Georgia Film Industry Crisis: $2.1 Billion Production Drop

Georgia's Film Boom Hits a "Painful Reset" as Spending Plummets to $2.3 Billion

Production spending in the Peach State dropped by nearly 50% as Marvel Studios moves major projects like "Thunderbolts" to the United Kingdom.

Sofia Chen

Mar 14, 2026, 12:04 AM PT · 1 min read

Georgia's film production spending fell by $2.1 billion following the 2023 Hollywood strikes.

THE RUNDOWN

Georgia film spending fell from $4.4 billion in 2022 to $2.3 billion in 2024.
Marvel Studios moved the 2025 film "Thunderbolts" from Atlanta to the United Kingdom.
The number of active productions in Georgia dropped from 412 to 312.
The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA labor strikes contributed to the industry slowdown.
Local crew members face widespread job losses as streaming services tighten their budgets.

The "Hollywood of the South" is facing a stark reality check. After reaching a record-breaking $4.4 billion in production spending during the 2022 fiscal year, Georgia’s film industry saw that number plummet to $2.6 billion in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. Data from the Georgia Department of Economic Development shows the state hosted 273 productions last year, a significant drop from the 412 projects filmed just two years prior.

A major catalyst for this shift is the departure of high-budget tentpoles. Marvel Studios, a longtime staple of Georgia’s Trilith Studios, moved the production of its 2025 film The Fantastic Four: First Steps to the United Kingdom. Disney and other streaming giants are reportedly tightening budgets and shifting focus toward international hubs, leaving local crew members and vendors in Fayetteville and Atlanta struggling to find work.

The downturn was further intensified by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which halted global production for months. While many hoped for a rapid bounce-back once the strikes ended, industry leaders now describe the current climate as a "painful reset." With fewer active sets on the schedule, thousands of Georgia's specialized film professionals are navigating a drastically cooled-off landscape.