L.A. Soundstage Occupancy Declines to New Low of 63% in 2024 With No Signs of Improvement

by

In Los Angeles, the soundstage occupancy rate, which had been in the top 10% nationally between 2016 and 2022, dropped to 63% in 2024.

The FilmLA Sound Stage Production Report gathered information from 17 film studios located within the Greater Los Angeles region for its data collection. This comprehensive report provides detailed statistics on sound stage occupancy and filming activities carried out on stages and backlots throughout the entire year of 2023. Additionally, it offers updated figures on new sound stage occupancy for the whole year of 2024. Furthermore, it compares the available sound stage space in Greater Los Angeles against major competing markets in 2025, as well as five years prior to that.

For the past year and a half, there’s been a consistent downturn in local movie and television productions within the state. In January, FilmLA revealed that permit applications had significantly dropped as a result of the L.A. Fires. However, the city continued to operate normally despite this. This decline follows a difficult two-year period, which was marked by a decrease in international content production and the double strikes within the industry that occurred in 2023.

In the year 2023, a grand total of 1,225 film projects were shot across 477 different locations analyzed by FilmLA. These projects resulted in 8,671 Sound Stage Days (SSD), which is less than what was reported during any other examined period, with the exception of 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic led to a temporary halt in all production activities.

Television shows filmed on certified stages and backlots in Los Angeles made up just 20% of the total production activity, whereas these high-value, employment generating productions accounted for 30% of all stage-based filming in past years.

FilmLA spokesperson Philip Sokoloski pointed out that stage occupancy and stage utilization are distinct concepts. A set being occupied doesn’t necessarily mean it’s creating jobs unless it’s under construction or in use. Although television budgets have risen, the number of episodes produced has decreased, leading to extended gaps between seasons. To grasp the actual reduction in job opportunities from this data, one should concentrate on Stage Shoot Days.

Over the past five years, I’ve noticed a significant expansion in stage-based production capabilities across the UK, New York, Georgia, and Ontario, Canada. Los Angeles, boasting approximately 8 million square feet of production space and 13 upcoming or proposed studio projects, has maintained a notable edge due to its robust infrastructure. However, with fewer film, TV, and commercial projects currently in production, it’s becoming increasingly challenging to keep these studios occupied.

According to Sokoloski’s forecast, the regions that excel moving forward – those maintaining consistently robust levels of stage occupancy and job creation – will be those actively involved in attracting film projects at a national, state, and regional level. We endorse the efforts of state leaders to grow California’s film incentive program, and we are actively discussing with City and County partners ways to enhance the local filming environment.

California lawmakers are currently working on modifying a program with the aim of preventing companies from moving their production to other regions or countries. Last autumn, Governor Gavin Newsom suggested raising the current cap on the program from $330 million to $750 million, and since then, two bills have been presented – SB630 (Allen) and AB1138 (Zbur, Bryan) – to consider further adjustments to the program.

If these attempts to remain in L.A. are successful, California’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program could become one of the nation’s largest incentive programs, trailing only Georgia’s, which lacks a spending limit. This is likely to bring economic benefits and relief to California’s entertainment industry workforce, currently grappling with challenges, as it employs approximately 618,000 individuals in various roles and generates an annual economic output of $115 billion for the region.

Read More

2025-04-03 22:17