Los Angeles Film Production Shows Modest Recovery Amid Expanded Tax Credits

FilmLA recorded 5,121 shoot days in Los Angeles Jan-Mar 2026, a 10.7 % rise from the prior quarter but still 3.3 % below the same period a year earlier. Feature-film days rose to 687, up 45.2 % quarter-over-quarter and 52.3 % year-over-year, representing 21.8 % of projects. TV totaled 1,196 days, down 28.4 % from 2025; drama (472 days) and comedy (120 days) showed gains. Reality-TV fell to 463 days, a 52.5 % decline from Q1 2025 and 71 % below its five-year average. Credit projects made up about 22 % of all shoot days.

LA Times

The 2022 writers-and-actors strikes and a slowdown in streaming investment drove a steep production decline that hit a low in 2023. In response, Governor Gavin Newsom and the legislature doubled the California Film & Television Tax Credit budget to $750 million in 2025. The first projects approved under the revised program began filming in Q1 2026, comprising about 22 % of all shoot days.

Hollywood Reporter

Mayor Karen Bass said the industry is turning a corner with productions. FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches said the tax program offers hope for a broader rise in production activity but acknowledged that work remains to restore filming and jobs. Councilwoman Nithya Raman argued that the modest gains do not erase years of catastrophic decline and called for uncapped tax credits, faster permitting, and a film liaison. Governor Newsom’s administration presented the $750 million budget increase as a move to stabilize the industry.

Variety Magazine

• “Hollywood is finally turning a corner with more productions and more jobs.” — Karen Bass, Mayor of Los Angeles

Hollywood Reporter

• “While it’s still too early to make predictions for the coming months, the increase in Shoot Days we are seeing in key categories gives hope for a broader rise in production activity and points to the California Film and Television Tax Program’s growing impact on local job creation,” — Denise Gutches, CEO of FilmLA

Hollywood Reporter

• “While some of the latest numbers are encouraging, we know that there is still significant work to be done to bring filming and jobs back to the region.” — Denise Gutches, CEO of FilmLA

LA Times

• “A slight uptick is welcome news for the workers who depend on this industry, but it does not erase years of catastrophic decline under the current mayor,” — Nithya Raman, Los Angeles City Councilmember

Variety Magazine

FilmLA and the city have launched a pilot offering low-cost permits for productions and a 20 % parking discount for shoots through 2027. June 2 mayoral primary, featuring Bass and Raman, will likely shape permitting reforms and the debate over uncapped tax-credit limits. Industry observers will watch whether funding or tweaks can sustain the gains recorded in 2026.

Variety Magazine