Pinewood reports 12% rise in profits during 2008

Celluloid magic created at Pinewood and Shepperton last year helped the studios to a 12.4 per cent rise in pre-tax profits - reports The Scotsman.

Films such as Quantum of Solace, The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia! boosted pre-tax profits to £5.9 million in 2008, the firm said yesterday.

The historic studios group – which gave birth to the James Bond and Carry On films – grew its revenue by 5.5 per cent to £42.9m, recording growth across both its film and television studios, at which Dragons' Den and The IT Crowd are filmed.

A raft of movies filmed at Pinewood are due to be released over the coming months, including Richard Curtis's The Boat That Rocked and Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince. Pinewood Shepperton's directors maintained the final dividend of 2.3p, giving a total pay-out of 3.35p for the year.

Shares were unchanged last night at 120p.

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