Amazon Prime Video acquires UK’s Bray film studios

Located 26 miles outside central London, the studio includes 53,600 square feet of sound stage space across five stages. Bray Film Studios also comes with 77,400 square feet of workshops, 39,400 square feet of office space, 182,900 square feet of backlot, and 156,000 square feet of parking space.

Bray Film Studio has been the production home for the second season of Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power since 2022.

The first Amazon MGM Studios production to be located at the studio post-acquisition will be the second season of the Russo Brothers’ spy series Citadel, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, which is scheduled to begin filming in September 2024.

The purchase is in addition to Amazon’s significant presence at the UK’s Shepperton Studios, where it has a long-term contract for the exclusive use of nine new state-of-the-art sound stages, workshops, and office accommodation, totalling approximately 450,000 square feet.

The studios are perhaps best known as the home of horror specialists Hammer Films who moved on-site in 1951. Ridley Scott built and shot the miniatures for his Academy Award-winning sci-fi thriller, Alien, at the studios in 1978 and a few years before, the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was brought to life at Bray.

Mike Hopkins, Head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, said: “The acquisition of a studio with such a storied heritage not only empowers us to produce more film and television in the UK, but also unveils a wealth of opportunities in the local community with respect to jobs and skills training at all levels of the production process.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, added: “From Rocketman to The Rocky Horror Picture Show, for 70 years Bray Studios has brought us some of cinema’s most iconic moments. We are determined to support the huge potential for economic growth in our creative industries. We want to do all we can to help make sure career opportunities in these exciting sectors are available for people from all backgrounds right across the UK.”

Frank Burke, Chairman of Bray Film Studios Ltd, the previous owner of the site, said: “For 70 plus years, Bray Studios has held an important place in the history of British film making. During our period of ownership, I, together with my family and team have witnessed the rebirth of this iconic facility and we are extremely proud of the part we have been able to play in bringing it to renewed prominence. We are now genuinely excited to be handing the studios over to Amazon, who we believe share our commitment to quality and excellence and are perfectly suited to preserving the character of the studio while enhancing the first-class creative production spaces for generations of filmmakers to come.” IBC365