpla Coating" is pictured at Notpla.

Could seaweed replace plastic packaging?

Companies are experimenting with new ways to reduce plastic waste

A sequoiq tree with a metal detector scanning around the Silicon valley and California.

Has Sequoia Capital outgrown its business model?

Venture capital’s hardiest perennial gets back to its roots


A man cutting the red tape that tiies him.

On stupid rules and quick wins

Why every boss can benefit from asking employees what most infuriates them


TikTok wants Western consumers to shop like the Chinese

It still has some convincing to do

Will the trouble ever end for Volkswagen and its rivals?

From strikes to Trump tariffs, calamities abound

After Northvolt’s failure, who will make Europe’s EV batteries?

The continent looks ever more reliant on Asian producers