Hertfordshire hailed as ‘the new Hollywood’ after Barbie and Wonka prove box-office smashes
Hertfordshire is being hailed as “the new Hollywood” after producing two of the top three performers at the UK and Ireland box office.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was the highest-grossing film of 2023 in a vote of “confidence” for the county’s film industry.
According to the British Film Institute (BFI), the movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling earned £95.6 million in box office revenue.
Like third-placed Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet and Olivia Colman, it was produced at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, on the outskirts of Watford.
The Warner Bros production grossed £58.4m. It missed out on second place to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which grossed £58.9m.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which used the Leavesden studios, came in at eighth (£26.6m).
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Hertfordshire is the jewel in the crown of the British film industry. From Star Wars to Paddington, it’s the proud birthplace of some of the most cherished moments in cinema history, so it’s no surprise that Barbie – filmed not in Hollywood but at the remarkable Leavesden Studios – has smashed UK box office records.
“Millions of pounds are spent on film and high-end TV production in Hertfordshire each year and the county’s success lies in its attractiveness to world-renowned studios and its highly-talented workforce.
“I launched plans last year to grow the creative industries by £50 billion by 2030, committing to developing and investing in skills, talent, technology and studio infrastructure, including through our UK Global Screen Fund and generous tax reliefs. This will help keep Hertfordshire and the whole of the UK at the forefront of movie making.”
Howard Berry, lead researcher at The Elstree Project and principal lecturer for film and TV degrees at the University of Hertfordshire, said: “The success of Barbie is brilliant for the country’s studios, but the fact that it was made here shows confidence in the county.
“Hertfordshire has been producing films since around 1914, before the likes of Pinewood. The heritage runs deep, but we are keeping up with the digital innovation, too.
“We’ve always been home to iconic productions – 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Where Eagles Dare (1968), The Shining (1980) and, of course, the Star Wars [franchise] and the James Bonds.
”Barbie and Wonka are similar in that these are films that aren’t going to disappear and be forgotten about. Barbie in particular is going to be one of those films we’re going to be analysing and talking about for years to come – and Hertfordshire made it.”
Statistics released by the BFI show the total British Isles box office revenue for 2023 was £985m – up 4% on 2022, when Top Gun: Maverick topped the tables (£83.7m).
But box office revenues were 24% lower than for 2019, when Avengers: Endgame grossed £88.7m to claim the top spot.
A total of 207 feature films started shooting in the UK during 2023, which is 13 fewer than reported in 2022.
The total UK production spend for film starts in 2023 is a reported £1.36bn, down 31% year-on-year.
Earlier in 2023, Warner Bros Studios Leavesden confirmed it would press ahead with plans for a 400,000 sq ft (37,200 sq m) expansion.
Production for the 2024 adaptation of Wicked, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, became the first feature film production to shoot at Sky Studios Elstree in Borehamwood. Los Angeles’ Sunset Studios is building new stages near the M25 at Waltham Cross.
Emily Stillman, senior vice president at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden, said: “Major productions are attracted to our world-class facilities, the high level of service we offer and access to outstanding UK crews.
“With plans to expand the studio by adding another 10 sound stages, we’re looking forward to further growing our economic and community contributions to the UK creative sector.”
Conservative Cllr Stephen Boulton, executive member for sustainable economic growth at Hertfordshire County Council, said: “Hertfordshire is the new Hollywood. That’s the line which is put around a lot, but it’s becoming true.
“We have a lot of stage production space in Hertfordshire, with more and more made in the county. It shows Hertfordshire is a county for growth, supporting existing and new businesses.
“We are an important part of the British economy and, as the film industry grows, we will need to make sure they have the space and infrastructure to support that growth.”
Liberal Democrat Cllr Sarah Nelmes is leader of Three Rivers District Council, which covers Leavesden, and a member of the Hertfordshire Growth Board, a panel comprising the county’s local authority leaders.
“Film and screen industries are very important sectors in Hertfordshire’s economy, providing secure, quality jobs,” she said.
“Isn’t it exciting that Hertfordshire productions are so strongly represented? The industry creates thousands of good roles and excellent films.
“Hertfordshire’s film and TV industry badly needs well-trained local people, and that is something we are working on at the growth board.”