Shadowbox Studios has secured £250m in financing for Shinfield Studios, its Berkshire film and television studio, from Apollo Global Management.
The refinancing follows the completion of construction last year – since which the 1 million sq ft site has hosted filming for high-profile productions including Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Disney+ Star Wars series The Acolyte.
Film and high-end television production spending in the UK reached £5.6bn last year according to the British Film Institute, with inward investment responsible for 86 per cent of that figure.
Peter Rumbold, chief executive of Shadowbox Studios, said: “We are tremendously proud of what we’ve accomplished since fully opening Shinfield Studios last year.
“Shadowbox’s business model is predicated on providing modern, high-quality film infrastructure.
“Today’s announcement both marks a major milestone for Shinfield and further validates the importance of purpose-built facilities within the global production landscape.”
Thuong Luong, executive vice-president of real estate investments and acquisitions at Shadowbox Studios, said: “Apollo’s breadth of experience across real estate, media, and entertainment makes them an ideal financing partner for Shinfield.
“We are thrilled to have worked with Apollo on the transaction and look forward to building on this relationship in the future.”
Ben Eppley, partner and head of real estate credit, Europe, at Apollo, added: “Shinfield Studios is among the most attractive and well-situated studios in Europe, with a strong and growing list of high-quality productions.”
Law firm Farrer & Co advised on the deal, with a multidisciplinary team including Mark Gauguier, Kate Corke, Sarah Aggarwal and Jamie Goldberg (commercial property), Clare Reddy and Alex Homatas (construction), Karen Phull and Amy Penrose (planning), Jon Haley and Rosanna Taylor (corporate), Martin Blake, Graham Dunn and Jessica Richards (banking) Jennifer Williams (employment), James Bromley and Katjana Cleasby (tax) and Matthew Konadu-Yiadom (IP&C).
Shadowbox Studios also owns and operates a nine-stage, 850,000 sq ft campus in Atlanta, Georgia, which has seen the filming of Jumanji: The Next Level, Jungle Cruise and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
It is currently developing a ten-stage, 500,000 sq ft studio on Australia’s Gold Coast.
