Hollywood movie and TV production drop 22%, according to Film LA report
Movie and TV productions in Los Angeles slipped deeper into the abyss, with new numbers from Film LA showing that shoot days dropped 22% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to last year.
"It is happening. We have been continually losing our market share," said Colleen Bell, executive director of the California Film Commission. "These times require bold moves."
Gov. Gavin Newsom and democratic lawmakers are moving ahead with legislation to massively increase financial incentives to claw back TV and movie production. LA has seen an exodus for years, with filmmakers going to other states and countries that offer studios larger rebates and refunds.
"The governor's proposal actually increases the tax credit from $330 million to $750 million," Assemblyman Rick Zbur said. "I actually was thinking two years ago we needed this. I've known that that has been a problem. I think we've had a bit of an issue educating legislators in other parts of the states to understand what a crisis we're facing now."
The COVID-19 pandemic, Hollywood actors and writers strikes and recent fires exacerbated the filming crisis as the entire industry faces a changing media landscape.
"Think in terms of the internet, social media," producer Patrick Caligiuri said. "Also, there's no rules anymore ... It could be anything now."
The shrinking productions have added fear to many in the industry.
"My concern is that we're losing this talent base," Academy Award-winning documentarian Peter Rotter said. "They have to go find work elsewhere and find an opportunity to feed their families."
