Avatar, A Minecraft Movie and The Hobbit among the 10 biggest film and TV rebate payouts made by New Zealand Government

With over 300 films and television series funded by the scheme since 2005 with production values totalling $10.8b, the Herald has collated the 10 largest projects based on the size of their rebate (in New Zealand dollars), together totalling $873m.

Directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Sir Peter Jackson and Kathleen Kennedy, the 2011 film followed the story of Tintin (played by Jamie Bell) and Captain Haddock’s (Andy Serkis) adventure to find a shipwreck with a long-lost treasure.

Based on the novels by Herge, the film produced by Paramount Pictures cost $230.96m to make and grossed US$373.9m ($629m) at the box office worldwide.

Over three instalments from May 13, 2010 to March 23, 2012, applicant company DWTT Productions was awarded $34.43m in rebates under the Government’s Large Budget Screen Production Grant.

Created by actor Jason Momoa and Thomas Paʻa Sibbett for Apple TV+, the 2025 series follows a Hawaiian war chief (Momoa) who joins a campaign to unite the warring islands in order to save them from the threat of colonisation.

The series was produced by Fifth Season NZ and cost $180m to make, with the series holding a 93% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

Fifth Season NZ received one payment under the New Zealand Screen Production Grant for the production, receiving $36m on July 8, 2025.

Directed by Jared Hess and co-produced by Jason Momoa, A Minecraft Movie follows the story of four misfits who are pulled into a bizarre, cubic wonderland called the Overworld and must rely on an unexpected crafter named Steve to help them get back home.

Based on the biggest video game of all time, the 2025 production by Warner Brothers Pictures cost $174.47m to make, but grossed US$955m worldwide.

Under the New Zealand Screen Production Rebate, applicant company End City Productions received $43.6m in one payment from September 16, 2025. It was also the first large production to qualify for the 5% uplift announced in the 2025 Budget.

By far the oldest movie on the list, Sir Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake of King Kong follows an ambitious film-maker who tricks his cast and hired ship crew into travelling to the mysterious Skull Island, where they encounter the titular giant ape.

The film produced by Universal Studios cost $389.2m to make, making it the most expensive film ever produced at the time of its release. It grossed over US$556m worldwide following its release, and was also awarded three Academy Awards, most notably for Best Visual Effects.

King Kong was the third production to receive a grant under the Government’s Large Budget Screen Production Grant, with applicant company Big Primate Pictures receiving $48.65m across two payments on July 19, 2005 and May 23, 2006.

Based on the 1998 animated film, Walt Disney’s Mulan follows a fearless young woman who disguises herself as a man and battles northern invaders in China.

Directed by Niki Caro, the film was plagued by controversies throughout its production, including changes to the source material and filming in Xinjiang in light of the persecution of Uyghurs in China and Xinjiang internment camps.

The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and cost $201.9m to make, but grossed only US$69.9m, largely because of theatre closures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mulan’s production company, Cricket Hop Productions NZ, received three payments under the New Zealand Screen Production Grant totalling $50.4m between May 15, 2020 and April 19, 2023.

The last feature film written and produced by Sir Peter Jackson, 2018’s Mortal Engines follows two strangers who must come together to stop a sinister and destructive conspiracy in a post-apocalyptic world where cities move and consume each other to survive.

Based on Philip Reeve’s 2001 novel and directed by Christian Rivers, the Universal Pictures film cost $209.3m to produce and grossed US$83.7m worldwide, making the film a box office bomb.

The production company, Hungry City, received three payments under the New Zealand Screen Production Grant totalling $52.3m between October 3, 2017 and April 10, 2019.

The highest-grossing film of all time, 2009 sci-fi epic Avatar, directed, written and produced by James Cameron, follows a paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission, who becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.

It cost 20th Century Fox $362.7m to produce because of the ground-breaking array of new visual effects Cameron achieved in co-operation with Weta Digital. The film made extensive use of 3D computer graphics and new motion-capture filming techniques.

The film received widespread acclaim and box office success and by the end of its first theatrical release, Avatar had grossed a worldwide total of US$2.75 billion. On January 25, 2010, Avatar surpassed Titanic to become the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide and, following several re-releases, is perceived to still hold the title.

Across five interim payments from June 19, 2008 to July 1, 2010, applicant company 880 Productions received $52.9m under the Large Budget Screen Production Grant.

Produced by Amazon MGM Studios in association with New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been described by some as the most expensive television production of all time.

Set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.

The series’ first season cost $683.8m to produce and was filmed in various locations across New Zealand, with Wētā Workshop and Wētā FX returning from the films to work on its visual effects.

Across two payments from October 12, 2021 and August 29, 2023, production company GSR productions received $136.7m in funding from the New Zealand Screen Production Grant, including the largest single payment to any production of $106.49m.

Amazon also signed two memoranda of understanding in December 2020 with the then Labour Government to gain access to an additional 5% on its rebate. The agreements allowed Tourism New Zealand to use material from the series and committed Amazon to helping grow New Zealand’s screen sector and economy.

Returning to the helm following the iconic Lord of the Rings trilogy, Sir Peter Jackson directed, co-produced and co-wrote The Hobbit trilogy, including An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013) and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).

Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 novel The Hobbit and the appendices to his 1954-55 The Lord of the Rings, the series follows Bilbo Baggins, 60 years before the beginning of the original trilogy, who is convinced to join a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug.

The films, which had to contend against studio politics, funding issues and creative differences, had $1.03b in qualifying New Zealand production expenditure.

Under the Large Budget Screen Production Grant, applicant company 3 Foot 7 received $161.5m in funding across seven interim payments from May 1, 2012 to April 28, 2015.

Thirteen years after the original film launched, James Cameron returned to cinemas with the highly anticipated follow-ups to the Avatar franchise, The Way of Waterand Fire and Ash.

Two sequels were originally announced following the success of the first film, with an expected release date of 2014 for the second film. However, the addition of two more sequels, for a total of five films, and the need to develop new technology to film motion-capture scenes underwater, led to significant delays.

Cameron’s Avatar sequels have cost $1.28b to make to date, with production still ongoing for the fourth and fifth entries in the series, although questions remain as to whether they will be released.

The second and third films in the franchise have grossed a combined $3.82b worldwide, with The Way of Water joining the top five highest-grossing films of all time.

Cameron’s production company 880 Productions NZ Limited Partnership has received 13 interim payments to date, totalling $256.2m from November 26, 2018 to November 28, 2025, although no final payment has been made.

Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business, retail and tourism.