Sweeter film subsidy lured $88 million Disney movie to New Zealand, makers say

Fri, 12 Aug 2016

By Sophie Boot Aug. 12 (BusinessDesk) - The makers of "Pete's Dragon" say the 5 percent production grant available on top of an existing 20 percent incentive in New Zealand drove their decision to base the $88 million Disney feature film here. Pete's Dragon is a remake of a 1977 Disney movie about an orphaned boy, Pete, whose best friend is a dragon, and is a mix of live action and CGI. Filming in New Zealand started last January and the movie's New Zealand premiere is this afternoon in Wellington. The project qualified for a 20 percen...

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