Spend on film and high-end TV production in the U.K. fell just 21 percent in 2020 compared with 2019, according to official figures released by the British Film Institute.
With the coronavirus pandemic forcing months of halted filming, particularly in the months from March 2020, the dip might have been expected to have been considerable greater.
But thanks to strong first and last quarters, the overall total reached £2.84 billion ($1.6 billion), compared to 2019's £3.6 billion.
According to the BFI, 2020 started strongly and had been heading towards a record production spend for the first quarter. But by the end of March, around the start of the first lockdown, production had suspended with only some post-production, VFX and animation able.