Official BFI statistics reveal £6.8 billion film and high-end TV production spend in the UK

The latest official figures published today by the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit show that film and high-end TV production spend in the UK was £6.8 billion in 2025, a 22% increase on 2024’s first reported figures, demonstrating the sector has regained solid momentum and continues to generate billions to the UK economy.  

The majority of the total £6.8 billion production spend was contributed by HETV, which accounted for £4 billion (59% of the total spend), which is up 17% on 2024 figures and the third highest since the introduction of the tax relief. Feature film production contributed £2.8 billion (41% of the total spend) which is up 31% on 2024 figures, and the highest annual spend on record.  

Inward investment films and HETV shows combined delivered £5.8 billion, or 85% of the combined production spend, continuing to demonstrate the UK’s global reputation as the world-leading centre for international film and TV production. Across film and HETV, the total number of productions in 2025 is lower than in recent years but the spend is higher.  

HETV co-productions accounted more than four times the amount first reported for 2024 (£20 million), and the highest amount of coproduction spend since the introduction of HETV Tax Relief.     

The UK Box Office generated £996.8 million in 2025, up 2% on 2024 and down 21% on 2019. This was from 123.5 million admissions, 2% lower than 2024. A Minecraft Movie was the highest earning release at the UK and ROI box office with £56.9 million, and UK-shot films in the top 10 were Wicked: For Good at number two (£47 million), Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy at number three (£46.4 million), Jurassic World Rebirth at six (£36.1 million), Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning at nine (£26.4 million) and The Fantastic Four: First Steps at 10 (£24 million).  

The top five UK independent films at the UK and ROI box office in 2025 were The Roses (£10.3 million), We Live In Time (£8.8 million), The Salt Path (£8.1 million), I Swear (£6.1 million) and The Choral (£4.2 million). The market share of UK independent films was 6.8%, compared with 6.9% in 2024.  

Culture Minister Ian Murray said: “From Wicked and Hamnet to Bridgerton and Slow Horses - some of this year’s most successful films and high-end television were made in the UK. The creative brilliance of our independent film sector shone with films like Pillion and The Ballad of Wallis Island, and the tax measures we have introduced will only strengthen this part of the industry further in the years to come.  

“I’m delighted that audiences are continuing to return to the big screen. The economic bounceback of our film sector is fantastic to see, and is a testament to the talented workforce that exists across the country.  

“This Government is committed to working with the industry, as part of our Creative Industries Sector Plan, to ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world to make and screen film and TV.” 

Ben Roberts, BFI Chief Executive, said: “Today’s figures demonstrate the UK’s film and TV industries continue to drive a huge amount of investment into the UK economy and create jobs. We attract some of the most ambitious projects and leading international names to make work in the UK, while our creativity remains one of our greatest exports. Productions led by UK talent in front or behind the camera, and those which showcase our renowned and technically skilled crews, consistently attract audiences at home and across the globe. This has seen Wicked: For Good and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy leading the UK box office, and titles such as The Roses, We Live In Time and awards-front runners including Pillion, I Swear and The Ballad of Wallis Island helping to hold our market share steady.  

“Audiences have shown a strong appetite for cinemagoing, but our domestic industry remains under pressure. There are encouraging signs thanks in part to the Independent Film Tax Credit and the significant increase in budget for UK Global Screen Fund, but access to finance is an acute challenge. We continue to be focused on working closely with industry and Government to further advocate for investment in skills, infrastructure, creativity and innovation across the UK so we can remain attractive to international productions and strengthen our independent sector.” 

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission, said: “Today’s figures reflect another year of strong inward investment that speaks to the early success of the enhanced tax credits for film and VFX, as well as the wide range of films and HETV projects that represent ongoing and returning, multi-season projects and major Hollywood blockbusters. Crucially, it shows ‘steady as she goes’ growth across the UK, underlining how our industry is cementing and embedding a longer term, sustainable production ecosystem while confirming that studios, directors and producers continue to recognise the UK as a beacon of reliability for fiscal incentives, infrastructure and talent in a shifting, uncertain and highly competitive environment.” 

Of the total £2.77 billion spend on 193 film productions in 2025: 

• inward investment films contributed £2.51 billion, a 35% increase on 2024
• domestic UK films accounted for £193 million, a 4% increase on 2024
• co-production spend accounted for £68 million, a 14% decrease on 2024.   

193 films went into production in the UK in 2025, two more than initially reported for 2024. The total production spend was £2.77 billion, a 31% increase on £2.12 billion as first reported for 2024 (subsequently updated to £2.26 billion), and the highest annual spend on record.  

The majority of spend in 2025 was contributed by inward investment films with £2.51 billion from 58 features (down from 67 as first reported for 2024), continuing to demonstrate the UK’s reputation globally as a world-class production hub.   

