{"id":581594,"date":"2026-05-13T11:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T11:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/581594\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T11:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T11:30:13","slug":"theatre-impresario-john-gore-on-his-100m-bet-on-the-uk-film-industry-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/581594\/","title":{"rendered":"Theatre impresario John Gore on his \u00a3100m bet on the UK film industry | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"John<\/p>\n

Theatre impresario John Gore \u2014 who has backed hit stage shows such as Hamil\u00adton and The Book Of Mormon \u2014 was sitting next to Joan Collins at a King\u2019s Trust dinner in late 2023 when the legendary British actress pitched him a film project. <\/p>\n

It was a story, ironically given the setting, about Wallis Simpson, the US divorcee whose marriage to King Edward VIII sparked a crisis for the UK monarchy. But this project, written for Collins by Louise Fennell, focused on Simpson\u2019s final years when a coercive French lawyer took control of her life, cutting her off from friends and family.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fast forward to Cannes 2026, and My Duchess, directed by Mike Newell and starring Collins as Simpson alongside Isabella Rossellini, will have its market premiere, with Embankment Films handling sales. \u201cI feel that it\u2019s the performance of her life,\u201d says Gore, who agreed to fully fund the movie after meeting Collins at the dinner.<\/p>\n

The story illustrates the speed at which Gore works, and the kind of projects he backs. My Duchess is one of six UK films featuring high-profile talent that he has bankrolled and produced since launching London-based John Gore Studios in January 2025 (see box at the bottom).<\/p>\n

At the same time, John Gore Studios has been on an acquisition spree, buying a string of established UK companies \u2014 spanning production, IP, distribution and sales \u2014 with the ambition of building a vertically integrated film and TV studio operation (see below).\u00a0<\/p>\n

In total, Gore says he has invested $135m (\u00a3100m) so far on building up John Gore Studios. At a time when many companies are reining in spend on film and TV, the creation of a new studio business is a significant shot in the arm for the UK industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As John Gore Studios brings its film projects to Cannes, the big question is, how will this bet play out? For some, Gore has been canny in his timing, investing at an opportune moment given the widespread production slowdown and greater talent availability \u2014 and he comes with an impressive track record in show business. But, as many point out, it is not easy to find success in the notoriously difficult UK film\u00a0industry.<\/p>\n

Origin story<\/p>\n

Speaking from New York, Gore says he is nursing a \u201cthick head\u201d the morning after celebrating the Broadway premiere of Schmigadoon!, a send-up of musicals that The New York Times declared \u201ca blast\u201d. It is the run-up to the Tony Awards, he explains, an important launch moment in the theatre calendar. \u201cIf you win a Tony for best musical, it\u2019s worth more than winning an Oscar for best picture. It\u2019s basically a $100m prize.\u201d (A few days later,\u00a0Schmigadoon! picked up 12 Tony nominations)<\/p>\n

If anyone should know about the economics of the theatre, it is Gore, who has 25 Tonys to his name. The UK entrepreneur has made a fortune in theatre \u2014 The Sunday Times Rich List put his worth at $2.9bn (\u00a32.2bn) in 2025 \u2014 since leaving the UK in his mid-twenties to produce stage shows in the US. But he has always harboured an ambition to make films and TV shows, growing up watching foreign-language features on the BBC as well as Thunderbirds, Alfred Hitchcock and the Hammer horror films. \u201cI wanted to be doing these things,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Gore was, however, initially pulled towards the theatre. It started at Harrow, the UK public school where much of his education took place. \u201cI\u00a0was the second boy to direct a play at my school. The first was a total unknown called Richard Curtis,\u201d he says with a laugh, referring to the director of Love Actually. \u201cHe kicked down the doors. He [co-directed] with a teacher. I went one step further \u2014 I\u00a0fired the teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

Gore went on to train as an actor and director at Royal Holloway, University of London. Aged 25, he produced a stage version of Thunderbirds i n the West End, working with its creator Gerry Anderson, who he describes as an important mentor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also worked with Warner Bros, directing a stage version of the Batman TV show and sharing an office with its producer Simon Cowell. Both wanted to take it to the West End, but Warners pulled the plug when it started making Tim Burton\u2019s more serious movie.<\/p>\n

Soon after, Gore moved to the US, establishing himself as a theatre producer, financier and distributor through his wholly owned John Gore Organisation. It owns Broadway Across America, a major presenter and producer of touring musicals and stage plays across more than 45 cities in the US and Canada, as well as ticket operation Broadway.com.<\/p>\n

