Barbie movie added £80m to UK economy and used 6,000 extras, Warner Bros says

Hit movie Barbie contributed more than £80m to the UK economy during filming, according to Warner Bros.

The studio said the production created 685 jobs, employed over 6,000 extras, supported 754 local businesses and paid more than £40m in local wages.

Directed by Greta Gerwig, the film was partly shot at the Warner Bros studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire.

The movie has generated £95m in UK box office revenues, Warner added in evidence to a Parliamentary committee.

While Barbieland was designed to look like a toytown California, sets such as Barbie's Dreamhouse were built and filmed in the UK studio.

Other movies that have been partly filmed at the Warner Bros Discovery studio include the Fantastic Beasts films, The Batman, Aquaman and House of the Dragon.

The studio has also been home to the Harry Potter franchise, which was filmed there for over 10 years.

The 200-acre site just north of London has also been used to film the forthcoming Wonka, inspired by Roald Dahl's much-loved children's book Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.

The film, directed by Paddington film-maker Paul King, features Timothée Chalamet, Olivia Colman, Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Grant.

In its submission to the Culture, Media and Sport committee inquiry into British film and high-end television, Warner Bros Discovery said the UK is the company's largest base outside the US, with over 4,000 permanent staff.

It has announced a major expansion of its studio, with plans to increase capacity of Leavesden by more than 50% and create another 4,000 jobs.

The expanded complex will become a primary production hub for DC Studios, the home of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, it added.