Hollywood needs to be thankful for the current global crisis. At least, that's what Steven Spielberg believes.

In a report in The Guardian, the filmmaker said escapist movies were benefiting from the sense of unease felt worldwide: 'Hollywood has always been there, either to reflect the crisis with very conscientiously minded stories or with films of pure escape.'

According to him, movies help because they offer a much-needed sense of relief from the headlines.

His comments came at the launch of his new film The Terminal -- based on the real-life plight of an Iranian traveller who has spent years at Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris.

Then, there's his next project -- a contemporary adaptation of H G Wells' classic The War Of The Worlds. Considering the novel's content, and the times we live in, another strange choice for an 'escapist' film.

Media reports also say Spielberg is likely to make a film about the 1972 Munich Olympics, when Palestinian terrorists killed Israeli athletes.

Photograph: Getty Images