What Will Become of Malaysia’s $150M Film Studio After Pinewood Pulls Out?1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAfter some early missteps, the state-of-the-art Iskandar Malaysia Studios is trying to turn a page and attract more of the big-budget international film and television projects it was built to service.
Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios opened in June 2014 with global fanfare and an estimated $150 million in investment aimed at turning the Southeast Asian nation into a major hub for international film production.
Five years later, on a considerably more downbeat note, Pinewood and their Malaysian partners officially parted ways.
The Malaysian studio appeared to get off to a strong start back in 2014 when it signed a deal to host the Weinstein Company’s $90 million Netflix series Marco Polo. But the series was axed after just two seasons amid reports of strained relations between production partners. What was supposed to be a test case for Maylasia’s tax rebate system — which promises visiting productions a 30 percent cash rebate on local spend — turned into a marketing disaster as reports emerged that Marco Polo producers have struggled to claim the rebate promised by the Film in Malaysia Film Incentive (FIMI).
Photo credit: Hollywood Reporter
