Can a $290m film studio on a former cow paddock lure Hollywood to Perth?
Summary
A new $290 million film studio has opened near Perth, Western Australia, on land that was once a cow paddock. The studio aims to attract big film and TV productions by offering modern facilities and financial incentives, hoping to grow Western Australia’s share of the screen production industry from 1% to 10% over the next ten years.Key Facts
- Perth Film Studios opened on a 16-hectare site in Whiteman, north-east of Perth.
- The studio cost $233.5 million to build, funded by the Western Australian government, with an additional $57 million for operations over ten years.
- The facility includes four large sound stages, production offices, workshops, and a backlot larger than Perth’s Optus Stadium field.
- Tom Avison, experienced from Sky Studios Elstree in the UK, is the studio’s first CEO and promotes the location internationally.
- Australia’s drama production spending rose 43% from the previous year, reaching $2.7 billion in 2024-25.
- The studio offers financial incentives like production rebates and combines state and federal tax offsets to attract projects.
- The studio’s first project is a six-part mystery series called Two Birds, employing over 100 local workers and adding $17 million to the local economy.
- Western Australia’s diverse landscapes provide unique filming locations rarely used by large productions before.
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