Disney’s EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) boss Jan Koeppen recently revealed during an interview with FT that Disney plans to spend at least $5 billion in the UK and continental Europe over the next five years to produce blockbuster movies and TV shows.

There have been plenty of original shows created for Disney+ in the UK and Europe since the streaming service launched, including “Extraordinary”, “Renegade Nell”, and the upcoming series, “Rivals”.

Disney also films many of its biggest blockbusters at locations across the UK, including the latest Marvel film, “Deadpool & Wolverine”, along with the “Star Wars” films and “Andor” Disney+ Original series.   In the past five years, Disney has spent $3.5 billion on filming its biggest films at Pinewood Studios.

Over the next five years, Disney is going to be committing to spending at least a billion a year in the UK across films, Disney+, National Geographic and other TV productions.

Upcoming theatrical releases filmed in the UK include “Snow White”, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”, “The Roses” and “The Amateur”.

“We are probably one of the fastest-growing media companies in [Europe, the Middle East and Africa].  We have been over the past few years, and . . . we have a lot more growth ahead of us.”

The UK culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, responded to the news of this $5 billion investment, saying that “this major investment by Disney not only means that some of the world’s best-loved blockbusters will continue to wear a ‘made in Britain’ tag, it is a vote of confidence in our mission to cement our status as a global leader in filmmaking”.

Roger’s Take: Disney has always had a long history of filming in London and across Europe.  This is likely to continue for many reasons: talent, tax benefits, additional studio space, and also being legally required to comply with a quota.  However, while a billion dollars of investment in content sounds fantastic (which it is), there is little doubt we are seeing a drastic reduction in the amount of original content being created specifically for European audiences.  The major films like “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Snow White” are created for a global audience, but ultimately, this investment is great for the UK and European film industry.

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Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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