Pinewood Shepperton profits up as studios plead for more space
PINEWOOD Shepperton, the home of the James Bond series, has reeled in strong first-half growth but warned its needs more space to cope with demand for filming.
The film studio operator’s results were boosted by productions such as Disney’s Cinderella and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy.
And media investment revenue jumped to £11.2m in the six months to the end of September from £2.7m at the same time last year as the company invested in four more British films.
Revenue rose to £36.6m, up from £27.1m a year earlier and profit after tax was £3.4m, compared to £2m at the same time last year.
But Pinewood Shepperton said it was being held back by the size of its UK site, and was appealing a planning application rejection for its proposed £200m expansion.
Chief executive Ivan Dunleavy said: “The UK, and Pinewood Shepperton in particular, continue to be in great demand from international content producers. But in order to continue growing the UK’s market share, we will need more studios and related facilities.”