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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Caroline Reid and Christian Sylt

UK taxpayers contributed £89m to the most expensive movie ever made

Scarlett Johansson on set in Jurassic World: Rebirth.
Scarlett Johansson on set in Jurassic World: Rebirth. Photograph: Capital Pictures/Alamy

A leafy corner to the west of Watford was transformed into a jungle last year. Authentic-looking exotic flowers lined the floor, tree trunks soared up to an artificial canopy and reeds hung from their branches. Peering between them was Hollywood A-lister Scarlett Johansson.

The extravagant construction was a set in Sky Studios Elstree where the movie Jurassic World: Rebirth was being made. Filming there, instead of in an actual jungle, enabled Universal Pictures to pocket millions of pounds of UK taxpayers’ money to partially cover its blockbuster costs.

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