Amazon Spends More Than $160 Million On Its Next Big Movie License

Core Insights - Amazon is investing heavily in film production, with over $160 million spent on its upcoming movie "Project Hail Mary," which is set to release in March next year [1][2] - The company aims to compete with Hollywood by acquiring significant film rights and production studios, including a $250 million purchase of "The Lord of the Rings" TV rights and an $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM [2][3] - The film adaptation of "Project Hail Mary," directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, is based on a bestselling novel by Andy Weir and has already garnered significant attention with over 400 million views on its trailer [6][7] Investment and Production Costs - The film rights for "Project Hail Mary" were acquired for $3 million in 2019, while the total production cost is reported to be $168.6 million as of December 31, 2024 [4][13] - Amazon's production company in the UK, Hail Leo UK Productions, benefits from the UK's Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC), which provides a cash reimbursement of up to 25.5% of eligible spending [8][15] - By the end of last year, the production had received a reimbursement of $30.2 million, reducing the net spending on the movie to $138.4 million [18] Economic Impact - The British Film Institute (BFI) reported that for every $1.31 reimbursed to studios, an additional $10.88 in Gross Value Added (GVA) is generated for the UK economy [19] - Between 2017 and 2019, fiscal incentives for film production in the UK generated a record $17.7 billion return on investment and created numerous jobs [20][21] - In 2019, filmmaking contributed to the creation of 49,845 jobs in London and 19,085 jobs in the rest of the UK [21]