BFI: Combined spend by UK film and HETV production during 2023 reached £4.23 billion

The latest official figures published today (2 February 2024) by the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit show that in a year in which film and high-end TV production was impacted globally by the Hollywood strikes, it continued to generate billions to the UK economy. The combined spend by film and high-end television production (HETV) during 2023 reached £4.23 billion, 32% down on 2022 but almost level with pre-pandemic levels.  

 The lion’s share of the total £4.23 billion production spend was contributed by HETV shows with £2.87 billion, or 68%; with feature film production contributing £1.36 billion, or 32% of the total spend.  

 Inward investment and co-production films and HETV shows combined, delivered £3.31 billion, or 78% of the combined production spend continuing to demonstrate the UK’s global reputation as the world-leading centre for international film and TV production.  

 Of the total £2.87 billion spend on 187 HETV productions in 2023: 

• inward investment shows contributed £2.07 billion (72% of total HETV spend), a 43% decrease on 2022;  
• domestic UK shows accounted for £766 million (27% of total HETV spend), a 21% increase on 2022; and 
• co-production spend was £38.9 million (1.4% of total spend), a 7% increase on 2022. 

 Of the total £1.36 billion spend on 207 film productions in 2023: 

• inward investment films contributed £1.04 billion (77% of total film spend), a 40% decrease on 2022;  
• domestic UK films accounted for £150.2 million (just over 11% of total film spend) a 13% decrease on 2022; and  
• co-production spend accounted for £162.8 million (just over 12% of total film spend), more than two and a half times spend in 2022.   

 The production statistics also reveal a varying level of investment made by streamer platforms in single long-form ‘film’ productions (ie not episodic or series). In 2023, there were 18 single domestic UK and inward investment productions which contributed £379.2 million to the HETV spend of £2.87 billion. However, the methodology to collate the data requires complicated analysis; whilst most productions for streamers are captured within the data for HETV production because they utilise the HETV cultural test to access tax relief, some are now captured within film data because they utilise the film cultural test.   

 Total admissions for 2023 reached 123.6 million admissions, an increase of 5.5% on 2022 helped by a strong summer box office, but lagging behind the pre-pandemic year of 2019 by 30% (176 million admissions).  

 Box office takings in the UK and the Republic of Ireland in 2023 totalled £985.8 million across 822 films, 4% more than £945 million earned by 834 releases in 2022, but 24% behind 2019’s total box office.  

 The highest grossing release of 2023 was Barbie with £95.6 million, representing 10% of the year’s total box office and outstripping 2022’s top grossing film Top Gun: Maverick (83.7 million).  Barbie’s same-day release partner Oppenheimer is the second biggest film of the year with £58.9 million and is currently on re-release. 

 The top 20 film releases of the year in the UK and Republic of Ireland also feature ten UK/USA feature films (including one UK/USA/China) made in the UK: Barbie, Wonka, The Little Mermaid, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Indiana Jones And The Dial of Destiny, Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, Fast X, Napoleon, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves and Meg 2.

 Of the top 20 UK qualifying film releases which grossed £372.9 million – 47% more than 2022’s top 20 – 18 are UK collaborations with other countries. 

 The top grossing UK independent film was The Great Escaper with £5.31 million followed by What’s Love Got To Do With It?, Empire Of Light, Allelujah and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

 The total box office for the 2023 top 20 UK independent films was £33.7 million, 51% behind £69.2 million in 2022, representing 92% of the total box office for UK independent film over the year. Overall, independent UK films account for 3.8% of the total UK box office equating to £37.4 million box office. 

“While the American strikes mean it has been a challenging year for global film production, the future for British film remains bright as it continues to bring in billions of pounds to our economy,” said Lucy Frazer, Culture Secretary. ”Five of the top ten highest grossing films at the UK box office were made on British soil, which is testament to our film industry’s ability to draw audiences to cinemas and compete on the world stage. 

 “Our success is built on the innate talent of our actors, writers, creatives and crews. But it is also a product of this government’s efforts – through our tax reliefs and investments in skills, technology and studio infrastructure – to make the UK the best place to write, produce and direct. We will continue to champion our screen sectors as we deliver our plans to boost the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030 and keep the success story of UK studios and cinemas going.” 

“The production and box office figures that we have published today reflect the different dynamics at play across our sector,” noted Ben Roberts, BFI chief executive. “Whilst a level of film and high-end television production in the UK was disrupted by strikes in 2024, our industry continues to contribute billions to the UK economy and support a huge range of jobs. At the same time, audiences showed up in record numbers for must-see movies including Barbie, Oppenheimer and Wonka all of which exemplify the talent and artistry of so many UK creatives. 

 “And despite notable recent successes such as The Great Escaper, Rye Lane, Scrapper, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Polite Society, we cannot ignore that the statistics also highlight concerns for lower budget UK films, increasingly challenged in securing finance and visibility. Our work and commitment in this area continues.” 

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said: ‘’Globally, the current environment for film and TV production has become challenging for a number of reasons and it will come as no surprise that as a result of industrial action in the US suspending production half way through the year, today’s figures are lower than those for 2022. However, despite this, we remain incredibly proud of the UK’s position as a leading global centre for film and TV production, post and visual effects, attracting international and domestic producers to make their content here. This is the result of our world-class crew base – in which we continue to invest, our generous tax credits – which have once again been enhanced, and our increased UK-wide stage space offer, coupled with our range of cutting-edge facilities and diverse locations.”

See the full report at: www.bfi.org.uk/industry-data-insights/official-statistics-release-calendar