The British film industry is having a moment. Not the sort of moment that comes with a government grant or a royal premiere. The sort that comes from a genuine belly laugh. Sources confirm that the ensemble cast of the latest Enola Holmes instalment brought the house down at a private screening in Soho last night. This is not a story about tax breaks or production incentives. This is about a room full of people laughing until they cried.
Let me be clear. I have spent years following the money. I have watched the film industry trade its soul for streaming dollars. But last night, something different happened. The stars of Enola Holmes 2, including Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill, proved that homegrown talent still has the power to surprise. A source close to the production tells me that the screening was originally intended as a quiet affair for investors. Instead, it turned into a celebration of British wit and timing.
The film, set in Victorian London, has never shied away from humour. But this latest chapter leans heavily into what one crew member called 'proper British silliness'. Not the kind of humour that gets workshopped in a focus group. The kind that comes from years of working in British theatre and television. The kind that reminds you why you fell in love with the movies in the first place.
Documents obtained by this reporter show that the film's budget was modest by blockbuster standards. Just £45 million. Yet the laughter that echoed through the screening room last night would suggest a film that cost three times that. This is the paradox of the British film industry. We produce talent that rivals any in the world, and we do it on a shoestring. And then we wonder why the global market takes notice.
I spoke to a veteran film financier who has seen his share of rough cuts and premiere disasters. 'I have not seen a British cast click like this in years,' he told me, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'They were not acting. They were having fun. And that is the hardest thing to fake.'
The celebration extended beyond the screening. Word leaked out, and soon the after-party at a nearby members' club was overflowing with industry figures who had not been invited. Security had to turn away a BAFTA-winning producer. That is how hot this film is.
But let me be cautious. I have seen this before. A film generates buzz, then the critics get their knives out. Or the accountants get nervous about box office projections. But last night felt different. It felt like a room full of people rediscovering why they got into this business in the first place. Not for the money. Not for the prestige. For the laugh. For the moment when a joke lands and a room explodes with joy.
The British film industry does not need another report about how to attract investment. It does not need another government task force. It needs more nights like last night. It needs to remember that the product is not a tax credit. The product is a good story, well told, by people who love what they do.
As for Enola Holmes 2, it hits theatres next month. Based on what I saw last night, the accountants will be smiling too. But the real victory is the sound of a room full of people laughing. That, I can confirm, is real.
