Written by on Jul 27, 2015. Posted in On Location

International films account for bulk of UK production spending this year

Twenty-one international films dominated UK production spending in the first half of this year, according to a report from the British Film Institute (BFI). Between them the 21 movies spent just under GBP 520 million of a total figure of GBP 594 million.

“At this stage of the year, the overall spend on film production is encouraging with a higher percentage of spend being made in the UK but with new productions in the pipeline and due to start filming in the coming months, the full year's statistics at year end will give us a fuller picture,” said Amanda Nevill, chief executive officer of the BFI.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (right) was the biggest film to shoot at Pinewood Studios last year and the next in the franchise, Star Wars Anthology: Rogue Squadron, starts filming in the next few weeks.

Marvel’s superhero follow-up Avengers: Age of Ultron was the biggest movie to film at Shepperton last year, but Marvel has now shifted much of its location filming work to Georgia in the US.

In June, Pinewood Studios announced a GBP 10 million revenue boost on the previous financial year, while the studios’ operating profit rose by more than a million pounds. The studio recently started expansion work and is scheduled to offer facilities including five additional sound stages for next year.

The UK continues to develop its production resources outside London. Bristol now offers The Bottle Yard Studios and Yorkshire Studios is being adapted from former RAF hangars in the north of England.

(Image: Lucasfilm)