Shooting in Hungary
Film Facilities in Budapest
Sound Stages & Film Equipment Rental
Last updated on January 20th, 2025
Last updated on January 20th, 2025
This article offers a comprehensive look at Hungary’s largest, state-of-the-art film studios. In addition to providing a detailed overview of the soundstages, backlots, and services available at Korda, Origo, and Mafilm Studios, it also includes a thorough comparison with the region’s major competitors in the Czech Republic and Romania.
This article offers a comprehensive look at Hungary’s largest, state-of-the-art film studios. In addition to providing a detailed overview of the soundstages, backlots, and services available at Korda, Origo, and Mafilm Studios, it also includes a thorough comparison with the region’s major competitors in the Czech Republic and Romania.
The Past and Present of Hungarian Studios
Hungary boasts a film production history that spans over a century, once establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading filmmaking hubs. Although this prominent status was lost during the period of Russian occupation and the Socialist-Communist regime (1945–1989), the country’s strong reputation endured. Even during the Cold War, Hungary hosted major international productions, such as Red Heat starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Meanwhile, other Central European film industries began to flourish, particularly after the region’s democratic transformation in the 1990s. The Czech Republic underwent significant development, emerging as the region's top filming destination by the 2000s, while Romania also made strides in catching up. Over the last two decades, Budapest has reclaimed its leading position thanks to its well-established infrastructure, rich cultural heritage, and substantial support from both the government and private investors.
Hungary is among the countries offering attractive state incentives, including a 30% tax rebate system for international productions. A highlight of private investment in the industry is the construction of cutting-edge soundstages, completed by the early 2010s. These facilities have been instrumental in the growth of the Central European market, allowing Hungary to accommodate feature films and large-scale productions. As a result, many international filmmakers now choose Hungary over other historically favored locations. However, the region’s most significant competitors remain the Czech Barrandov Studio and the Romanian Castle Film Studio, each with its own strengths and weaknesses compared to Hungarian studios.
Three Hungarian studio complexes stand out in this competitive landscape: Korda Studios, Origo Studios, and Mafilm Studio. These are the largest and best-equipped in the country, though there are also smaller studios like Lloyd Studio, Studio 4, and Stern Studio, which cater to commercials and smaller productions. Both Origo (established in 2011) and Korda (established in 2007) were purpose-built to meet the highest international standards. By contrast, Mafilm, with a history spanning more than a century, occupies a unique position in the market. Unlike Origo and Korda, which primarily rent out facilities without engaging in film production themselves, Mafilm was one of the largest film production companies during the Socialist era. While it continues to provide various production services today, its soundstage standards lag behind those of Origo and Korda.
Korda Studios
Located in Etyek, just 30 km (18 miles) from Budapest — approximately an hour’s drive — Korda Studios was one of Hungary’s largest investments in 2007, with construction costs totaling around 90 million euros. This substantial investment resulted in a facility featuring six soundstages, 2,800 square meters (30,138 square feet) of accommodations, 7,000 square meters (75,347 square feet) of storage and workshop space, 15 hectares (37 acres) of empty backlots, and 10 hectares (24 acres) of prebuilt outdoor sets.
While six soundstages might seem modest compared to, for example, the 13 soundstages of the Czech Republic’s Barrandov Studio, it’s worth delving into the specifics. Of Barrandov’s 13 stages, four are located outside the main complex and are fully booked year-round for local productions. Additionally, utilizing Barrandov’s largest stage (4,100 square meters/44,132 square feet) requires combining three other studios, reducing the number of simultaneously available stages. In contrast, Korda Studios’ six soundstages are housed in standalone buildings, including one of the world’s largest soundstages—Stage 6. Covering 6,000 square meters (64,583 square feet), Stage 6 boasts a floor-to-ceiling height of 20 meters (65 feet), an 11 x 8-meter (36 x 26 feet) elephant door, 10 catwalks, and an advanced suspension system with 150 suspension points, each supporting up to 500 kilograms (1,102 lbs). Its NC35 soundproofing, a significant achievement for a space of this size, further highlights the studio's high standards.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Photo: Progressive Productions
The remaining five soundstages at Korda Studios range in size from 1,000 to 2,400 square meters (10,763 to 25,833 square feet). Built to the same exceptional standards as Stage 6, they feature a substantial amount of catwalks and suspension points, with an even higher rated soundproofing due to their smaller size. Notably, Stage 1 includes a 10 x 10 x 4-meter (32 x 32 x 13 feet) pool with underwater windows for filming aquatic scenes. Such pools, while not unique in the region, are an advantage over Czech Barrandov Studio, which lacks this facility, though Romanian Castle Film Studios offers a larger 20 x 10 x 4-meter pool.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Korda Studios also boasts impressive outdoor sets. The New York set, initially constructed for Hellboy 2, has been expanded and now features a 120-meter (393 feet) main road that is 14.5 meters (47.5 feet) wide with 3–4 meter (9.8–13.1 feet) pavements and two 60-meter (196.8 feet) crossroads. The Renaissance set, designed by Francois Seguin for The Borgias, spans 1 hectare (2.4 acres) and includes 19 named buildings (such as the Central Building, Rome Palace, Brothel, and Bell Tower) along with numerous alleyways and generic structures. Next to a nearby lake we can find a 13th–14th century village as well covering 12,000 square meters (129,166 square feet), with most buildings offering finished interiors too.
