Xavier Niel, the French billionaire behind the telco group Free, has completed the acquisition of a 119-acre former air base in Reims, Northern France, to build a massive film studio.
Niel is also the co-founder of Mediawan, the leading European producer-distribution group which is behind TV hits such as “Call My Agent!” and “High Potential,” and owns more than 80 companies globally, including Plan B (“F1: The Movie”), Chapter 2 (“The Count of Monte Cristo”), See-Saw Films (“Slow Horses”) and Chi-Fou-Mi (“Beating Hearts”).
The French entrepreneur bought the former air base through his holding, NJJ, rather than Mediawan.
Coined Studios de Reims, the filming location will be in construction until 2031 but is expected to be open for business by the end of 2026, according to the French outlet “L’Union,” which also reveals that the acquisition cost Niel an estimated €72 million ($84 million) with the French State contributing €12 million ($14 million).
The site will boast 17,000 square-meter of film sets, 28,000 square-meter of outdoor space and 22, 412 square-meter of additional space for offices and dressing rooms.
A spokesperson of Niel’s holding told “L’Union” that the Reims Studios will provide a filming location that’s “simpler and more streamlined in terms of logistics, at competitive prices given the saturation of supply in Paris.”
The Reims Studios could help France compete with other big European studios such as Pinewood in the U.K. and Babelsberg in Germany.
The French capital currently has the Studios de Paris which spreads 39 acres (16 hectares) and boasts a 102.000-square-feet sound stage. Another popular filming location near Paris is the Bry-sur-Marne Studios which features 62,300 square-feet of studio space across eight stages.
While not as competitive as the U.K. rebate, France has a tax incentive of 30% on local expenses for international productions which goes up to 40% for movies with VFX. Among the current big-budget productions currently lensing in France include Netflix’s “Emily in Paris.”