Inward investment spend on Film and High-End TV in the UK tops £4.713 billion in 2021
Friday February 4 2022
Inward investment spend on Film and High-End TV in the UK tops £4.713 billion in 2021
- Record levels of inward investment production spend reinforce UK’s position as a leading global production centre
- Inward investment spend on films and High-end TV delivered £4.713bn, or 84% of UK total film and HETV spend – double the levels reached in 2020
- UK spend from inward investment feature films and High-end TV titles includes Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, Downton Abbey: A New Era, Dungeons and Dragons, Indiana Jones 5 and Batgirl; and The Crown Season 5, The School for Good and Evil, The Rig, The Essex Serpent and His Dark Materials Season 3
- Batgirl is first major US studio feature to be based in Scotland
- British Film Commission bespoke production support to projects and companies accounted for:
- 94% of total inward investment HETV; and
- 90% of total inward investment feature film spend in UK in 2021
UK Film and High-End TV (HETV) inward investment figures released today by the British Film Institute (BFI) highlight the ongoing strength, creativity and resilience of the UK’s screen industries, with inward investment spend from major international productions in 2021 topping record levels, at £4.713 billion. This is an increase of 86% on 2020’s figure.
Many of the titles, including The Peripheral (Amazon Studios), House of the Dragon (HBO), Bridgerton Season 2 (Netflix), Indiana Jones 5 (Disney/Lucasfilm), Secret Invasion (Disney/Marvel Studios) and Batgirl (Warner Bros./DC) received bespoke production support from the British Film Commission (BFC), the UK agency responsible for attracting and supporting major international films and HETV productions. Indeed, the BFC has provided support to projects and companies accounting for 94% of the total inward investment HETV spend, and 90% of inward investment feature film spend in the UK in 2021.
Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said: “The demand for content has never been greater. As today’s figures show, the UK is enjoying a once-in-a-generation growth in production. The benefits are being felt right across our nations and regions, with large-scale investment in infrastructure and revenue into UK plc that will directly benefit local communities. Existing production hubs are growing to accommodate the demand, and new hubs are developing throughout the UK, bringing with them thousands of new jobs. The BFC is proud to have provided support to projects and companies accounting for 92% of the total inward investment high-end TV and feature film spend in the UK in 2021. We and our partners are determined to harness this phenomenal demand and support an ever-widening workforce to produce world-class content for global audiences.”
Ben Roberts, BFI Chief Executive, said: “The record-breaking level of film and TV production in the UK revealed today is good news for our industry and the UK economy and demonstrates the speed of the sector’s recovery. The groundwork for further growth is underway with expansion of studio spaces and production hot spots across our nations and regions, and working with industry to build up the skilled workforce that we need to meet demand and stay on top of our game. Government support for production with the screen sector tax reliefs and the Film & TV Production Restart Scheme have played an important part in the industry’s growth and recovery.
“The Culture Recovery Fund has been a lifeline for independent cinemas and it’s great to see audiences returning to the big screen with Bond and Spiderman leading the way with phenomenal success and independent UK films, such as Spencer, offering such a range of different cinematic stories.”
The UK continues to attract major productions through the combination of reliable tax incentives, world-class crew and infrastructure and an immense variety of unique locations. The figures, released by the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit, show inward investment spend on HETV and HETV co-production reached £3.438 billion in 2021 – a 180% increase on last year’s figures.
Inward investment film spend of £1,275.5 billion is nearly 4% down on 2020 (3.7%); however, a number of films started production in 2020 and, due to the impacts of the pandemic, carried on further into 2021 – however, their spend is accounted for in the previous year’s (2020) statistics.
The 2021 production statistics also reveal the increasing investment made by streamer platforms in single long-form productions. In 2021, there were 36 single domestic UK and inward investment productions, which contributed £737 million to the HETV spend of £4.09bn. These productions include Pinocchio (Disney+) – Cardington Studios, Matilda: The Musical – (Netflix/Working Title) – SE England, Persuasion (Netflix/MRC), Lady Chatterley’s Lover (Sony/Blueprint Pictures).
