FuseFX Buys Australian VFX Studio Rising Sun Pictures

L.A.-based FuseFX has acquired Rising Sun Pictures, a high-profile vfx studio headquartered in Adelaide, Australia. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rising Sun will still operate under the same brand, and co-founder Tony Clark will continue to lead the studio. There will be no operational changes and the team will look to hire more staff. Responding to a boom in demand for its services, the company recently took over the building next to its Adelaide headquarters and refurbished it to create space for 80 artists.

Founded in 1995, Rising Sun has worked on films including Captain Marvel, Dumbo, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Peter Rabbit, and Alita: Battle Angel.

FuseFX’s credits include Them, Utopia, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Orville, and Deadwood: The Movie. Founded in 2006, it has studios in seven locations. Adding to its teams in L.A., New York, and Vancouver, it opened an Atlanta office in February 2020; two months later it formed a strategic partnership with Montreal-based Folks FX, which also has studios in Toronto and Bogotá, Colombia.

Australia has dealt effectively with the pandemic and vfx production has been able to continue relatively smoothly. Additionally, the federal government offers a 30% rebate for post, digital, and vfx production, on top of an additional 10% incentive in the state of South Australia (where Adelaide is). All this, combined with a favorable exchange rate, make the country an appealing destination for service work.

By Alex De Wit/Cartoonbrew