A studio site near Watford was transformed into a jungle set for the upcoming film Jurassic World: Rebirth, starring Scarlett Johansson. The production took place at Sky Studios Elstree, allowing Universal Pictures to claim substantial financial support through the UK government’s film tax relief scheme.
Rebirth is the third Jurassic film made in the UK. Its predecessor, Jurassic World: Dominion, received £89.1 million from HMRC—the largest single payout to any film since the scheme began in 2007. The tax relief program provides studios with up to 25.5% reimbursement on production costs incurred in the UK, provided at least 10% of the film’s overall budget is spent domestically.
Dominion cost £453.6 million to make, placing it among the most expensive films ever produced. After receiving tax relief and an additional £2.8 million from the UK’s coronavirus furlough scheme, its net production cost was £361.7 million. The 2018 film Fallen Kingdom also received £70.7 million in tax relief, bringing the total support to nearly £160 million for the two films.
In 2023, HMRC awarded £553 million to movie studios through this scheme, with total disbursements since 2007 reaching £5.9 billion.
According to industry reports, every £1 paid out in tax relief generated £8.30 in Gross Value Added (GVA) for the UK economy in 2019. The scheme helped contribute £7.7 billion in GVA that year and supported over 68,000 jobs, including 49,845 in London and more than 19,000 elsewhere in the UK. Universal spent £37.5 million on production staff for both Dominion and Fallen Kingdom.
UK law requires studios to establish separate companies for each qualifying film to demonstrate eligibility. These entities must file detailed financial reports, providing insight into staffing, wages, and total expenditure.
Dominion was filmed in 2020 during the pandemic, with cast members quarantining for five months at a luxury hotel in Buckinghamshire.
The incentive scheme continues to attract large-scale international productions to the UK, with the associated spending generating tax revenues and economic activity across multiple sectors.
For more updates on this news, follow London Pulse News.