As an investor, Gore has backed hits such as Hamilton and Moulin Rouge. \u201cWe usually don\u2019t take more than 5% because we cover a lot of shows,\u201d he says. \u201cBut then we are the distributor of them too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Theatre may have a reputation as a money pit but the rewards are enormous when a show strikes the jackpot. \u201cThe studios are all making shows for Broadway. We spend a lot of time with Universal, with Warner Bros \u2014 their highest-grossing products are theatre,\u201d says Gore.<\/p>\n

He cites Universal\u2019s Wicked andWicked: For Good, which together earned $1.3bn at the global box office. \u201cThat\u2019s about 10% of what the actual musical has done,\u201d he claims. \u201cThe numbers on theatre are staggering. It leaves Avatar, all of them, behind. The Lion King musical is now at a $15bn gross.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gore, the launch of his UK film and TV business was about satisfying his early desire to work in the industry. \u201cI always hoped to do film and TV, but instead the theatre thing got bigger and bigger,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s taken this long to be [in the position] where I can personally be the greenlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Staffing up<\/p>\n

\"Hilary<\/p>\n

John Gore Studios officially launched in January 2025, with Gore appointing Hilary Strong as CEO. Bringing a long track record in film, TV and IP, Strong is the former head of Agatha Christie Ltd, where she helped revamp the mystery writer\u2019s estate as viable film and TV property, along the way executive producing Kenneth Branagh\u2019s 2017 feature Murder On The Orient Express and 2015 BBC series And Then There Were None.<\/p>\n

She also co-founded International Literary Properties to manage IP for literary estates, and is a former commercial director at leading UK indie TV outfit Hat Trick Productions.<\/p>\n

The studios\u2019 executive team is rounded out by chief acquisition officer Jonathan Lack, creative director Francis Hopkinson and COO and general counsel Anouska Spiers.<\/p>\n

Gore and Strong had met years before through Jamie Anderson, who is the son of Thunderbirds\u2019 Gerry, and began talking seriously about working together after Strong left her role at ILP in September 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn felt that at a time when so much financial support for the industry had been withdrawn for various reasons, it was a [moment] to do something new and different in a scaled and serious way in the UK,\u201d recalls Strong, speaking in the studios\u2019 UK headquarters at 141 Wardour Street \u2014 the former UK home of Warner Bros and the Moving Picture Company. (While the company now has around 150 employees, most still work in their original offices.)<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen there is less investment, there are not less brilliant creative ideas or less talent, but maybe less places to go to make them happen,\u201d she continues. \u201cSo it\u2019s been a very interesting journey for the past 15 months. We\u2019ve been inundated with brilliant ideas and great projects \u2014 maybe in a way that we might not have been 10 or even five years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

All in on IP<\/p>\n

By the time Strong came on board, Gore had already acquired Hammer \u2014 alerted by Anderson to the fact the legendary horror brand was up for sale. That 2023 deal marked the moment Gore started to create a UK film and TV business.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was all because of Hammer, when I got the chance to pull it out of bankruptcy,\u201d he says, describing the acquisition as \u201ca leap of faith\u201d, while acknowledging the company\u2019s complicated history and \u201clibrary of 300 films with very split ownerships\u201d.<\/p>\n

Gore and his executive team have since set about trying to create a \u201cfully blown\u201d vertically integrated film and TV studio, similar to his US theatre model. Their focus is twofold: revamping and exploiting iconic IP, as well as producing original film and TV.<\/p>\n

\"Curse<\/p>\n

With Hammer came a big library, which was bolstered last year with the acquisition of genre banner Tyburn Film Productions, known for 1973\u2019s The Creeping Flesh and 1975\u2019s Legend Of The Werewolf. Strong says the company is in advanced discussions to buy a number of literary IPs.<\/p>\n

In September 2024, the studio bought London-based Silver Salt Restoration, which is helping to restore classic Hammer films. Last year, it premiered a 4K restoration of The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957), and this year is set to release a restored version of Dracula (1958), starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To help rebuild the brand, it has also released lavish box editions of Hammer titles, aimed at collectors, which include interviews, documentaries, essays and behind-the-scenes images.<\/p>\n

It is also working on reboots of Hammer films, including a TV version of Dracula and new films under the Hammer banner. The first to go into production in January 2025 was Casey Walker\u2019s Ithaqua, starring Luke Hemsworth. Set in 1800s Canada, it centres on survivors at a remote fur trading outpost who are plagued by a mythical snow beast.<\/p>\n

Building a studio<\/p>\n

Another piece of the puzzle was found in November 2024, when Gore acquired KFilm, adding sales and distribution to the mix.<\/p>\n

KFilm is the parent company of distributors Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment, Icon Film Distribution and Platform Entertainment, and international sales outfit Kaleidoscope Film Distribution (KFD), which launched sales on Ithaqua at this year\u2019s European Film Market.<\/p>\n

