The 17 studio participants in this report include all the major legacy studios and the larger independents, representing approximately 75 percent of the current 6.9 million square feet of certified stage space in the Los Angeles market.
As of March 2026, Los Angeles County remains the world leader in terms of available sound stage space, with 8.3 million square feet of total stage space (both certified and uncertified space). The County faces challenges from competing jurisdictions such as the UK and New York, whose respective studio space inventories have doubled over the past five years. These outside filming centers also offer highly competitive tax incentives.
The first quarter of 2026 saw the opening of two new Sound Stage facilities in Los Angeles. East End Studios opened its five-stage Mission Campus in Boyle Heights in January, and Cinespace Studios opened its six-stage Woodland Hills facility in March. In addition to these completed builds, FilmLA Research is tracking seven other planned studio builds or renovations, the closest to completion being Sylmar Studios’ upcoming six-stage facility.
The total number of projects shot on participant stages increased slightly by 5 percent from 1,225 to 1,287 projects between 2023 and 2024. At the same time, the total number of shoot days declined by -8 percent from 8,671 to 7,940. Much of this decline can be attributed to a decrease in Shoot Days associated with scripted television, which declined by -23 percent on participant stages between 2023 and 2024.
Despite these declines, participant stages experienced increases in both project numbers and shoot days for some categories production such as feature films, commercials, music videos, and the “other” category, which typically pertains to non-traditional uses such as special events, rehearsals, etc.
“With studio occupancy levels holding steady, this report demonstrates the resiliency of the Los Angeles production environment,” observed FilmLA spokesperson Philip Sokoloski. “Many positive, pro-filming policy developments have been enacted at the state and local level over the past nine months, and more are on the way. All of these efforts to promote local production bode well for growth in sound stage utilization.”
The California Soundstage Filming Tax Credit Program (SFP) provides a reservation of tax credits to qualified films and television projects filming on a certified soundstage that is newly constructed, renovated, or converted. Companies are eligible to apply to obtain soundstage certification as a Phase A applicant; qualified film and television projects filming on a certified soundstage are eligible to apply as a Phase B applicant. The Program is funded over a ten-year period, from 2022 through 2032, for a total of $150 million funding allocation.
For further information about this program, visit the CFC website or contact the Soundstage Filming Tax Credit Program at SoundstageIncentive@film.ca.gov.
Notes on This Report
* On-location production figures are based on days of permitted production within the jurisdictions served by FilmLA. One “Shoot Day” (or “SD”) is defined as one crew’s permission to film at one or more defined locations during any 24-hour period.
