Auckland's screen production sector earned more than $1.1 billion in gross revenue in 2017, according to Statistics New Zealand's latest annual industry economic data.
Film, TV productions and commercials
Auckland has a burgeoning international reputation as a feature film destination and saw a 37 per cent increase in gross revenue from feature film production and post-production to nearly $490 million.
The region is also the country's dominant location for television production. It earned $420 million (or 90 per cent) of the national gross revenue from television commercial production and post-production and $121 million (or 84 per cent) of the country's television series production and post-production gross revenue.
The number of businesses involved in Auckland's screen industry grew 9 per cent in 2017.
2017 film and television highlights
Last year's productions included: The Legend of Monkey television series at Kumeū Film Studios, commissioned by Netflix; the award-winning Australian TV series 800 Words, produced in Auckland by South Pacific Pictures; and the latest Stephen David Entertainment TV series, James Patterson's Murder is Forever. STX Entertainment's feature film Adrift was also partially filmed in Auckland last year.
World-class assets
Nick Hill, chief executive of Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED), which works with industry and agency partners to grow the industry in Auckland and New Zealand, says the fourth straight year of significant production revenue growth is great news for the region.
"With the two new sound stages at Kumeū Film Studios about to be completed and a major international production ready to move in for the rest of the year, and a number of other key television productions such as Power Rangers – in town again at Studio West and on location – this year is another strong one."
"The local industry is in a very good place, with confidence as a result of the pipeline of international and domestic productions and the new infrastructure coming on stream," he says.
Kumeū Film Studios has world-class assets thanks to a legacy partnership involving Warner Bros/Gravity Pictures, the New Zealand Film Commission, and ATEED on behalf of Auckland Council, and the significant investment of the private landowner who funded the new sound stages' construction.
Read the full report at Statistics NZ and find out more about Auckland's screen industry at ATEED.