In October 2025, it expanded its UK production capabilities, taking a majority investment in Hilltop Screen, the production company founded by drama producer Hilary Bevan Jones and leading media lawyer Medwyn Jones.<\/p>\n

At the same time, John Gore Studios has built up an in-house development team, headed by creative director Hopkinson. An experienced producer who has worked at ITV Studios, Left Bank Pictures and Channel 4, Hopkinson first worked with Gore and Strong as producer on My Duchess, and is now building a development slate for the studio across its own IP and new projects.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the company acquired a majority stake in Deep Fusion Films, regarded as a pioneer in responsible AI production in the screen sector, headed by Benjamin Field and Anderson. Deep Fusion will produce its own projects, while also helping John Gore Studios with AI tools and workflows for use across development, production, marketing and archive-led projects.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Its most recent acquisition, in April, was famed UK costumier Angels Costumes, a key supplier to global film, TV and theatre productions, and home to more than a million costumes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are more acquisitions to come. Strong says the studio is on the lookout for more production companies that it can help to grow. \u201cI\u2019d love to work with a top producer in the horror space,\u201d she says. It is also interested in other literary and film libraries, and is in the process of buying a back-office business to support line production and tax credit structuring.<\/p>\n

Gore, meanwhile, says one \u201cobvious\u201d missing element for a UK vertically integrated studio is a studio lot. But he sounds undecided. \u201cThe problem is that if we buy the real estate, then to make it work, you have to rent it out,\u201d he notes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Strong insists John Gore Studios is different from production company \u201croll ups\u201d like Banijay or All3Media that are based around an in-house distributor. \u201cWe are an integrated, bottom-to-top studio,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re a studio in the sense that we are self-financing.\u201d That said, each acquired company will retain its own identity and will service businesses outside the group. KFD, for example, sells productions beyond in-house films and shows, while Silver Salt also works on external restoration projects.<\/p>\n

In production<\/p>\n

\"'The<\/p>\n

Most John Gore Studios projects have been fully financed by Gore, with a focus on films in the $6m-$20m (\u00a35m-\u00a315m) budget range.<\/p>\n

Some, like The Return Of Stanley Atwell, starring Nicholas Galitzine and Ella Purnell, which Liza Marshall\u2019s Hera Pictures originated and Protagonist Pictures is selling, have scored pre-sales, whileFrank And Percy \u2014 an adaptation of the hit West End play starring Ian McKellen and Roger Allam, with both actors reprising their roles \u2014 was co-financed with the late Bill Kenwright\u2019s BK Studios.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe might make things that are larger, but we would do that with somebody else rather than putting all the equity on the table,\u201d says Strong.<\/p>\n

The studio\u2019s only minority-financed production is The Queen Of Fashion, a biopic of the late UK fashion figure Isabella Blow starring Andrea Riseborough. \u201cWe thought it was a great project and they were missing the last bit,\u201d says Strong. \u201cBut it\u2019s not something we generally will do. For us, it\u2019s about having a real creative voice. That\u2019s important to John. So we tend to either co-finance or wholly finance the films we make.\u201d<\/p>\n

How involved is Gore in the decision making? \u201cI am the greenlight,\u201d he says. \u201cThere is no other greenlight. It is just me. But the team have worked through everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong says John Gore Studios is open to being pitched outside projects, while increasingly generating projects in-house now that its development team under Hopkinson is in place. For her, the starting point is \u201ca great script, a great story, and then work with brilliant directors and producers who are going to attract the on-screen talent you want\u201d.<\/p>\n

Sales relationships<\/p>\n

\"Frank<\/p>\n

Not all films, however, are being sold or distributed in-house. Alongside Embankment repping My Duchess and Protagonist handling The Return Of Stanley Atwell with WME Independent, KFD is selling Frank And Percy andOnward And Sideways starring Laura Linney and Rhys Ifans, as well as Ithaqua, while Rocket Science and CAA Media Finance are selling\u00a0The Queen Of Fashion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some of these projects came to John Gore Studios with sales companies already attached. \u201cWe want to have strong relationships with the entire sales community,\u201d says Strong. \u201cWe want to make sure great projects come to us. It\u2019s healthy to have a broad spectrum of relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Projects developed in-house are more likely to be sold through KFD, she adds: \u201cThey\u2019re doing a fantastic job and are growing with us.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Likewise, John Gore Studios will distribute in the UK through Icon \u201cwhere we can, but not always necessarily. They\u2019re a great team. We don\u2019t make it an obligation for people to work with Icon, but we would encourage it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gore also hopes to forge closer bonds with the majors as he continues to build John Gore Studios. \u201cThis is not a little British company, we\u2019re trying to develop something big,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve been around the block enough to know you can\u2019t do a big film without a major releasing it. You can kid yourself and lose loads of money, but if we are going to cross over to that level, it will always be with a major studio partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, there is a sense the studio is taking stock in terms of production after making six films in 15 months. It has yet to greenlight another project, although four or five are at different stages of discussions and Strong envisages making another two films this year. Cannes is a major focus. Collins and Rossellini will attend to promote My\u00a0Duchess, and all the studio\u2019s projects are being repped in search of international buyers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

