Film and television production in Los Angeles declined further in the fourth quarter of 2025, with no immediate benefits from expanded state incentives. Shoot days for film, TV, and commercials dropped 12.3% from the previous quarter, continuing a trend since 2022. Overall volume for the year stood at about half of 2019 levels.
The latest data from FilmLA reveals a persistent downturn in Los Angeles production activity. In the fourth quarter of 2025, total shoot days across film, television, and commercials fell 12.3% compared to the prior quarter. This marks the first time since 2021 that shoot days have not increased for two consecutive quarters.
For the full year of 2025, production volume was roughly half of what it was in 2019, underscoring the industry's challenges. Despite these figures, state support has grown. In July, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an expansion of the film and TV production incentive program. The California Film Commission subsequently allocated $771 million in tax credits to various projects, including the films Jumanji, Heat 2, and Baywatch. However, approved projects must begin filming within 180 days of receiving credits, and their impact has not yet appeared in production statistics.
Philip Sokoloski, a spokesman for FilmLA, described the numbers as “disappointing” but expected. “FilmLA has consistently projected that the full effect of the expanded Film and Television Tax Credit Program would take time to materialize, and although our overall numbers remain low, there are dozens of incentivized projects that have yet to begin filming,” he stated.
Subsidized projects made up 17.3% of film shoots on location in the quarter, down from 19.2% in the same period of 2024 but up from 8.7% in 2023. In television, the share rose to 11.1% from 6.5% the previous year and 1.5% in 2023. Notably, 31.8% of TV comedy shoot days and 31% of TV drama production were state-backed. The program recently expanded to include “large-scale” reality shows.
Yet declines persisted across categories. Television production was 50% below its five-year average and 22% lower than in Q4 2024. Film production lagged 31.7% behind the average and 19.7% from the prior year. TV comedies dropped 6% year-over-year but 66% from the average, while dramas fell 36.4% from 2024 and 43.3% below average.
