Films starring Hollywood A-listers Brad Pitt, Halle Berry and Scarlett Johansson helped generate more than £20m for Glasgow’s economy.
The Glasgow Film Office revealed film, television and advertising productions including World War Z gave the city a significant economic boost last year.
The zombie war movie, starring Pitt, was the single biggest contributor with an estimated £3.3m. Movie fever hit Glasgow in August after the production took over the city centre for 17 days. It saw the iconic George Square and surrounding streets closed off and transformed into downtown Philadelphia.
Hundreds of people gathered every day during the shoot to catch a glimpse of Pitt, marvel at yellow American taxis, signs and traffic lights, watch the filming of dramatic scenes including explosions and car crashes, or spot one of the hundreds of extras dressed up as the undead.
The film office said World War Z saw 1200 cast and crew work in the city. World War Z is based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks and is set in the aftermath of a war between humans and zombies. Pitt’s wife and fellow Hollywood star Angelina Jolie joined her husband in Scotland with the couple’s six children during filming after arriving on a private train.
Other productions which came to Glasgow last year included the Halle Berry film Cloud Atlas and Under the Skin starring Scarlett Johansson. Along with the TV film Young James, these movies generated a combined £5.5m. In total, £20.15m was made from all film productions in the city in 2011.
Oscar winner Berry filmed in Glasgow in September for her movie, which also stars Tom Hanks. Johansson’s sci-fi blockbuster filmed across Scotland. The actress later poked fun at her stay.
On the US TV show David Letterman she said Glasgow was a "community of drinkers" and "really dangerous".
Councillor Gordon Matheson, the leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "Alongside the great deal of excitement and enjoyment that films such as World War Z and Cloud Atlas brought was a tremendous economic boost for the city.
"The hard work of Glasgow Film Office and all the other council staff involved with the productions that come to our city has most certainly paid off, with over £20m coming into our economy. Such a figure underlines the financial importance of attracting film, broadcast and advertising productions to Glasgow."
Gerard Butler
Councillor Matheson’s comments come three years after the Scottish actor and Hollywood star Gerard Butler was named a Glasgow Film Office Ambassador to help raise the profile of filming opportunities in Glasgow.
Jeremy Kleiner, the producer of World War Z, added: "The cooperation we had from the Glasgow Film Office and indeed from across the city council made it all possible, and the people of Glasgow were incredibly welcoming. It's been a very successful shoot here."
David Brown, the Scottish line producer for Cloud Atlas, commented: "The principle reason for coming to Glasgow is the welcome that the city gives to filmmakers. We are overwhelmed by the support and encouragement we have received from everyone in the city."
The video shows STV News' report when World War Z began filming in Glasgow
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