Auckland Film Studios Sells to The Xytech Group

Auckland Film Studios (AFS) has been sold to The Xytech Group, a fully integrated studio infrastructure platform providing stage capacity, technical facilities, equipment rental and virtual production capability for multiple concurrent productions across New Zealand and international markets.

The purchase secures AFS as a long-term production hub and materially expands Xytech’s studio footprint in Auckland, where the company now operates ten stages across multiple sites, representing more than 500,000 square feet of combined production, workshop and support facilities.

Auckland Film Studios has a decades-long track record of hosting international productions, from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess through to recent studio and streamer titles such as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video), A Minecraft Movie (Warner Bros.), Predator: Badlands (Disney/20th Century Studios), The Wrecking Crew (Amazon MGM Studios) and Heart of the Beast (Paramount Studios).

The deal comes amid renewed international interest in New Zealand as a production base following the New Zealand government’s November update to the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate, which reaffirmed the country’s long-term commitment to attracting major international film and television projects and supporting the facilities required to deliver them.

Recent productions shot in New Zealand include Spartacus: House of Ashur for STARZ Entertainment/Lionsgate, Predator: Badlands and Avatar 3: Fire and Ash for 20th Century Studios/Disney, A Minecraft Movie for Warner Bros., The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power for Prime Video, East of Eden for Netflix and Chief of War for Apple TV, among many others.

“International productions are creatively drawn to New Zealand, with confidence in the capability of our crew, the quality of our screen infrastructure and the certainty we’re able to deliver over the long term,” said Philippa Mossman, head of international attraction and marketing for the New Zealand Film Commission. “Recent updates to the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate have reinforced that proposition, strengthening our offer at a time when productions are more than ever making highly considered location decisions.”

She added, “Investment by long-term industry operators, in facilities like Auckland Film Studios underpins productivity in the screen sector and supports sustainable employment for our skilled local workforce and vendors.”