Photo: Progressive Productions
Photo: Progressive Productions
Production support spaces within Korda Studios are equally noteworthy. Nearly 2,800 square meters (30,138 square feet) are dedicated to VIP and standard dressing rooms with private restrooms, makeup rooms, costume storage, offices, conference rooms, break areas, and shared makeup rooms. Additionally, 720 square meters (7,750 square feet) of container offices are available for rent. For storage and workshops, ample space is provided, and catering facilities accommodate up to 150 people in one building and 75 in another. A fully equipped post-production studio, ideal for sound and video editing, includes a 49-seat screening room and ranks among the best on-site post-production facilities in the region, rivaled only by Czech Barrandov Studio.
Korda Studios also features a well-developed infrastructure. High-speed internet, telecommunications, and 24/7 on-site security are standard. All soundstages support direct sound recording, feature noiseless ventilation and air conditioning, and are equipped with remote-control fire extinguishing systems. The facility also benefits from 10 GB/s redundant fiber optics and an independent high-voltage power network for maximum reliability.
Origo Studios
Origo is another modern Hungarian studio that has successfully served international productions since its opening in 2011. Its location is more convenient than Korda Studios, being just a 20-minute drive from the center of Budapest. In this regard, it is similar to the Czech Barrandov Studios, which is also located 20 minutes from the heart of Prague, while the Romanian Castel Film Studios, like Korda, requires about an hour’s drive from Bucharest’s center.
Origo features nine soundstages, matching the number at the Romanian studio, but surpasses it in total area, offering 18,000 square meters (193,750 square feet) compared to Castel’s 11,000 square meters (118,403 square feet). These include a 200 square meter (2,152 square foot) VFX stage, eight regular stages ranging from 1,200 to 4,300 square meters (12,916 to 46,284 square feet), a 100 square meter (1,076 square foot) green box, and a 23 x 18 x 3-meter (75 x 59 x 9.8 foot) outdoor pool. Unlike the pools at Korda and Castel Film Studios, however, Origo’s pool does not have underwater windows.
Photo: Progressive Productions
As a newly built studio, Origo was designed to meet modern standards too. From heating and acoustics to soundproofing, catwalks, and door sizes, every detail was carefully considered. Even the layout of the site was developed to minimize exterior noise, with service buildings strategically surrounding the soundstages.
With 4 hectares (9.8 acres) of backlots, Origo is smaller than the previously mentioned studios in terms of available space and permanent sets. Its location is comparable to Barrandov Studio, though the Czech studio offers backlots more than four times larger and includes preserved sets, such as the streets of an Italian Renaissance city. Still, Origo’s 4 hectares (9.8 acres) of empty backlots are ideal for productions requiring custom-built sets, as demonstrated during the filming of Blade Runner 2049 in 2017, when a metal waste yard was constructed on-site.
Unlike Korda Studios, Origo provides a wide array of rental services. These include lighting and grip equipment as well as an extensive fleet of trailers—ranging from VIP artist trailers to production, wardrobe, and makeup trailers. The fleet even includes golf carts and catering vehicles. This diversity makes Origo unique among Hungarian studios, though not in the region, as Romanian Castel Film offers over 100 specialized vehicles and an even wider range of rental equipment. It’s also worth noting that Budapest’s official ARRI Rental office is located on the same street as Origo Studios, making the absence of on-site camera rentals easy to address.
