After a turbulent 2023 that saw production slow to a crawl due to the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, the U.K. film and TV industry has come roaring back in 2024, hitting its highest spending levels since before the pandemic.
According to new data from the British Film Institute (BFI), total spending on film and high-end TV (HETV) production in the U.K. hit £5.6 billion ($6.9 billion) last year—a staggering 31% increase from 2023’s £4.23 billion ($5.37 billion). That puts the country firmly back on the global production map, even edging close to the record £6.27 billion ($7.72 billion) set in 2022.
What’s driving this rebound? Major U.S. studio and streamer-backed productions, including Netflix’s Peaky Blinders movie, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, How to Train Your Dragon, Project Hail Mary, and Jurassic World Rebirth, have poured investment into the U.K.’s soundstages and production hubs.
Hollywood Keeps Betting Big on the U.K.
The U.K. has long been a go-to destination for Hollywood’s biggest players, and 2024 cemented that status. 65% of all film production spending in the country came from the five major U.S. studios and three dominant streamers—Netflix, Apple, and Amazon—representing a 49% jump in spending year-over-year.
Among the 191 feature films that began production in the U.K. last year (down slightly from 207 in 2023), some of the biggest names included:
• The Fantastic Four
• The Running Man
• Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
• How to Train Your Dragon
• Jurassic World Rebirth
On the high-end TV side, 181 productions kicked off in 2024, just a slight dip from 187 in 2023, but total spending surged to £3.44 billion ($4.2 billion), a 20% increase from the previous year. Major productions included:
•The Immortal Man: A Peaky Blinders Film
•The Donovans
•Young Sherlock
•Man vs Baby
•Art Detectives
Meanwhile, U.K.-produced high-end TV projects like Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, Inheritance, Transaction, and Man Like Mobeen helped keep domestic content in the mix.
A Global Powerhouse for Production, But Challenges Remain
BFI CEO Ben Roberts summed it up best: “The U.K.’s film and TV industries continue to be a powerhouse for creativity, investment, and jobs.” The numbers back it up—2024’s 31% rebound proved that the country remains a world-leading production hub, even after a volatile 2023.
The box office also saw a strong showing, with Wicked, which was filmed in the U.K., leading the charge following Barbie’s dominance in 2023. Independent films like Back to Black and One Life also gained traction, helping to expand market share for local productions.
But it’s not all smooth sailing. Domestic high-end TV production spending fell by 22%, signaling that while big-budget studio films and streamer-backed projects are thriving, independent productions are feeling the squeeze.
“The next steps will be critical,” Roberts added. “Continued investment in skills and infrastructure, alongside strong government support, will be essential to keeping the U.K. at the forefront of global production—while also strengthening the independent sector for the future.”
