Los Angeles Sees a 16.1% Drop in Production in 2025, While California’s New Tax Incentives Support Modest Growth in Q4 – Report
On-location production in Los Angeles saw a slight increase in activity during the final months of 2025. However, the overall year was marked by a significant downturn, with a reported 16.1% decrease in total shoot days compared to 2024, according to the latest findings from FilmLA.
The city and county’s film-permitting office announced Thursday that shoot days in the greater Los Angeles area reached 4,625 from October to December, reflecting a 5.6% rise from the previous quarter’s 4,380. This slight uptick follows a notable decline of 18.2% between Q2 and Q3, which FilmLA suggests may indicate a potential recovery thanks to the California Film & TV Tax Credit Program providing vital support to the industry.
“While the year-end numbers are disappointing, they are not unexpected,” stated Philip Sokoloski, FilmLA’s VP of Integrated Communications. He noted that the organization had predicted the expanded Film and Television Tax Credit Program’s effects would take time to materialize.
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The report highlights that year-over-year, total shoot days in Q4 2025 decreased by 21.1% compared to the same period in 2024. Throughout the year, FilmLA recorded a total of 19,694 shoot days in the greater Los Angeles area, a stark contrast to the 23,480 days noted in 2024, underscoring ongoing challenges for the region’s physical production landscape.
Commercial productions experienced the most significant decline, dropping 23.2% from Q4 2024 with approximately 586 shoot days. Notable companies such as Chevrolet, Nissan, Toyota, Anthem, Bank of America, FedEx, Microsoft, and Ring were among those that continued to produce in the area, although commercials remain ineligible for the state’s production incentive, making further declines likely.
Television production also saw a downturn, with a 21.9% drop compared to the same timeframe last year, ultimately finishing 50.1% below the five-year average for the category. In Q4 2025, television accounted for 1,247 shoot days, heavily dominated by reality TV, which experienced a modest decline of 9.8% year-over-year.
TV dramas faced particularly severe impacts, recording only 336 shoot days—a 36.4% decrease annually. However, FilmLA noted that 31% of these shoot days were tied to incentivized projects, including ABC’s The Rookie.
TV comedies performed relatively better, with a smaller decline of 6% in Q4 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Nevertheless, this category remained down 66% against the five-year averages. Encouragingly, 32% of the shoot days in this category stemmed from incentivized productions, including Netflix’s Running Point and HBO’s Hacks. The updated tax incentive program has seemingly benefited comedies, particularly for projects with lower production costs and shorter runtimes.
Feature film production saw the least reduction, although still significant, falling 19.7% year-over-year in Q4 to 473 shoot days. Notably, over 17% of shoot days in this category were related to incentivized projects, primarily independent films.
In total, about 13% of the shoot days in the greater Los Angeles area during Q4 were linked to incentivized productions. Since the program’s expansion in July, 119 projects have received awards. All approved projects are required to begin production within 180 days of receiving their incentive award, indicating potential growth in the coming months.
Despite the financial support, local officials emphasize that revitalizing Los Angeles’ film and television industry requires more than just monetary infusions. Efforts are underway to streamline permitting processes, reduce fees, and increase accessibility for productions.
“Many exciting initiatives are currently in development, and we look forward to seeing film-friendly policies expand throughout the region in the coming months,” remarked FilmLA CEO Denise Gutches. “It’s time to bring production back home where it belongs and put our talented, highly skilled entertainment workforce back to work.”