In Hungary, equipment rental is generally not centralized at the studios, making Origo’s rental services an exception. Nevertheless, Budapest provides access to the latest technological innovations. As the studios are relatively young and focused on renting out facilities, the city is home to several large, independent rental companies offering a comprehensive range of cameras, grips, lights, and other equipment.
Origo Studios’ production support facilities cover a total of 8,200 square meters (88,264 square feet), including 3,700 square meters (39,826 square feet) of office space and 4,500 square meters (48,437 square feet) of storage. These buildings house carpenter, set-building, and ironworking workshops, as well as storage areas for vehicles, props, costumes, lighting, and cameras. Like Korda, Origo also offers a post-production studio that meets industry standards and a catering hall that can accommodate 200 people. The infrastructure has been designed to ensure optimal conditions for all production-related facilities, including high-security measures and state-of-the-art IT support with high-bandwidth fiber optics throughout the studio complex.
Mafilm
Among the studios discussed here, the state-owned Mafilm Studio stands out as the most unique. Its history dates back to 1911, making it Hungary’s oldest film production hub and a significant contributor to the international recognition of the Hungarian film industry. Mafilm is also one of the oldest studios in the region, predating Barrandov, which began operations in the 1930s, and Castel Films, established in the 1990s after the fall of the Soviet Union. This long legacy is both an asset and a challenge. While its storied past is notable, Mafilm’s age has left it lagging in modernization compared to its more contemporary Czech competitor.
The difference in scale is one of the most visible contrasts between Mafilm and its competitors. Mafilm operates two studios in Budapest, measuring 830 and 385 square meters (8,934 and 4,144 square feet), and another site in Fót, located about 30 minutes from the city center. In Fót, there are two additional stages, measuring 1,600 and 1,070 square meters (17,222 and 11,517 square feet), with a 55 x 6-meter (180 x 19.6 feet) outdoor green screen alongside one of the stages. While these facilities are smaller compared to those of international and local rivals, Mafilm compensates with an unparalleled collection of props and equipment amassed over more than a century. Similarly, the Czech Barrandov Studio also benefits from its historical legacy, albeit with larger soundstages.
One of Mafilm’s standout features is Hungary’s largest costume collection, consisting of more than 100,000 pieces housed on the 23,000 square meter (247,569 square foot) site in Fót. Although impressive, this collection is second to Barrandov’s extensive 260,000-piece inventory. However, Mafilm boasts Central Europe’s largest weaponry collection, containing thousands of historical firearms. This includes World War I and II guns, pistols, rifles, revolvers, and machine guns from various eras and manufacturers, such as Mauser, Walther, Thompson, and AK-47.
Mafilm does not provide in-house film equipment rentals. Instead, this service is handled by Visionteam, one of Hungary’s largest rental companies. This partnership benefits both parties, as Visionteam supplies equipment not only for productions requiring soundstages but also for those filmed on location.
Photo: Progressive Productions
In addition to its vast costume and prop collections, Mafilm’s greatest strength lies in its backlots at the Fót site. These permanent sets are unique in the region and enable Mafilm to compete with Korda Studios and Romania’s Castel Studios. The most notable is the Medieval settlement, used for productions such as The Raven (2012), The Cathedral series, and NBC’s Dracula series. Spanning 5,000 square meters (53,819 square feet), this set includes a main square, windmill, cloister, prison, castle courtyard, throne room, canal with a boat, and a complete castle wall with a drawbridge. Additional sets include an 1800s London streetscape, a depiction of Nazareth from the era of Jesus, and a Western town from the early 1900s. However, the latter is less distinctive, as Castel Studios also offers a Western-style set. These features are complemented by 6.5 hectares (16 acres) of green space, which surpasses Origo’s in size but is less significant on an international scale.
As demonstrated, soundstages vary significantly not only across different countries but also within Hungary itself. Attempting to create a general ranking of studios would be both complex and inappropriate, even when considering all the aspects outlined above. Each production comes with its own unique requirements and circumstances, meaning no single studio can be deemed the best for all projects. Instead, there is an ideal choice for every production within the region’s diverse array of studios. This variety and breadth of options are precisely what make Central Europe such an exceptional destination for the film industry.
