I think you overestimate the importance of pool in The Hustler and TCOM. I was a teenager when TCOM came out and can say first-hand, people went to see that movie for plenty of reasons and none of those reasons had to do with an interest in pool.
With that said, once people left the theaters, everyone either wanted to be Tom Cruise or sleep with him so they all went right to the poolroom. I don't think you can successfully recreate that reaction in movies easily. Movies are different now. The way audiences respond to movies is different. Back in 1987, it felt as though every movie was watched by young and old. When I was a kid, I saw movies like "On Golden Pond" and "When Harry Met Sally". There was far less available content so you watched what was on TV or you watched what was rented. The audience was acclimated to watching movies that weren't fantasy, that required character building and endured lulls in the action.
Now, there feels like there's a distinct intent to market to young OR old audiences. Movies are action-packed with tons of special effects and fantasy is commonplace. If not, it's uber-serious, almost a documentary on its subject. I worry that a movie about pool would either hit both markets OR fall between the cracks. Young people would find it too dull and old people will find it irrelevant.
My girlfriend is a bit of a movie-buff and has introduced me to a great deal of classics. It's a lot of fun but because I'm so accustomed to modern movie standards, it's always a struggle for her to get me to watch Casablanca or A White Christmas. I feel it's a chore getting through the opening scenes. I don't know how a pool movie won't feel like a chore to the non-playing audience without it being some sort of subplot. I'm sorry but in my opinion, the only way we'll ever see pool in the movies now is if the movie isn't about pool which, truth be told, what Walter Tevis always claimed about The Hustler - it was never meant to be a story about pool.
Schroeder playing the pro tour shark in "Junkies" lmao
