Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Media myFT Digest — delivered directly to your inbox.More than £5.6bn was spent on making films and TV in the UK last year, including hit musical Wicked — a jump of almost a third, highlighting the importance of the creative industries to the economy.Almost 90 per cent of this was inward investment and co-production — or about £4.8bn — as Hollywood studios have increasingly used studios such as Pinewood, Leavesden and Elstree around London as bases for their blockbuster productions.The BFI, which compiles the official data, said this showed “the UK’s global reputation as the world-leading centre for international film and TV production”.The jump in production in part reflects the bounceback from a difficult period in 2023, when the Hollywood studios were hit by US writers’ and actors’ strikes. But it also highlights the continued demand for Britain’s studio skills, actors, visual effects and locations. Wicked was the highest grossing release in the UK in 2024, with box office sales of £59.6mn. Other UK-made films last year included The Running Man, 28 Years Later and Hamnet. The latest Jurassic Park and How to Train Your Dragon movies — due for release later this year — were also filmed in the UK.Ben Roberts, BFI chief executive, said: “The UK’s film and TV industries continue to be a powerhouse for creativity, investment and jobs.”Film production increased 56 per cent to £2.1bn in 2024, while high-end TV production and films made for streaming services hit almost £3.4bn — an increase of a fifth on 2023.While UK domestic film production spending rose a quarter to £186mn, domestic TV production fell by a fifth to £598mn, showing that TV production groups have been hit by cost cutting at the streamers, their major customers.Roberts said this was a “reminder that many in the industry are feeling the pressure, and what happens next will be critical”. The UK government has made the creative industries one of its core pillars of growth in its industrial strategy, bringing in enhanced tax credits — including an increased level for visual effects and for independent films — that have made the UK more financially competitive.The British Film Commission said it was experiencing the highest level of inward investment production enquiries for many years.However, executives in the sector have also called for more support given overseas markets are also bringing in generous tax credits, with mounting concerns in particular over proposals by the UK government to allow AI companies to train algorithms on content from publishers and artists unless they “opt out”. An influential US media industry copyright group, which represents the interests of some of the country’s largest Hollywood groups such as Disney, Fox and Paramount, last year warned the UK government that any such move would discourage members from “participating and investing in creative endeavours” in the UK.