The UK boasts seven production hubs with stage space, crew and infrastructure to support major inward investment HETV and feature film. These projects contribute significantly to local economies through direct spend, multiplier spend and employment. UK-made HETV and film titles contributing to this year’s figures based in the regions and nations included:
England:
- London/South East: Wonka (Warner Bros.), Citadel (Amazon Studios), Luther (Netflix/BBC), Culprits (Disney+)
- North West: Men (A24/DNA), Peaky Blinders Season 6 (Netflix)
- Yorkshire: All Creatures Great and Small Season 2 (PBS/Playground Entertainment)
- South West: Alex Rider Season 2 (Sony/Amazon Studios), The Girl Before (HBO Max/42)
Northern Ireland: The School for Good and Evil (Netflix), Dungeons and Dragons (Paramount), Conversations with Friends (Hulu/Element Pictures)
Scotland: Batgirl (Warner Bros./DC), The Rig (Amazon Studios/ Wild Mercury), Anansi Boys (Amazon Studios/Endor/Red)
Wales: Willow (Disney/Lucasfilm), His Dark Materials Season 3 (HBO/BBC), Havoc (Netflix)
As well as productions making the most of the UK’s world-class studios and diverse and unique locations, the UK’s award-winning VFX and post-production sector has also had a very busy year. Productions carrying out VFX and post-production in the UK during 2021 included House of Gucci (MGM/Scott Free); The Matrix Resurrections (Warner Bros.); Moon Knight (Disney/Marvel); and The Princess (20th Century Studios).
Throughout 2021, the British Film Commission provided support to major projects and companies in a variety of ways. This includes troubleshooting within all areas of production (COVID-19, locations, UK stage space, Brexit issues, visas, UK tax relief) as well as showcasing the UK-wide offer to the TV and film industry in Los Angeles, in partnership with Creative England, Creative Wales, Film London, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland. 2022 has already had a very strong start with several major productions having already started production in the UK, including include Ted Lasso Season 3 (WB/Apple) and Great Expectations (FX/Scott Free/Hardy Son and Baker).
–ENDS–
For further press information, please contact:
Haylie Read, Senior Press & Communications Manager, British Film Commission
E: haylie.read@britishfilmcommission.org.uk
M: 07787 254 250
Notes to Editors:
About the British Film Commission
The British Film Commission (BFC) is the UK Government’s national organisation responsible for international film and television production in the UK. Funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for International Trade and the BFI, the BFC leads on:
- Maximising and supporting the production of major international feature film and high-end television in the UK;
- Strengthening and promoting the UK’s film and television infrastructure;
- Liaising between the Government and the film and television industry on policy issues that impact on production.
With offices in the UK and the US, the BFC provides free tailored production support at the highest level, from the earliest stages of development through to post-production, including guidance on the UK’s lucrative film and television tax reliefs and assistance with sourcing key crew, talent, facilities and locations.
The BFC has industry sponsors who form the membership of the agency’s innovative public/private partnership: Angels Costumes, Bray Film Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, Harbottle & Lewis, HBO, Movie Makers, Netflix, Pinewood Studios, Saffery Champness, Warner Bros., 3 Mills Studios, BBC Studios, DNEG, Elstree Studios, FirstStage Studios, Framestore, MPC, The Bottle Yard Studios and Working Title.
The BFC is the national division of Film London.
www.britishfilmcommission.org.uk
Twitter: @FilmInUK_BFC
Linkedin: British Film Commission
About the BFI:
The BFI is the UK’s lead organisation for film, television and the moving image. It is a cultural charity that:
- Curates and presents the greatest international public programme of world cinema for audiences; in cinemas, at festivals and online
- Cares for the BFI National Archive – the most significant film and television archive in the world
- Actively seeks out and supports the next generation of filmmakers
- Works with Government and industry to make the UK the most creatively exciting and prosperous place to make film internationally
Founded in 1933, the BFI is a registered charity governed by Royal Charter.