Auckland Council has offloaded its famous Auckland Film Studios, with the Mayor hailing the move as “a win” for the local screen production sector.
The company is being sold to Auckland Film Studios Limited, a division of the Xytech Group, for an undisclosed sum.
The council confirmed the sale will safeguard the New Zealand Government’s $30 million contribution for two new sound stages, which will revert to the council for deposit in a fund and reinvestment in additional Auckland screen infrastructure.
Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown described the sale as “a win for our region’s outstanding screen production industry.”
“I’ve some experience here developing movie theatres and film studios; I know the industry, and this is a good move that also delivers for ratepayers. We’ll be handing this over to a seasoned operator, and that’s where it should be.”
Auckland Film Studios has hosted numerous New Zealand and international productions, including Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, A Minecraft Movie, The Wrecking Crew, and Predator: Badlands.
Xytech, founded in 1997 by chief executive Stephen Pryor, owns and operates X3 Studios—a 24,000 sqm studio and production facility in Wiri, South Auckland.
The studio, which opened in 2020, has since hosted major productions like all three seasons of the breakout Netflix hit and Emmy-winning Sweet Tooth, plus the fifth instalment of the Spartacus series for Lionsgate/Starz Entertainment.
“My earliest connection to Auckland Film Studios goes back to 1992, and in the years since then, Xytech has been a major supplier to almost all of the projects that have filmed at AFS,” Pryor said.
“I’m excited by the opportunities that acquiring the studios gives us to continue growing AFS and the screen sector for decades to come.”