Docklands Studios Melbourne is a major film and television production complex located in Melbourne’s redeveloped Docklands precinct. The site is approximately two kilometres (1.2 mi) from Melbourne’s Central Business District. The complex opened in 2004 and its primary function is to support Victoria's film and television industry and attract international and Australian productions to Melbourne. It is one of three major studios in Australia, the others being Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and Disney Studios Australia in Sydney. The facility has recently expanded, with completion in early 2022 of a new super stage (Stage 6) that is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.[1]
Background
Aerial perspective of the Docklands: Melbourne Flyer, the District and Docklands film studio
The push for Melbourne to build a major studio complex arose in the late 1990s amid concern that it was "losing some of its media city position to arch-rival Sydney and to the Gold Coast".[2] The strategic objectives were that construction of a major studio complex would represent Melbourne's maturity and global ambitions, develop production capacity to its next stage, and service the needs of the local film and television industry.[2] At the time, Melbourne had a number of smaller facilities with sound stages, but did not have a large state-of-the-art complex.[2]
History
Construction and early years
Construction began in 2003 on a parcel of land provided by the Victorian Government in the Docklands precinct.[2] The studios were a partnership between the Victorian Government and a private consortium, Central City Studio Holdings. The complex opened in April 2004 under the name Melbourne Central City Studios and that year hosted the Australian feature film production, Hating Alison Ashley.
In 2005, the American-backed Ghost Rider became the first international production at the studios and, with a budget of around A$120 million, was the biggest feature film ever to be made in Victoria.[3]
However, the number of international productions in the first few years of operation did not live up to expectations, partly because of the fluctuating Australian dollar.[4]
2008 upgrade
In 2008 the private consortium withdrew and the Victorian Government took control of the facility,[4] later financially supporting a A$10 million infrastructure upgrade.[5] Shortly afterwards, the complex changed its name to Docklands Studios Melbourne, formally adopting the name by which the studios were commonly known.[6]
2020s expansion
In October 2019, the Victorian government unveiled plans for construction of a $46 million super stage to enable the studios to host large international productions. The 3,700-square-metre (40,000 sq ft) building was officially opened on 26 March 2022 and was immediately hired for production of Better Man,[7] a biopic about Robbie Williams due for release in the second half of 2023.[8]
In April 2022, it was announced that the studios would host Victoria’s biggest ever screen production, a TV series remake of Fritz Lang’s 1927 Metropolis for NBC Universal’s Universal Studio Group.[9]
On June 18, 2023 online news site Deadline reported that production of Metropolis had permanently shut down as a result of push costs and uncertainty related to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. [10]
Since April 2022 the CEO of the complex has been film industry executive Antony Tulloch.[citation needed]
Facilities
The studio complex consists of six sound stages with a total area of close to 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft), various production offices, a workshop divided into bays of different sizes and parking for more than 650 vehicles.[11] The sound stages vary in size from 2,323 to 743 m2 (25,000 to 8,000 sq ft). They are hired for production of feature films, drama series and audience-based television programs as well as television commercials, music videos and corporate events.
