BFI OFFICIAL 2025 STATISTICS REVEAL £6.8 BILLION FILM AND HIGH-END TELEVISION (HETV) PRODUCTION SPEND IN THE UK
BFI OFFICIAL 2025 STATISTICS REVEAL £6.8 BILLION FILM AND HIGH-END TELEVISION (HETV) PRODUCTION SPEND IN THE UK
PRODUCTION SPEND UP £1.2 BILLION ON 2024’S FIGURES
SPEND ON INWARD INVESTMENT FILM AND HETV PRODUCTION REACHES £5.8 BILLION; DOMESTIC PRODUCTION AND CO-PRO
UK BOX OFFICE GENERATES £996.8 MILLION, UP 2% ON 2024
UK CINEMA ADMISSIONS AT 123.5 MILLION
UK-SHOT WICKED: FOR GOOD, AND BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY IN THE TOP THREE FILMS AT THE UK AND REPUBLIC OF IRELAND BOX OFFICE, BEHIND CHART TOPPER A MINECRAFT MOVIE
THE ROSES, WE LIVE IN TIME, THE SALT PATH AND I SWEAR LEAD UK INDEPENDENT BOX OFFICE CHART
- Film and high-end television production spend in the UK was £6.8 billion in 2025, a 22% increase on 2024 and the third highest annual spend on record.
- Film production reaches £2.8 billion, an increase of 31% on 2024 and the highest on record
- High-end TV production reaches £4 billion, an increase of 17% on 2024 and third highest annual spend since tax relief was introduced in 2013
- Inward investment films and HETV combined delivered £5.8 billion, or 85% of total UK production spend
- UK domestic film production spend is £193 million, 7% of the total spend on film; UK domestic HETV production spend is £688 million, 17% of total HETV production spend
- 2025 box office for films on release (including event cinema) in the UK totals £996.8 million, up 2% on 2024
but 21% behind 2019 levels - UK cinema admissions totalled 123.5 million in 2025, a 2% decrease on 2024; and 30% behind 2019 pre-pandemic levels
LONDON – Thursday 6 February 2026. 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 sec
The majority of the total £6.8 billion production spend was contributed by HETV, which accounted for £4 billion
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 20
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 Bri
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 Relief 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, creati
