The film and TV industry in Georgia had an economic impact of $9.5 billion in fiscal 2017, according to the state’s Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office. That number includes $2.7 billion in direct spending and represents 320 feature film and TV productions shot here, including several Marvel movies and the TV shows “Stranger Things” (Netflix) and “The Walking Dead” (AMC).
“This is huge news for the Georgia film industry and for Georgia in general,” says Craig Miller, chairman of Gov. Nathan Deal’s Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Commission. The $9.5 billion “represents booming business and more jobs for Georgians — not only for those involved on set but for the countless industries that are benefiting from the increased business film and television brings to the state.”
In fiscal 2007, film and television contributed $67.7 million in direct spending to Georgia, according to state figures. That number has since quadrupled. Such growth is unprecedented, not only in production spending but also in investment made in infrastructure, says Lee Thomas of the Film, Music and Digital Entertainment Office.
In 2016, according to a recent FilmL.A. survey, a total of 17 feature films shot in Georgia, making it the most popular location in the world. The United Kingdom (16), Canada (13) and California (12) followed. Details HERE.
How can Georgia support so much work? Tax incentives and facilities. The region has five soundstage complexes — Atlanta Metro Studios (Union City), Blackhall Studios (southeast Atlanta), EUE/Screen Gems Studios (southwest Atlanta), Pinewood Atlanta Studios (Fayetteville) and Tyler Perry Studios (southwest Atlanta) — with more likely on the way. Three more complexes have been proposed in the past year — CineDome Studios in Chattahoochee Hills, Cinema South Studios in Fayetteville and Three Ring Studios in Covington.
Georgia-made movies to look for in the next few months include:
- AUG. 18: Logan Lucky, a crime comedy about brothers trying to pull off a heist during a NASCAR race in North Carolina. With Daniel Craig, Adam Driver and Channing Tatum.
- SEPT. 29: American Made, about a pilot who lands work for the CIA and as a drug runner in the 1980s. With Tom Cruise.
- ALSO SEPT. 29: Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, a biopic about the FBI special agent, who under the name “Deep Throat,” helped Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein uncover the Watergate scandal in 1974. With Diane Lane and Liam Neeson.
- OCT. 27: Thank You for Your Service, about the struggles of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq. With Haley Bennett, Joe Cole and Miles Teller.
Upcoming TV productions include:
- JULY 21: “Ozark” on Netflix, a new crime drama about a Chicago-based financial adviser who secretly relocates his family to Missouri when his dealings with a drug cartel go awry. With Jason Bateman and Laura Linney.
- AUG. 1: “Manhunt: Unabomber” on the Discovery Channel, a new series that takes an in-depth look at how an FBI profiler helped track down the Unabomber. With Paul Bettany and Jane Lynch (as U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno).
- OCT. 27: “Stranger Things” on Netflix, Season 2 of the fantasy-horror drama about a mother, a police chief and others trying to find the son who has disappeared.
