Production on Hugh Jackman’s X-Men spin-off The Wolverine helped boost Australia’s international filming figures for 2012/13 after two years with no big-budget foreign shoots. However, the high Australian dollar prompted a slump in post-production work for the year.
The BBC has reiterated plans to increase its Northern Ireland location filming in the coming years. In 2012 the corporation filmed just 1.3% of its overall content in the region - including crime drama Line of Duty - but it wants to more than double this figure by 2016.
London-based advertising company WPP enjoyed a strong first half of 2013, with pre-tax profits rising nearly 20%. Organic revenue growth reached 5% in July and as a result the company has slightly increased its full-year growth forecast.
An upcoming reboot of superhero franchise The Fantastic Four has cancelled plans to film on location in Vancouver. Twentieth Century Fox has instead opted to shoot in Louisiana, following the recent renewal of the southern state’s generous 30% filming tax credit.
British Columbia in western Canada has appealed to Ontario and Quebec for filming incentive co-operation. British Columbia argues that having the provinces work together will benefit Canada more than having each compete separately for international productions like Man of Steel.
Peter Jackson’s first Hobbit movie helped boost film tourism to New Zealand in the first quarter of 2013. There was a 23% increase in the number of Americans visiting the country and about one in ten US visitors said the film affected their travel decisions.
Taiwan has credited Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Life of Pi for its role in boosting tourism figures from Australia in the first quarter of 2013. The film spent five months filming on location in Taiwan and has reportedly had an impact on Australian film tourism.
Israel is hoping to boost Chinese film tourism by supporting the new Jerusalem-set Chinese movie Old Cinderella. The Israeli government has invested USD83,000 in the film and wants to build on a two-year surge in the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country.