Docklands Studios Melbourne is a major film and television production complex located in Melbourne’s redeveloped Docklands precinct. The site is approximately from Melbourne’s Central Business District. The complex opened in 2004 and its primary function is to support Victoria's film and television industry and attract international and Australian productions to Melbourne. It is one of three major studios in Australia, the others being Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and Disney Studios Australia in Sydney. The facility has recently expanded, with completion in early 2022 of a new super stage (Stage 6) that is one of the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Background The push for Melbourne to build a major studio complex arose in the late 1990s amid concern that it was "losing some of its media city position to arch-rival Sydney and to the Gold Coast". The strategic objectives were that construction of a major studio complex would represent Melbourne's maturity and global ambitions, develop production capacity to its next stage, and service the needs of the local film and television industry. At the time, Melbourne had a number of smaller facilities with sound stages, but did not have a large state-of-the-art complex. History Construction began in 2003 on a parcel of land provided by the Victorian government in the Docklands precinct. The studios were a partnership between the Victorian government and a private consortium, Central City Studio Holdings. The complex opened in April 2004 under the name Melbourne Central City Studios and that year hosted the Australian feature film production, Hating Alison Ashley. In 2005, the American-backed Ghost Rider became the first international production at the studios and, with a budget of around $120 million, was the biggest feature film ever to be made in Victoria. However, the number of international productions in the first few years of operation did not live up to expectations, partly because of the fluctuating Australian dollar. In 2008 the private consortium withdrew and the Victorian government took control of the facility, later financially supporting a $10 million infrastructure upgrade. Shortly after, the complex changed its name to Docklands Studios Melbourne, formally adopting the name by which the studios were commonly known. Recent history In October 2019, the Victorian government unveiled plans for construction of a $46 million super stage to enable the studios to host large international productions. The 3,700m2 (40,000 ft sq) building was officially opened on March 26,