Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 28
Los Angeles film production rises 10 percent in early 2026
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 28

Los Angeles film production rises 10 percent in early 2026

8 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Apr 28
  • FilmLA reports 5,121 shoot days in Q1 2026, with feature production up 52 percent year-over-year and 22 percent of features using new state tax credits.
  • Despite the uptick, overall production remains nearly 30 percent below the five-year average, and TV shoot days fell 28 percent quarter-over-quarter, with reality TV down 52 percent.
  • The increase follows California’s expanded tax credit program, aiming to reverse a decade-long production decline after 2023’s dual Hollywood strikes and industry cost-cutting, though competition from other regions remains strong.
Why is reality TV production, once a local staple, collapsing in Los Angeles despite new incentives?
Will L.A.'s new permit discounts for small crews actually make filming affordable for independent creators?
With TV production plummeting, can Hollywood's job recovery be sustained on feature films alone?
Is California's tax credit lottery losing the global production war to the UK's guaranteed incentives?
Will AI and virtual production make physical 'shoot days' and the tax credits that fund them obsolete?