Does the UK want to overshadow Hollywood?

Far from having been wiped out by the disaster scenario of the pandemic, the British film and series industry, already one of the most powerful in the world, is riding the streaming boom to overshadow Hollywood.

With its spectacular landscapes, its Gothic castles, its avant-garde studios, the United Kingdom has over the years been able to attract more and more international productions.

Read also: Pinewood studios taunt Hollywood

From the

to blockbusters like

or

, the American film giants and video-on-demand platforms are jostling there for their shootings.

"

" on a European scale, said Gary Davey, CEO of Sky Studios, to AFP.

Read also: Cineworld closes all of its 663 theaters after the postponement of the latest James Bond

The sector employs around 140,000 people, weighs several billion pounds and contributes to the influence of the United Kingdom in a world where American domination is overwhelming.

Resumption of the filming of

Mission Impossible 7

A sign of its importance, the government authorized the resumption of filming of

in

early July

, granting an exemption from quarantine for the film crews.

The Minister of Culture Oliver Dowden had even exchanged with the star Tom Cruise to reassure him.

The sector restarted quickly after the containment and "

" said David McGraynor, operational director of ITV Studios.

This restart is done at the cost of a very strict health protocol, detailed in a 50-page document that limits the number of people on the sets and face-to-face meetings between actors.

“

” Davey notes.

Filming can continue during the reconfinement decided until early December in England.

If the cinemas are deserted or closed due to the pandemic, and for lack of catchy releases like the new James Bond often delayed, "

", Vikram Malhotra, CEO of Indian company Abundantia Entertainment, told AFP.

“

,” said the Bollywood producer.

In addition to the English language, the country is full of talented players, has recognized technical expertise and offers favorable taxation for productions with, since 2007, a tax credit.

Streaming energizes English studios

The health crisis could even give a boost, since it accelerates the consumption of films and series in front of its screen at home, even as the switch to streaming in recent years has led to a rush to studios.

Sky gave the green light in July for the construction of the Sky Studios Elstree, which should open in 2022. They will be located next to the famous Elstree studios, which housed the filming of

or

.

In the east of the British capital, the local authorities have approved the construction of giant studios, a 300 million pound project which will see the light of day in 2022 and intends to become "

".

The British capital makes production life as easy as possible, a source of jobs.

Last year, she helped turn an abandoned factory into a filming location for an HBO production by series creator Joss Whedon, director of several blockbusters

in Marvel's

saga

.

Netflix, broadcaster of

series

on Queen Elizabeth II, has signed an agreement with Shepperton Studios in West London, while Disney has partnered with the famous and growing Pinewood Studios. and want to open attractions for the public.

In 2019, spending on audiovisual productions in the United Kingdom reached 3.7 billion pounds, including 2 billion for cinema.

This last figure is twice that of France (1.1 billion euros or one billion pounds at the current rate) but far behind Los Angeles (7.6 billion dollars in 2017 or 5.7 billion pounds ).

"

" for audiovisual production, promised Adrian Wooton, director general of the British Film Commission at a conference in September.

And he concludes optimistically: “

"