MARKET REPORT: Games Workshop signs blockbuster movie deal

Games Workshop is making its way to Hollywood after the group signed a blockbuster deal with Amazon.

The London-listed company will partner with the US giant to develop films and television programs based on its characters.

The company said the first rights to be developed will relate to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise. And yesterday, Superman actor Henry Cavill confirmed he would be in the productions.

Game on: The London-listed company will partner with the US giant to develop films and TV shows based on its characters

“I’ve loved Warhammer since I was a boy, which makes this moment very special for me,” he said in a statement. “Having the opportunity to guard this cinematic universe from the beginning is a great honor and responsibility.”

Russ Mold, Investment Director at AJ Bell, added: “There have been efforts in the past to bring Games Workshop’s creations to the big screen. Amazon’s deep pockets and massive reach, with more than 50 per cent of UK households having an Amazon Prime account, puts this in another stratosphere.’

Such a deal could also mark a turnaround for the group’s shares, which have fallen nearly 15 percent this year. Games Workshop’s shares rose 16.2 percent, or 1180p, to 8480p.

The FTSE 100 closed down 1.27 percent or 94.05 points to 7332.12 and the FTSE250 fell 1.62 percent or 305.31 points to 18,588.48.

Oil prices fell 3.11 percent to end the week below $80 a barrel amid fears over the health of economies around the world.

It sent BP down 2.2 per cent or 10.45 pence to 455.4 pence and Shell down 2 per cent or 46.05 pence to 2243 pence.

Some of Britain’s leading builders were spooked by lender Halifax’s forecast that prices could fall 8 per cent next year due to the cost-of-living crisis and rising interest rates would push up mortgage costs. Persimmon fell 3.7 per cent or 46.5 pence to 1213 pence, Bellway fell 3.3 per cent or 64.5 pence to 1886.5 pence and Redrow fell 3 per cent or 13.8 pence to 454.4 pence.

Over at Taylor Wimpey, Chairwoman Irene Dorner ended her two-year term after announcing she would step down for personal reasons at the end of the home builder’s annual meeting in April next year. Shares fell 2.8 percent, or 2.9 pence, to 100.5 pence.

BT, meanwhile, will combine two of its businesses to save at least £100m by the end of FY2025.

The telecom giant’s global and corporate units, which cater to small business owners to the largest corporations, will join forces to form BT Business.

It is part of a wider strategy by BT Group to save £3bn by the end of 2024-25. Shares fell 1.3 percent, or 1.45 pence, to 112.95 pence.

Further down the market, shares in Trainline tumbled on fears that ticket sales could collapse amid the Christmas strike wave. The FTSE 250 rail ticket seller fell 8.2 percent or 23.9 pence to 269 pence after analysts struck a cautious tone. In a note to clients, Peel Hunt lowered its price target to 510p from 542p.

The UK has been gripped by industrial action this year, with 15 days of strikes in six and a half months so far.

And with another nine days of strikes planned over the next two months, Trainline investors are hoping railroad unions locked in a bitter dispute with the government over pay can reach an agreement.

Fulham Shore painted a bleak picture ahead of the final weeks of the year after it also warned the train strikes would take their toll. The group, which owns Franco Manca and Greek restaurant The Real, saw sales soar 26 per cent to £49.9m in the six months to September, while profit fell to £860k over the period, compared with 3.1 million in the previous year.

But it warned that the final quarter of the year will lag the other nine months. Shares fell 8.9 percent, or 1 pence, to 10.25 pence.