Along with “Captain Marvel,” which received California tax credits, films like “Bumblebee” and “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” have helped the upward trend
FilmLA announced on Wednesday that feature film production in the Los Angeles area increased by 11 percent in the second quarter of 2018. It’s the second straight quarter that film production has increased in L.A., thanks to a mix of movies with plots set in California and blockbusters that have been pulled from other states thanks to California’s tax incentive program.
Among the films that have been shooting in L.A. over the past quarter is Quentin Tarantino’s next film, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” The project had a plot-specific need to film in Hollywood, as the film takes place in 1968 Tinseltown on the eve of Sharon Tate’s infamous murder at the hands of Charles Manson’s cult.
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Meanwhile, Paramount and Marvel Studios are filming two major blockbusters, “Bumblebee” and “Captain Marvel,” in California. Like “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Bumblebee” takes place along the Pacific Coast and shows the origins of one of Optimus Prime’s right-hand bots.
“Captain Marvel,” meanwhile, has completed a production schedule that has been spread throughout the Golden State. Along with Los Angeles, reports have surfaced of filming for the Brie Larson superhero film in the Bay Area, Shaver Lake and Ventura County. It’s a notable shift for Marvel Studios, which has filmed its last 11 films primarily at Pinewood Studios in London and Georgia. The last Marvel film shot in California was “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which was released in 2014.
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However last year, Marvel received a $20 million tax incentive to shoot “Captain Marvel” in California, thanks to a revision in the state’s film and TV tax incentive that allows blockbusters with budgets of over $75 million to apply for the program. Under the program, major movies can receive up to a 20 percent tax credit for the first $100 million in a title’s qualified expenditures. Movies that shoot outside the L.A. area are eligible to receive additional credits.
According to FilmLA, 11 percent of the 1,184 shooting days logged for feature films in Q2 came from projects brought to Los Angeles by the state tax incentives.
