UK Film Production Spend Hits Record $3.8 Billion in 2025, BFI Reports

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Feb 5

Written By Jonathan P. Moustakas

Britain’s production boom continues — but domestic filmmaking remains a shrinking slice of the pie.

Film production spending in the United Kingdom reached an all-time high in 2025, with feature films contributing £2.8 billion ($3.8 billion), according to newly released annual figures from the British Film Institute.

The total marks a 31 percent year-over-year increase and represents the highest level of film production spend since records began. However, the headline number masks a growing imbalance within the industry: just 7 percent of that spending was attributed to domestic UK productions.

The overwhelming majority of investment flowed into major U.S.-backed studio projects filming in Britain, including Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights, The Beatles – A Four Film Cinematic Event, and Supergirl. Co-production spending continued its decline, falling 14 percent in 2025 and extending a downward trend that began in 2024.

While domestic film spend did tick up slightly by 4 percent, its modest share of the overall total has raised concerns across the industry — particularly in light of the UK’s 40 percent independent film tax credit, introduced in 2024 to stimulate homegrown production.

In total, 193 feature films entered production in the UK last year, a marginal increase of just two titles compared to 2024. Meanwhile, cinema admissions dropped sharply, falling 30 percent and remaining well below pre-pandemic levels — a reminder that production growth has not yet translated into theatrical recovery.

Feature films accounted for just over 40 percent of the UK’s combined film and high-end television production spend in 2025. Together, film and TV generated £6.8 billion in investment, the third-highest total on record. High-end television continued to surge, with spending rising 17 percent to £4 billion, driven by large-scale productions including Harry Potter, Slow Horses, and Outlander: Blood of My Blood.

Domestic TV productions that began filming during the year included Blue Lights Season 3, Channel 4’s remake of A Woman of Substance, and Matt Charman’s Prisoner for Sky.

BFI chief executive Ben Roberts framed the figures as evidence of the UK’s global competitiveness, emphasizing the industry’s economic impact and international pull. He highlighted the continued demand for UK-based crews and creative talent, noting that British-led productions consistently find audiences at home and abroad.

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UK culture secretary Ian Murray echoed that optimism, pointing to high-profile successes across both film and television. He cited projects ranging from Wicked and Hamnet to Bridgerton and Slow Horses as proof of the UK’s creative strength, while arguing that recently introduced tax measures will further bolster the independent sector.

However, Murray’s emphasis on existing tax incentives may temper hopes that the Labour government will soon expand the long-standing high-end TV tax credit. That rebate — which returns roughly 25 percent on qualifying productions costing more than £1 million per hour — has been in place for over a decade and is widely credited with helping establish the UK as a premier destination for prestige television.

As international investment continues to surge, the key question for the UK film industry remains whether domestic filmmaking can regain ground — or whether Britain’s production boom will increasingly serve global franchises over local voices.