Movie industry media coverage
Christian Sylt has been covering the film industry since 2012 for leading international publications including the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, the Daily Mail, the Independent, the London Evening Standard and Forbes. He has interviewed A List actors including Kurt Russell and Michael Douglas as well as studio executives such as Disney's former chief executive Michael Eisner. Christian's news coverage focuses on the cost of making movies, product placement deals in them, the amount of tax payers' money that is invested in them and the benefits they bring to the country where they are filmed. Some highlights of this are below.
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INDUSTRY INFRASTRUCTURE
Strikes cast dark spell over SFX firm Framestore Evening Standard 10 September 2024
Industrial Light & Magic blasts back from strikes as UK profits treble Evening Standard 14 August 2024
Vox forecasts return to pre-pandemic cinema revenue in 2025 Arabian Business 17 July 2024
Framestore's visuals bear fruit Sunday Express 7 January 2024
LUCASFILM FINANCES
AV is the real star of The Mandalorian AV Magazine February 2021
Disney's spending a force for good in UK Sunday Express 3 May 2020
£1.5bn Star Wars bill for Disney's UK subsidiaries Daily Telegraph 1 January 2020
UK feels the force of £265.4m economy boost Sunday Express 24 February 2019
Disney Recoups A Quarter of $4 Billion Star Wars Purchase Price Forbes 4 June 2018
Disney ploughs £200m into new frontier for Solo: A Star Wars Story Evening Standard 25 May 2018
Star Wars Is A Billion-Dollar Blockbuster For Britain Forbes 4 January 2018
Star Wars a positive force for UK Sunday Express 24 December 2017
Britain feels the full force of Star Wars success Sunday Express 27 March 2016
Star Wars brings £150m economic boost to Britain Daily Telegraph 13 September 2015
US media giant Disney handed £8m tax break by HMRC to make next Star Wars film in Britain Mail on Sunday 20 September 2014
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MARVEL STUDIOS FINANCES
Disney spent $90m making Moon Knight Arabian Business 14 December 2022
Disney banks on its blockbuster Marvels Sunday Express 26 July 2020
Pow! Final instalment of the Avengers superhero film franchise set to be the most expensive movie ever made with £430million spent on the blockbuster Mail on Sunday 10 February 2019
Disney Reveals Avengers: Infinity War's Financial Muscle Forbes 28 April 2018
Disney shells out £1.3bn to make Marvel films in the UK Daily Telegraph 9 April 2018
Disney Reveals Guardians Of The Galaxy Was Over Budget At $232 Million Forbes 27 January 2015
Disney lands £32 million tax credit as it plans to film next Avengers in the UK Evening Standard 9 October 2014
Disney handed record £31m tax credit for filming in UK The Independent 8 October 2014
Heroic £5.6m tax break for film maker Disney Sunday Express 20 July 2014
Government paid a record £22.4m towards the production of Thor: The Dark World, in a deal to encourage movie-making in the UK The Independent 7 July 2014
HMRC gives Disney £16m tax credits for superhero movies Daily Telegraph 29 Sep 2013
Captain America given £18.8m in tax credits after being classed as British film Mail on Sunday 1 December 2012
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WALT DISNEY STUDIOS FINANCES
Disney's £133m Artemis Fowl adventure is boon for UK film industry Daily Telegraph 15 June 2020
The $180 Million Cost Of Disney’s Live Action Remakes Forbes 16 September 2019
Britain laps up the lion's share of live action remakes Sunday Express 25 August 2019
UK cashes in on Disney's Aladdin Daily Telegraph 2 June 2019
Disney spent £100m making the new Mary Poppins in the UK The Guardian 6 January 2019
Disney's new Nutcracker movie is sweet news for UK film with the media giant splashing more than £85m on its production in Britain Mail on Sunday 28 October 2018
The $255 Million Spell That Disney Cast On Britain Forbes 8 June 2018
Revealed: Disney's Only Loss-making British Movie Forbes 10 February 2015
Disney rides off with £215m tax boost for its UK movies Mail on Sunday 7 February 2015
Disney Spends Record $580 Million Making Movies In Britain Forbes 13 November 2014
Revealed: The $307 Million Cost of Disney's John Carter Forbes 22 October 2014
Rags to riches: Disney earns £170m in tax breaks as UK film industry grows The Guardian 1 October 2014
Fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean Is Most Expensive Movie Ever With Costs Of $410 Million Forbes 22 July 2014
Disney chose the UK for blockbuster starring Angelina Jolie after pocketing a £13.6m tax break Daily Mail 20 May 2013
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STUDIO EXECUTIVE AND TALENT INTERVIEWS
Michael Eisner Reveals The Magic Touch That Gave A Glow to Disneyland Paris Forbes 9 September 2019
Disney’s Ex-Boss Reveals Magic Formula For Getting Into Soccer’s Premier League Forbes 3 August 2019
Ex-Disney mogul Michael Eisner tells how giants of television are lining up for an astronomically expensive battle with Netflix in...TV Star Wars Mail on Sunday 28 July 2019
Michael Douglas On A Lifetime As A Racing Fan Forbes 5 July 2018
Kurt Russell's wine brand GoGi spreads its wings as he secures a deal with $16.5bn drinks titan Southern Glazer's Mail on Sunday 26 May 2018
Disney's Lost Plans For a Domed City Forbes 3 May 2018
How Kurt Russell Has Grown His Legacy Forbes 28 April 2018
John Lasseter's Magic Formula for Creativity Forbes 7 August 2017
How genius John Lasseter gave Disney back its happy ending Mail on Sunday 22 July 2017
Putting A New Spin On Planet Hollywood Forbes 20 July 2017
Hitting the High Notes Etihad Inflight January 2011
What's the score? Metro 22 June 2005
MISCELLANEOUS STUDIOS
Films make Fast buck with £161m tax aid Sunday Express 31 March 2024
Giving the Game Away AV Magazine 7 July 2022
License to Bill: No Time To Die has become the most expensive James Bond film ever – at a cost of £200 million The Sun 16 May 2020
Dolittle's £21m tax boost for studio Mail on Sunday 9 February 2020
Leavesden film studios no 'muggles' as profits soar The Telegraph 20 October 2019
Warner Bros buys the London Film Museum, home of the iconic Bond cars Sunday Express 22 September 2019
Detective Pikachu boosts London visual effects firms Mail on Sunday 19 May 2019
French firm gets its paws on £22m tax break Mail on Sunday 26 August 2018
Taxman helps make it possible for Cruise’s Mission Sunday Express 29 July 2018
Tax scheme is roaring success for Universal Mail on Sunday 10 June 2018
Disney's Lost Plans For A Domed City Forbes 3 May 2018
Rupert Murdoch’s Fox gets £7 million tax break for making thriller 24 in London Evening Standard 23 July 2015
Having a laugh at £3.9 million expense to the taypayer Sunday Express 28 July 2013
Revenue & Customs gives Universal Pictures £8.4m in tax credit in return for filming Les Miserables in Britain Mail on Sunday 8 June 2013
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PRODUCT PLACEMENT ANALYSIS
How Marvel Fuels Profits For Audi Forbes 27 May 2019
The Marvellous Marketing Vehicle For The New Lexus Forbes 26 February 2018
How Hyundai Is Using Superheroes To Rev Up Its New Model Forbes 23 February 2018
Inside the big business of car product placement in films Daily Telegraph 19 February 2018
PRODUCT PLACEMENT ANALYSIS