Universal handed £6m of taxpayer cash to film Hamnet despite raking in profits of £810m Media American filmmaking giant Universal was handed a £5.7 million government subsidy to make period drama Hamnet even though the studio generated £810 million in profit last year. The blockbuster’s cost to taxpayers is revealed in filings for the film which won the coveted honour of Outstanding British Film at the Baftas on Sunday. The heartbreaking [...]
James Bond producer David Heyman pays himself £26m Business The new co-producer of the James Bond franchise has paid himself more than £26m after the success of his film company. David Heyman is best known for producing all eight instalments of the Harry Potter film series as well as the spin-off prequels, Fantastic Beasts. Heyman, through his company Heyday Films, has also produced the likes of [...]
Pinewood: James Bond studio given £1bn licence to build Property Plans for a £1bn expansion of iconic film studio Pinewood which include a “state-of-the-art data centre” have been given the green light. Pinewood Studios submitted the proposals at the end of June to Buckinghamshire Council which were updated from the original scheme which was approved in 2023. Those plans featured 21 new stages at the [...]
Paramount crashes Netflix-Warner Bros party with £108bn rival bid December 8, 2025 Paramount Skydance has launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), throwing the film titan’s recent deal with streaming giant Netflix into uncertainty. On Monday, Paramount said its all-cash tender offer of $30 (£22.50) per share provides shareholders $18bn more than Netflix’s $27.75 per share offer. Paramount chief executive David Ellison argued the [...]
Benedict Cumberbatch sells major stake in his production company December 5, 2025 Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has sold a major stake in the production company he co-founded, it has been revealed. The Sherlock and Doctor Strange star set up SunnyMarch in 2013 alongside producer Adam Ackland. Since then the business has made the likes of The Mauritanian, The Courier, The Roses, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, and We Live in Time. [...]
James Cameron-backed Marlow Film Studios approved November 26, 2025 Plans for a £750m film studio in Buckinghamshire, which are backed by the likes of James Cameron, have been given the green light by the government. The proposals for Marlow Film Studios were initially turned down by Buckinghamshire County Council last year citing concerns about the project’s impact on the green belt, particularly its potential [...]
Robert De Niro reveals favourite movie he’s ever made – and it’s not The Godfather or Taxi Driver November 14, 2025 Hollywood legend Robert De Niro has revealed his favourite movie he’s ever made – and it’s not one many will have heard of. The Oscar winner was speaking to City AM this week to mark the start of construction of a £360m skyscraper in Manchester which his company, Nobu Hospitality, is involved in. The development [...]
Eon Productions’ James Bond pay day revealed October 23, 2025 Eon Productions received $20m (£15m) from the sale of the James Bond franchise earlier this year, it has been revealed for the first time. In February, James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson agreed to sell creative control to Amazon MGM Studios for a reported $1bn. Exact financial terms of the deal, which [...]
Aardman: Wallace & Gromit maker cuts jobs as losses continue October 22, 2025 Aardman, the studio behind the likes of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, slipped further into the red as it cut jobs during its latest financial year. The Bristol-headquartered animation company has posted a pre-tax loss of £5m for 2024, having also lost £550,135 in 2023. Over the same period, Aardman’s turnover declined from [...]
Trump’s film tariffs could be a real test for the UK’s creative economy September 30, 2025 The UK’s film and television sector is a significant component of the national economy, and its future is now a central topic in transatlantic trade talks. US President Donald Trump has proposed a 100 per cent tariff on films produced outside the United States, a move he says is aimed at reversing what he calls [...]