TV is on the agenda too, and Strong hopes the first commissions from its \u201cvery healthy TV slate\u201d will start to come through in late 2027 and 2028. TV takes longer to get off the ground, requiring commissioner greenlights. But the ambition is that a significant part of business will come from TV.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Gore, there is also a personal commitment to building up the company, and enjoying work with film and TV talent. \u201cThe bottom line is, I just wanted to do it,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u00a0have such a good team running the US. It means I can dedicate my time to putting together the thing that I always wanted to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

This can also be seen in his philanthropic activities. Gore is a donor to the National Film and Television School\u2019s expansion, a sponsor of the National Youth Theatre\u2019s Love Bites season and a supporter of Watersprite Film Festival, dedicated to international student films and held each year in Cambridge. He has also partnered with New York\u2019s Julliard to make its acting programme tuition fee-free for students.<\/p>\n

After a lifetime in theatre, the permanency of film and TV also sounds a big draw. Gore says his ambition is to make entertainment that endures. \u201cNo matter how much we love theatre, it\u2019s gone once it\u2019s over. That\u2019s part of the beauty of it,\u201d he muses. \u201cI would like to be on the sofa in 10 to 15 years\u2019 time and there\u2019s a successful film on that we made \u2014 one that people are going to still be watching in 500 years\u2019 time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

John Gore Studios acquisitions<\/p>\n

August 2023<\/p>\n

Hammer Films
Horror label\u00a0<\/p>\n

November 2024<\/p>\n

KFilm
Home to distributors Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment, Icon Film Distribution and Platform Entertainment, and international sales banner Kaleidoscope Film Distribution\u00a0<\/p>\n

October 2025<\/p>\n

Hilltop Screen
Production company run by Hilary Bevan Jones and Medwyn Jones\u00a0<\/p>\n

November 2025<\/p>\n

Tyburn Films Productions
Genre label\u00a0<\/p>\n

February 2026<\/p>\n

Deep Fusion Films
AI specialist production company\u00a0<\/p>\n

April 2026<\/p>\n

Angels Costumes
Costumier<\/p>\n

John Gore Studios productions<\/p>\n

\"Ithaqua\"<\/p>\n

Frank And Percy
Dir. Sean Mathias
A comedy drama about two men who form a friendship during dog walks at the park. Ian McKellen and Roger Allam star.
UK distributor: Icon Film Distribution
Status: In post-production; a trailer is available at Cannes
Sales: Kaleidoscope Film Distribution (KFD)<\/p>\n

Ithaqua
Dir. Casey Walker
A feature set in a remote 1880s Canadian trade outpost introduces the first new Hammer monster in 60 years. Luke Hemsworth stars.
Status: Completed; the film is available for buyers to view at Cannes
Sales: KFD<\/p>\n

My Duchess
Dir. Mike Newell
The untold story of the final years of Wallis Simpson, who found herself controlled by her obsessed French lawyer. Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini star.
Status: Completed; a market premiere at Cannes
Sales: Embankment Films<\/p>\n

Onward And Sideways
Dir. John Madden
A drama about a school\u2019s deputy head teacher and a pianist single mother who meet on the day both are diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease. Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney star.
Status: In post-production; a trailer is available to view at Cannes
Sales: KFD<\/p>\n

The Queen Of Fashion
Dir. Alex Marx
A biopic of UK fashion icon and muse Isabella Blow, starring Andrea Riseborough.
Status: Completed; not yet available for buyers to view
Sales: Rocket Science (international); CAA Media Finance (North America)<\/p>\n

The Return Of Stanley Atwell
Dir. \u00a0Brian Welsh
Nicolas Galitzine stars as a presumed dead son and heir who turns up unexpectedly to claim his inheritance. Ella Purnell (pictured left) co-stars in the Hera Pictures co-production.
Status: In post-production; a trailer is available to view at Cannes
Sales: Protagonist Pictures (international); WME Independent (co-reps North America)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Theatre impresario John Gore \u2014 who has backed hit stage shows such as Hamil\u00adton and The Book Of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":581595,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-581594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=581594"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/581594\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/581595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=581594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=581594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=581594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}