In recent years, the state of Georgia has been where major film productions roosted, especially the bustling projects of Marvel Studios and their associated cinematic universe. However, Marvel Studios has undergone another shift, this time moving out of Georgia to complete most of its film productions at studios in the United Kingdom. Notably among them is their joint Sony Pictures production, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is completing much of its principal photography in Glasgow, Scotland.
The move has been reported to be very tough on Georgia’s economy. As much as “half its spending” has been depleted with the studio’s exit. In addition to Spider-Man, both of their upcoming Avengers projects are to be handled within the UK’s territory. Almost all of the move is on the account of labor issues and costs, issues that are hardly unusual or unseen within the film industry, Hollywood or independent. A prime point of difference between filming US productions inside the states versus overseas in the UK comes down to the fact that less money is needed to pay crew members in the UK, and studios are not “saddled with health insurance expenses” that they are over here.
Inside Georgia, internal productions have decreased from 412 in 2022 to 245 projects filmed in the fiscal year ending June 2025. Likewise, Trilith Studios, which had been used extensively by Marvel Studios over the past decade, has seen a sharp decline in usage, as they have taken their business elsewhere. Many below-the-line film workers in the state have been interviewed about their woes and difficulties with the loss of work and opportunities, including those from script supervisors, location scouts, and grips. Some people, such as Frank Patterson, the CEO of Trilith, are optimistic that the tides will eventually shift back and production will return to filming in Georgia.
Along with the UK, Canada and Australia have been campaigning to be the site of major film productions. Even back inside the United States, other states such as “California, New York, New Jersey, and Texas are pumping up their own incentives to compete.” Previously, it had been reported that Los Angeles itself was losing its feeling as the hub of the film industry, as fewer film productions occurred directly inside Hollywood. This feeling can also be seen in how many independent and low-budget projects have resorted to doubling locations overseas as cost measures, even when they were telling intrinsically American stories. Perhaps most evident was last year’s Oscars juggernaut, The Brutalist, which filmed a great deal in Hungary with Hungarian crews in order to maximize every penny, even as its subject matter was an epic sojourn of post-WWII America as a construct. For now, it seems like the UK will be the primary center of Hollywood film productions. Though one wonders if there will be a turn back to productions occurring in Georgia, California, or New York. And if it does, how long will it be when it arrives?
Leave a Comment