Revolution in the world of cinema that’s being led by Lord Mountbatten’s grandson

where big-name film-makers still blanch at the idea that their movie is going “straight-to-streaming”.

It wasn’t just the film-making community that had a problem with it. Talent agents and other cinema companies weren’t happy either. “It was just constant battles to explain to people that this was a model that could create a sustainable future for the industry,” Knatchbull says.

Gradually, while the big cinema chains are still protesting, moviemakers seem to have come on board. Curzon was even awarded a Bafta last month for outstanding British contribution to cinema. By 2015, the retooled Curzon group had its breakthrough moment with 45 Years, the romance starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtney. “We managed to do £1.8 million at the box office while still making the film available for £10 on Curzon Home Cinema,” he beams.

Having proved the model, he wants to roll it out to a bigger audience. About two million people in Britain are potential Curzon Artificial Eye movie fans, he reckons. There’s also huge potential to expand abroad, giving customers access to Curzon Home Cinema. And he sees the oportunity to build Curzon cinemas in Paris, Barcelona, Munich and beyond.

But how to find those two million Brits, how to reach those movie lovers abroad? Knatchbull says he could build up the databases himself, but it would be ruinously expensive and probably largely unsuccessful. The only companies with the data that can really make a difference are the technology giants, he adds. He won’t name them but I surmise he must be talking about the Amazons, Apples, Netflixes and Googles of this world.