"I long for the days when grosses were not even known. There was no weekend competition"

This quote by Mark Rydell talks to a time before the motion picture market was as commercialized as it is today. He is longing for a time when package office grosses of a movie were not even known, and there was no competition between films launched on the same weekend. This suggests that he believes the movie market has ended up being too concentrated on cash and competitors, and that it has actually lost a few of its artistic integrity. He likely believes that the focus on cash has caused filmmakers to make films that are more focused on earning money than on informing a great story. He may also be recommending that the competition in between movies launched on the very same weekend has actually triggered filmmakers to hurry their tasks, resulting in lower quality movies. Ultimately, Mark Rydell is expressing his nostalgia for a time when the film market was less concentrated on money and competition, and more concentrated on developing art.