California Film & TV Tax Credit Program Welcomes 24 New Film Projects Estimated to Generate $662 Million In Spending Across the State

Mar 6, 2023 | Press Release

Projects Will Employ an Estimated 3,173 Crew, 801 Cast and 29,602 Background Actors/Stand-Ins Over a Combined 768 Filming Days

Hollywood, Calif. – March 6, 2023 – Despite increasingly strong global competition, California’s Film & Television Tax Credit Program continues to welcome big-budget and independent films, including 24 new projects announced today. These films (21 independent, three non-independent) are on track to bring $662 million in total production spending to California, including an estimated $423 million in “qualified” expenditures. They will employ an estimated 3,173 crew, 801 cast and 29,602 background actors and stand-ins.

Three of the projects announced today are big-budget films — an untitled Disney live-action project, “Thomas Crown Affair” and “Michael,” which is on track to generate more in-state spending than any other film in the tax credit program’s 14-year history. Combined, the three projects alone will generate an estimated $265 million in qualified spending and $433 million in overall (qualified plus unqualified) spending in California.

In addition, the 21 independent films announced today will generate a combined $172 million in qualified spending and $230 million in overall spending. The six indies with budgets over $10 million (“Live,” “Puritan II,” “Shell,” “The Invite,” “The Knockout Queen” and “Unstoppable”) are on track to generate a combined $96 million in qualified spending and $128 million in overall spending.

The 24 film projects will also generate significant postproduction jobs and revenue for California visual effects artists, sound editors, sound mixers, musicians and other industry workers/vendors.

“Our tax credit program continues to welcome a diverse range of projects, from big-budget films to small independent projects, and everything in between,” said California Film Commission Executive Director Colleen Bell. “The program is an important tool for maintaining our competitiveness and curbing runaway production. We are working harder than ever to keep entertainment production here in California, where it belongs.”

Production for the 24 projects is set to occur over a combined 768 filming days in California. Half of the projects plan to film outside the Los Angeles 30-Mile Studio Zone, for a combined 228 out-of-zone filming days (see “Allocation # 4 Out of Zone Filming” chart below).

The California Film Commission received a total of 58 applications during the January 30 – February 6 feature film tax credit application period. It has reserved $81.7 million in tax credit allocation for the 24 conditionally approved projects (see “Fiscal Year 3 – Allocation # 4 Conditionally Approved Projects” chart below).

The next application period for feature films will be held July 24 – 31. The next application period for TV projects will be held March 6 – 20.

About California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program
In 2014, the California legislature passed a bill that more than tripled the size of the state’s film and television production incentive, from $100 million to $330 million annually. Aimed at retaining and attracting production jobs and economic activity across the state, the California Film and TV Tax Credit Program 2.0 also extended eligibility to include a range of project types (big-budget feature films, TV pilots and 1-hr. TV series for any distribution outlet). The current third generation of the California Film and TV Tax Credit Program (dubbed “Program 3.0”) was launched on July 1, 2020.

More information about Program 3.0, including application procedures, eligibility, and guidelines, is available at film.ca.gov.

Contact: Erik Deutsch, ExcelPR Group (for the California Film Commission) (323) 851-2455 direct / erikd@excelpr.com

 

California Film & TV Tax Credit Program 3.0

Fiscal Year 3 – Allocation # 4 Conditionally Approved Projects

  Production Title Applicant Entity Production Type 
1 A Bright And Guilty Place ABGP81 LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
2 Abundance Abundance Film LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
3 Atropia Atropia LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
4 From Dust to Dust American Zoetrope Indie Film $10m & Under
5 Goodrich Frances Goodrich, LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
6 Home School Home School LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
7 Hurricana Pydo Productions Indie Film $10m & Under
8 Lips Like Sugar Lips Like Sugar Film, LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
9 Live Live, LLC Indie Film Over $10m
10 Michael Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. Non-Indie Feature Film
11 Nobody Nothing Nowhere Department of Motion Pictures Indie Film $10m & Under
12 Original Tru Original Tru Production LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
13 Pizza Girl Maggot Productions II, Inc. Indie Film $10m & Under
14 Puritan II Starmaker Studios LLC Indie Film Over $10m
15 Shell Juniper, LLC Indie Film Over $10m
16 Sons of the Silent Age Kathryn Roughan, Producer Indie Film $10m & Under
17 Superbloom Annapurna Productions, LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
18 The Faith of Long Beach The Faith of Long Beach Film LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
19 The Invite Invite Distribution, LLC Indie Film Over $10m
20 The Knockout Queen Atlas Entertainment, LLC Indie Film Over $10m
21 Thomas Crown Affair Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. Non-Indie Feature Film
22 Trees & PhDs Inner Child LLC Indie Film $10m & Under
23 Unstoppable AE Ops, LLC Indie Film Over $10m
24 Untitled Disney Live Action Tagalong Films, Inc. Non-Indie Feature Film

 

California Film & TV Tax Credit Program 3.0

Allocation # 4 Out of Zone Filming

Production Title Applicant Entity Project Type  In LA Days Out LA Days Total CA Days OZ Locations
A Bright And Guilty Place ABGP81 LLC Indie $10m & Under 0 23 23 Palmdale
Orange County – Huntington Beach, Garden Grove
Abundance Abundance Film LLC Indie $10m & Under 0 30 30 Kern County
From Dust to Dust American Zoetrope Indie $10m & Under 0 20 20 Fresno County
Goodrich Frances Goodrich, LLC Indie $10m & Under 23 3 25 Ventura, Orange
Lips Like Sugar Department of Motion Pictures Indie $10m & Under 25 5 30 Riverside County San Bernadino
Live Broughton Entertainment Corporation Indie Over $10m 0 30 30 Ventura
Michael Lions Gate Entertainment Inc. Non-Indie Feature Film 71 9 80 Santa Barbara
Nobody Nothing Nowhere Department of Motion Pictures Indie $10m & Under 0 40 40 Orange County – Huntington, Newport Beach
Original Tru Original Tru Production LLC Indie $10m & Under 15 10 25 Orange County
Pizza Girl Maggot Productions II, Inc Indie $10m & Under 7 18 25 Ventura
Superbloom Annapurna Productions, LLC Indie $10m & Under 12 10 22 Riverside County – Palm Springs
Thomas Crown Affair Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc. Non-Indie Feature Film 24 30 54 San Francisco County

Erik Deutsch
ExcelPR Group (for the California Film Commission)
(323) 851-2455 direct
Email Erik, HERE

Explore more articles by category:  Press Releases  |  Production Alerts  |  Newsletters

California Film Commission
7080 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 900
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tel: 323.860.2960 | 800.858.4749
Email the CFC | About Us

Stay Informed! Sign Up:
Newsletters
Production Alerts
Soundstage Alerts
CFC Board Notices Sign-Up
Careers

Download the Cinemascout app!

cinemascout app icon

GO-Biz logo horizontal white