Spending on ‘3 Body Problem’ is ramping up ahead of production starting on Season 2 © 2024
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Netflix has revealed that its spending on science fiction series 3 Body Problem rose 3.1% to almost a quarter of a billion Dollars last year ahead of the start of production of its second season.
Based on a Hugo Award-winning 2008 novel by Chinese former computer engineer Liu Cixin, 3 Body Problem was adapted for the streamer by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss.
Named after a classical physics problem, 3 Body Problem debuted in March last year and tells the story of humanity preparing for an alien invasion. It was positioned as a flagship for Netflix to take on Amazon Prime’s The Rings of Power and HBO’s Game of Thrones. 3 Body Problem even stars several Game of Thrones actors, including Liam Cunningham and John Bradley, and has music from Ramin Djawadi who also wrote the score to the HBO show. That’s not all it has in common with those two shows.
As this author revealed in the Daily Mail, the cost of The Rings of Power surged to more than $800 million as Amazon’s billionaire boss Jeff Bezos opened his wallet in the battle for streaming supremacy. Although 3 Body Problem wasn’t as costly, it didn’t come cheap and there’s no need to speculate about this.
The cost of making streaming shows in the United States is usually a closely-guarded secret as studios typically combine them in their overall expenses and don’t itemize how much was spent on each one. It is a different story for shows made in the United Kingdom like the first season of 3 Body Problem.
It was largely shot at the historic Shepperton Studios which lifts the curtain on how much it cost to make. That is because U.K. production companies have to file publicly-available financial statements showing everything from their headcount and salaries to the total cost. There is good reason why studios are prepared to put up with this level of transparency.
U.K. production companies benefit from the government’s Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) which gives them a cash reimbursement of up to 25.5% of the money they spend in the country provided that at least 10% of their core costs are incurred there. In order to demonstrate this to the authorities, studios set up separate companies to produce each film in the U.K. and they are obliged to file legally-binding financial statements.
The Netflix subsidiary behind 3 Body Problem is called Haggle Pictures and it lodged its latest filings yesterday. As with all UK companies, the financial statements are released in stages long after the period they relate to. This starts during pre-production and continues after the premiere to give the production team time to ensure that all the bills are paid.
‘3 Body Problem’ involves several ‘Game of Thrones’ talents, including John Bradley
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Haggle Pictures’ latest filings are for the year to December 31, 2024 which was nine months after 3 Body Problem debuted on Netflix. They show that its costs increased by $7.3 million (£5.8 million) to $245.7 million (£199.7 million) since production began in 2020.
Netflix recently announced that the next instalment of 3 Body Problem is on its way as production began in Hungary in July after the series was renewed for two more seasons in May. It was welcome news for fans and the filings may give added reason for cheer.
Trade title Screen Global Production reported that seasons two and three will be shot back-to back in Hungary as it offers a reimbursement of 30% on eligible spend of which up to 25% can be non-Hungarian. It added that Hungarian National Film Office filings state the budget for seasons two and three is $267 million (92 billion Hungarian FT) with $80 million (28 billion Hungarian FT) in indirect subsidy.
It isn’t clear whether the spending by Haggle Pictures last year related to payments incurred on season one or pre-production of season two. However, either option could be good news for the release of the second season.
If the spending is the former, it shows that Netflix is tying up the loose ends before focusing on the second season. If the spending is pre-production on season two, it is even better as it shows that the wheels were turning last year. Netflix has been contacted and this report will be updated if it responds with comment.
Although the second and third seasons are being shot in Hungary that wouldn’t prevent the production company from being based in the U.K. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, just 10% of the core costs have to be incurred there in order to claim the reimbursement. Secondly, the reimbursement is only calculated on up to 80% of core expenditure so in order to get back the maximum 25.5% of the money they spend in the U.K., production companies need to ensure that at least 20% of their core costs are spent in another country. It is worth it.
‘3 Body Problem’ was filmed in the U.K. © 2024
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
The filings for Haggle Pictures show that it has banked a $60 million (£43.5 million) reimbursement so far bringing Netflix’s net spending on the show down to $185.7 million. The documents add that the streamer “is satisfied with the company’s performance against budget.”
Nevertheless, it didn’t come cheap and it shows. Much of season one involves ordinary scientists wrestling with weighty themes such as time, destiny, and the meaning of discovery. However, it also uses cutting-edge computer-generated images to switch this academic setting for a highly advanced virtual reality world and that drove up the cost.
Inhabitants of the game dehydrate their bodies to survive tumultuous times and rehydrate when they are in a stable era, all of which was shown through digital effects. Ditto for another awe-inspiring scene which saw millions of soldiers and their horses floating upwards to the sky due to loss of gravity.
The spending paid off in the end. In its first full week of release the show hit number one on the Netflix global English-language top ten as it was viewed 15.6 million times for a total of 115.6 million hours. It sets a high barrier for the subsequent seasons to beat.
Screen Global Production reported that the Hungarian shoot is set to wrap in August 2027 and if the second season follows the timeline of its predecessor it might not debut until 2029 as there were 20 months between filming wrapping filming on season one and the premiere. However, Netflix now knows the appetite for the show and the huge sums of money it continues to pour into it suggests that it isn’t slowing down.
Indeed, in July Benioff and Weiss told Netflix that the second season is “much bigger. Things get wilder, the conflicts get more cosmic. Once people see it on the screen, they’re going to understand why we’ve been so excited for this season, in particular.” So, whenever it drops, it should be well worth waiting for.
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