UK film production spend was very slightly down in the first half of 2025 compared to the previous year, according to statistics published by the BFI today (August 7).
From January to June 2025, film production spend dipped by just 1%, with 66 films starting principal photography in the first half of 2025, with a spend of £1.09bn, which is 1% lower than the £1.11bn first reported for the equivalent period in 2024.
Spend on 22 inward investment productions in this period was £999m (91% of the total). Twenty-seven UK productions accounted for £62m of the total (6%) while 17 co-productions with a £35m spend accounted for 3%.
In the same period for 2024, 33 UK productions began shooting, with a total spend of £61m.
Inward investment projects to shoot in this period include Disney’s Avengers: Doomsday, Warner Bros’ Ghost Writer and The Runner plus Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters Of The Universe.
UK productions to shoot include Louise Stern’s directorial debut A Hand Rises and Shane Meadows’ Chork, both backed by BFI and BBC Film.
Miss Pirie And Miss Woods, directed by Sophie Heldman, is a UK-Germany-Switzerland co-production, and started principal photography in the first half of 2025.
During the 12 months ending June 2025, 196 films began principal photography, with a total UK production spend of £2.1bn. Production spend was up 18% on the 12 months ended June 2025, based on revised numbers, taking into account lags in obtaining data.
However, while the production spend was up for the July-June 2024/5 period, the number of films that commenced shooting was down, with 196 films starting production, lower than the 397 in 2020/1, 419 in 2021/2, 416 in 2022/3 and 274 in 2023/4.
In the 12 months ended June 2025, inward investment productions accounted for 86% (£1.8bn) of UK production spend on film, UK features accounted for 9% (£191m), and co-productions accounted for 5% (£107m).
UK spend on feature-length single episode productions – including inward investment projects and UK projects financed by broadcasters and streaming platforms – may be captured in the statistics for high-end television (HETV), as these productions may apply for certification to access the UK’s HETV tax relief, owing to a lack of demonstrable theatrical intention.
In the UK in the rolling year July 2024 to June 2025, the combined total spend on film and high-end television (HETV) production was £5.7bn, up on £4.9bn of 2023/4, but down on £6.4bn of 2020/1, £7.3bn of 2021/2 and £6.8bn of 2022/3.
HETV
In the first six months of 2025, 82 HETV productions began principal photography. These productions had a total UK spend of £2.1bn, a 17% increase from the £1.8bn that was reported for the first half of 2024.
Inward investment programmes accounted for 83% of the UK spend on HETV production for the first half of 2025 and 51% of the number of programmes. There were 36 UK productions (44% of programmes) with a UK production spend of £332m (16% of total spend). There were four co-productions with a UK spend of £27m (1% of the total).
Inward investment HETV productions starting principal photography in the first half of 2025 included Amazon’s The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power season three, Disney’s Ahsoka season two, Disney’s Rivals season two and Apple TV+ series The Wanted Man.
UK HETV productions that started filming in this period included Channel 4’s A Woman Of Substance, BBC’s Waiting For The Out, and ITV’s The Lady, Secret Service and Betrayal.
In this 12-month period ending June 2025, 159 HETV productions started principal photography. This is 61 fewer production starts than in the previous 12-month period. In this same 12-month period, total HETV production spend was £3.7bn, an 18% increase on the previous 12-month period.
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