Matchbox Pictures was a film and television production company headquartered in Sydney with production houses in Sydney, Melbourne, and Singapore. It was formed in 2008 by Tony Ayres, Penny Chapman, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhurst. In 2011, NBCUniversal took a majority stake in Matchbox Pictures, and full ownership by January 2014.
Matchbox Pictures was led by Alastair McKinnon (managing director), Matthew Vitins (COO), Debbie Lee (Director of Scripted Development), Penny Chapman (Producer), Helen Panckhurst (Head of Production), Michael McMahon (Producer), and Kate O'Connell (Finance Director).
On 16 July 2018, Matchbox Pictures and NBCUniversal backed co-founder Tony Ayres' new company, Tony Ayres Productions.
On 17 February 2026, Universal International Studios announced that Matchbox Pictures will cease operations.
Film The Home Song Stories (2007) Saved (2009) (TV movie) Lou (2010) The Turning – Cockleshell (2013) Cut Snake (2014) Nowhere Boys: The Book of Shadows (2016) Ali's Wedding (2016) Television Title Network Years Notes Anatomy ABC TV 2008–2013 Darwin's Lost Paradise 2009 Documentary Saved Tele-movie My Place ABC Me 2009–2011 Miss South Sudan Australia ABC TV 2010 Leaky Boat 2011 Sex: An Unnatural History SBS The Slap ABC TV The Straits 2012 Underground: The Julian Assange Story Network Ten Tele-movie Next Stop Hollywood ABC TV 2013 Camp NBC co-production with BermanBraun, Selfish Mermaid and Universal Television Formal Wars Seven Network Zuzu & the Supernuffs KidsCo Nowhere Boys ABC Me 2013–2018 Young, Lazy and Driving Us Crazy Seven Network 2014 Old School ABC TV 2014 Devil's Playground Showcase 2014 The Real Housewives of Melbourne Fox Arena 2014–2021 The Slap US NBC 2015 co-production with Universal Television, P+M Image Nation and Scratchpad Productions Room 101 SBS Maximum Choppage ABC TV Plus Deadline Gallipoli Fox Showcase Limited series. Co-production with Full Clip Productions Glitch ABC TV 2015–2019 Second season co-production with Netflix The Family Law SBS 2016–2019 Wanted Seven Network 2016–2018 co-production with R&R Productions Secret City Fox Showcase 2016–2019 The Real Housewives of Auckland Bravo 2016 The Real Housewives of Sydney ArenaBinge 2017, 2023–2025 Mustangs FC ABC Me 2017–2020 Australian Spartan Seven Network 2018–2019 Safe Harbour SBS 2018 Everyone's a Critic ABC TV The Heights 2019–2020 co-production with For Pete's Sake Productions Stateless 2020 Hungry Ghosts SBS Young Rock NBC 2021–2023 co-production with World Wrestling Entertainment, Grit & Superstition, Fierce Baby Productions, Seven Bucks Productions and Universal Television Clickbait Netflix 2021 Co-production with Tony Ayres Productions, Heyday Television and NBCUniversal International Studios Making It Australia Network 10 co-production with Eureka Productions Fires ABC TV co-production with Tony Ayres Productions and NBCUniversal International Studios La Brea NBC 2021–2024 co-production with Bad Apple, Keshet Studios and Universal Television Joe vs. Carole Peacock 2022 co-production with Universal Content Productions and Wondery Irreverent NetflixPeacock Bad Behaviour Stan 2023 Class of '07 Amazon Prime Video Turn Up the Volume ABC Me co-production with Film CampHouse of GodsABC TV2024
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