I guess another way to interpret what he was trying to say could also be: "the kind of movies that I loved and the kind of movies that were my bread and butter

I guess another way to interpret what he was trying to say could also be: "the kind of movies that I loved and the kind of movies that were my bread and butter (are no longer affordable if I was to do a cinema release)" So maybe Behind the Candelabra was direct to HBO precisely because of the economics he was pointing out?