IN RECOVERY INDUSTRY
I t is a sad truth that roads to recovery are invariably described as long. It’s even sadder to note that, for many in the UK film and TV production industry, that route has seemed almost endless. Surviving until next year has been the sole aim. Now, as that destination looms, has hope finally appeared on the horizon? When surveying the UK film industry’s broader landscape, green shoots indeed appear to be sprouting. At the cinema, September brought a 21% upturn in box office sales compared to the same period last year – with a significant
contribution from independent films – and big US productions continue to flock to UK studios, lured by tax incentives. Disney, for one, recently announced plans to invest about $5 billion to make more TV shows and blockbuster films in Europe and the UK. This comes on the back of Deadpool & Wolverine , produced at Pinewood Studios, which racked up $900 million in global box office revenues by mid-August. The company already has a long-term lease at Pinewood, and is said to have spent around £3.5 billion on UK productions over the last five years.
Elsewhere, Amazon Prime Video has committed further funding to the UK with its acquisition of Bray Film Studios over the summer. Set on the River Thames, about 25 miles from central London, Bray Studios was the home of the Hammer horror films from the fifties onwards, as well as hosting iconic British movies like Alien and The Rocky Horror Picture Show . Amazon has used the Berkshire site since 2022, working there on both The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Citadel . According to head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios Mike Hopkins, the
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