Marie-Antoinette’ Studios in Bry-sur-Marne Near Paris Bought by Axa

One of France’s largest studio complexes, the Studios of Bry-sur-Marne, have been bought by AXA IM Alts from Nexity.

The Bry-sur-Marne studios, which boast eight stages, hosts the filming of roughly half of all French productions, notably this year’s highest grossing local film “Asterix and Obelix: the Middle Kingdom,” and the Canal+ series “Marie-Antoinette.” The studios facility is part of the 12 acres of land acquired by AXA IM Alts, an asset manager and investment vehicle for Axa, the global insurance company.

As part of the deal, the studios will now be managed by Guillaume de Menthon, the former boss of Telfrance, a prominent producer of TV content such as the daily soap “Demain tout commence.” De Menthon will strive to double the site’s production capacity.

It marks AXA IM Alts’ first venture in the fast-growing studio sector. The company stated that it anticipates the “rapid growth in demand for original content from broadcasters and streaming services, as well as continued demand for feature film content, is underpinning increasing global demand for purpose-built studio space.”

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Along with its sound stages, the Bry-sur-Marne studios features production accommodation across 20,000 square meters comprising workshops, offices, assembling sets and costume and artist dressing rooms.

The studios are strategically located on the outskirts of Paris, near both Orly and Charles de Gaulle international airports.

“This was a rare opportunity to acquire one of the largest studios in France, close to Paris’ city centre, with good infrastructure and the option to extend the premises to meet rapidly growing demand,” said John O’Driscoll, global co-head of Real Estate AXA IM Alts. “The investment also aligns with our purpose to deliver long-term value to clients; consolidated sites such as Bry-sur-Marne, which can house the entire content production ecosystem, are essential in accelerating the decarbonisation of the film industry,” O’Driscoll continued.

Another leading studio facility located near Paris, the Studios of Paris, was acquired last year by Tarak Ben Ammar via Eagle Pictures France, a subsidiary of the Italian production and distribution powerhouse.