The Mouse House is setting up shop in the U.K.Disneyhas signed a long-term, ten-year deal that will see them occupy Pinewood Studios, the iconic location known for playing home to many of the James Bond movies. Under the new deal, Disney will take all of the stages, backlots and other production accommodations at the location in Buckinghamshire. This is just one more small brick in the increasingly large wall that is Disney’s dominance in the industry.
Disney will now control almost all of the studio space on site. Only a couple of television studios will remain available for other studios to utilize.Pinewood Studiosand Disney didn’t disclose financial terms of the deal. Disney has used the studio many times in the past on some hit blockbusters. The live-action remakes ofCinderellaandBeauty and the Beastutilized the space, as didDoctor Strangeand other Marvel movies. Paul Golding, chairman of Pinewood Group, had this to say in a statement.
“It’s wonderful to have Disney here at Pinewood. They’ve been making great films with us for many years and the fact they want to shoot so many more here is testimony not only to the quality of the teams and infrastructure at Pinewood, but also to theBritish film industryas a whole.”
Back in May, Disney announced release dates for 67 titles through 2027. This came not long after the merger with Fox finally went into effect. Point being, they could use the studio space. Disney’s Marvel Studios also has a major production site set up in Atlanta. But given the popularity and convenience of shooting in the U.K., this is a move that makes a great deal of sense.
Disney currently has a stranglehold on the worldwide box office that is downright stunning. No other studio even comes close to their level of dominance. This year alone, they’ve had five movies cross the $1 billion mark at the box office, includingAvengers: Endgame, which now stands as thehighest-grossing movie ever made.They’ve also still gotMaleficent: Mistress of Evil,Frozen 2andStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkercoming down the pipeline. They’re just getting started, and the future looks bright.
Netflix struck a similar deal with Pinewood for itsstudio facilities in Sheppertonearlier this year. Coincidentally, Netflix will be going to war with Disney in the streaming service game in the very near future, as Disney+ is set to launch in November. So, not only with Disney have its massive film slate to worry about, but they’re also going to have a ton of content to produce for Disney+, which Pinewood could also come in handy for.Black Widow, the first Phase 4 MCU movie, has been making use of Pinewood recently. Disney has also produced recentStar Warsmovies at the iconic site. This news comes to us viaThe Hollywood Reporter.
