Foreign financing for U.K. film production plunged last year, falling 57% to £230 million, a drop industry officials link to the combined impact of post‑Sept. 11 uncertainty and the threat of action by American actors and writers.

Despite the downturn, only a handful of major Hollywood projects have secured agreements that allow shooting in Britain. Two high‑profile studio films — the new James Bond and the second Harry Potter picture — have reached interim deals with actors’ union Equity, and Equity has also signed short‑term agreements covering a dozen British productions.

Steve Norris, commissioner of the British Film Commission, warned that the dispute threatens to accelerate the flight of productions. “The situation is extremely grave,” he told a national paper, arguing that other countries are actively courting Hollywood and that producers who film abroad and have good experiences may not return. He warned of “a catastrophic year in terms of investment.”

Equity, which called the work action in December after its contract with the producers’ trade body expired, insists there is no clear evidence its measures are diverting projects and says it will negotiate with individual productions on a case‑by‑case basis.

Producers, organized under PACT, counter that Equity’s interim deals are prohibitively costly and remove incentives for filmmakers to choose the U.K. A PACT spokesman accused the union of “selective deafness,” predicting that major American shoots will start leaving the country. Neither PACT nor the Film Commission, however, offered concrete examples of films already redirected overseas because of the dispute.

At the heart of the disagreement are royalty and profit‑sharing claims. Equity wants British performers to receive a slice of worldwide video/DVD revenues for studio pictures and a share of net producer profits on independent films. PACT accepts the basic idea that British actors should be entitled to royalties similar to U.S. performers, but seeks to limit the calculation by excluding income from North America and continental Europe.

What are the Harry Potter Movies about and Where to Watch

The Harry Potter movies chronicle the magical adventures of young wizard Harry Potter as he attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, confronts the evil Lord Voldemort, and discovers his extraordinary destiny in the wizarding world. For fans wondering where to watch harry potter, the complete film series is available across several popular streaming services including HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and Netflix (though availability varies by region), with digital rental options also offered through platforms like Apple TV and Google Play.

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