Oscar nominations show Irish film industry gets value for its €322m spend

Cork actor Cillian Murphy has received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor following his role in Oppenheimer.

With the Section 481 tax credit incentive, Ireland remains a hub for foreign filmmakers and has benefited from the recent global production boom. Total Irish cinema revenue is set to reach €161m by 2027, significantly up on the 2019 pre-pandemic figure of €124m. 

Irish actors now figure prominently in awards ceremonies like the Emmys, Baftas and Oscars. Names like Jessie Buckley, Ruth Negga, Colin Farrell, Paul Mescal, Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan and Saoirse Ronan have become screen ambassadors of a dynamic industry continuing to grow.

Cork actor Cillian Murphy has received an Oscar nomination for best actor following his role in Oppenheimer. 

Irish producers Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney of Dublin-based Element Pictures received 11 Oscar nominations for Poor Things, including best picture, best director, best actress and best cinematography. 

Against a backdrop of uncertainty and change, the Irish entertainment and media industry is showing solid growth. 

“We have seen robust growth for Ireland in the entertainment and media industry over the past two years following a surge in demand for digital products during covid-19,” said Amy Ball, partner, PwC Ireland entertainment and media practice. 

“Increased reliance on mobile and digital technologies, heightened industry competition, an evolving regulatory environment and disruptions posed by new and emerging technologies will create new possibilities in the years ahead for the sector.” 

More than €322m was spent collectively by the Irish film, TV drama, animation and documentary industry in the local economy last year. 

Poor Things by Irish company Element Pictures received 11 Oscar nominations.

Screen Ireland said spending on Irish TV drama production increased by 16% to €55m, with 41% of projects shot partially or fully in counties outside the established production hubs of Dublin and Wicklow. 

Screen Ireland’s productions being released this year include 20 feature films, eight TV dramas, seven animated series, 10 documentaries, three RTÉ Storyland projects and 31 short films. 

The productions include the feature film adaptation of author Claire Keegan’s award-winning novel Small Things Like These, scripted by Enda Walsh and starring Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh. 

Other films include crime thriller Bring Them Down, starring Barry Keoghan, as well as the Irish language film Kneecap, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Recent figures show box office revenue in the Republic of Ireland increased 13% from 2022 to 2023. Data collected by Comscore between January 6, 2023, and January 4, 2024, showed Ireland had the highest amount of year-on-year growth at 13%, followed by Northern Ireland, up 9%. 

The number of new releases in cinemas increased 9%, with 1,013 new releases in 2023, compared to 929 in 2022, and 938 in 2019. 

Last year saw a higher number of ‘saturation’ releases, titles playing at more than 250 cinemas. 

In the report, Comscore highlighted the importance of the so-called ‘Barbenheimer’ effect (the Barbie and Oppenheimer films) in this growth stating: “The appeal of participating in cultural moments at the cinema was emphasised by the huge volume of positive conversation, and the impact of ‘Barbenheimer’ over the summer was phenomenal.” 

Comscore has also noted “there is no strong sign of the cost-of-living crisis affecting cinema-going”, with tickets remaining “seemingly affordable to the majority”.