Renowned VFX studio behind The Batman, Lord of the Rings opening Vancouver office

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Zoe Kravitz, left, and Robert Pattinson in a scene from "The Batman." (Jonathan Olley/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

The Oscar-winning visual effects studio behind The Batman, Avatar and The Lord of the Rings has announced it's opening a Vancouver office.

Wētā FX said the new location will be the company's first dedicated visual effects studio outside New Zealand, where it was co-founded by director Peter Jackson back in 1993.

“Vancouver is an established market for VFX, animation and games talent, and we look forward to welcoming them into the Wētā FX family," CEO Prem Akkaraju said in a news release.

The new studio will work on a number of anticipated projects, including the upcoming Avatar sequels, the company said.

While B.C.’s film industry was among the hardest hit by shutdowns early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it rebounded before the end of 2020.

According to the Vancouver Economic Commission’s annual research, released in October, the film, TV and animation industries generated $3.4 billion in direct spending in 2020.

That’s a 16 per cent drop from 2019, which saw a record $4.1 billion in spending, though the VEC noted the pandemic caused “months of filming delays.”