Inward investment films which contributed to the £2.51 billion spend included Wuthering Heights, directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie; The Beatles – A Four-Film Cinematic Event directed by Sam Mendes and starring Harris Dickinson, Paul Mescal, Joseph Quinn and Barry Keoghan; Supergirl, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Milly Alcock, Matthias Schoenaerts and Emily Beecham; Avengers: Doomsday, directed by the Russo brothers and starring Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh and Robert Downey Jr.; The Christophers, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel and Jessica Gunning; and The Thomas Crown Affair, directed by Michael B. Jordan and starring Adria Arjona, Kenneth Branagh and Lily Gladstone.    

There were 96 domestic UK productions in 2025, up one from 2024, with UK spend of £193 million, a 4% increase on the first reported figure for 2024 (£186 million). These included Sense and Sensibility, directed by Georgia Oakley and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, and George MacKay; Chork, directed by Shane Meadows and starring Stevie Binns and Paul Frith; Effi o Blaenau, directed by Marc Evans and starring Leisa Gwenllian and Tom Rhys Harries; and 7 Miles Out, directed by Carol Morley. 

There were 39 co-productions in 2025, an increase of 10 from the number first reported for 2024 (29). UK spend on these co-productions was £68 million, down 14% on the first reported figure for 2024 (£79.8 million). An example of a co-production which started principal photography in 2025 is The Education of Jane Cumming, directed by Sophie Heldman and starring Flora Nicholson, Clare Dunne, Mia Tharia and Fiona Shaw, from UK/Germany/Switzerland.  

HETV production data in 2025 includes 14 feature-length single episode productions, with a combined UK spend of £279.5 million. These long-form productions are captured within HETV data alongside episodic series because they applied for certification as HETV to access HETV tax relief. 

In 2025 UK HETV spend was £4.03 billion, a 17% increase on 2024’s initially reported figure of £3.44 billion (revised to £3.75 billion).   

168 HETV shows started principal photography in 2025, 13 fewer than first reported for 2024 (181). Spend on inward investment shows accounted for 81% of the total with a spend of £3.26 billion, a 16% increase on 2024’s £2.82 billion. The £688 million spend on domestic shows accounted for 17% of the total HETV spend and represents a 15% increase on 2024’s £598 million. Co-productions accounted for 2% of the total spend with £84 million – more than four times the amount first reported for 2024 (£20 million), and the highest amount of coproduction spend since the introduction of HETV Tax Relief.   

Inward investment HETV productions starting principal photography in 2025 included Slow Horses series 7 and 8, Vision Quest, Outlander: Blood of My Blood series 2 and Harry Potter series 1.  

Domestic HETV productions that started filming in 2025 included Blue Lights series 3, A Woman of Substance, Silent Witness series 29 and Prisoner.  

HETV co-productions that started filming in 2025 included Ludwig series 2 (UK/Germany) and Counsels (UK/Germany). 

Box office takings in the UK in 2025 totalled £996.8 million, up 2% on 2024 and down 21% on 2019’s pre-pandemic £1.3 billion.  

Total admissions for 2025 totalled 123.5 million admissions, 2% lower than 2024 and 30% lower than 2019.  

The highest grossing release of 2025 in the UK and Republic of Ireland was A Minecraft Movie with £56.9 million, followed by Wicked: For Good with £47 million.  

Seventeen of 2025’s top 20 films were sequels, parts of pre-existing franchises, remakes, or films based on video game intellectual property (15 in 2024). The three releases outside this group were The Housemaid, Sinners and F1 the Movie.  

The box office revenue of the top 20 UK qualifying films in 2025 was £357.4 million, an 88% share of box office earnings for all UK qualifying Comscore-reported film releases in the year. For 2024, the top 20 UK qualifying features earned £366.0 million (a 92% share of the box office for UK qualifying releases), and for 2019 the top 20 UK qualifying films earned £515.4 million (an 83% share). 

The top grossing UK independent release was The Rose with £10.3 million, followed by We Live In Time, The Salt Path, I Swear and The Choral. In 2025, 10 UK independent films earned more than £2 million at the UK and ROI box office, compared with nine in 2024. In 2019, all 20 of the top UK independent releases earned £2 million or more. 

The total revenue of the top 20 UK independent films in 2025 was £61.9 million, a 90% share of the year’s box office for all UK independent Comscore-reported film releases. In 2024, the top 20 UK independent films earned £63.9 million (a 93% share of the box office for UK independent releases), and for 2019 the top 20 UK independent films earned £144.6 million (an 83% share).  

The market share (share of gross box office) of UK independent films in 2025 was 6.8%, compared with 6.9% in 2024. The market share of other UK qualifying films was 33.7%, one percentage point higher than in 2024 (32.7%).