Report: Ga. Off Film Production Pedestal, But Still No. 1 In U.S.

Georgia is no longer top dog for the film industry, but it was beat out by a nation: Canada.

At least for the time being, the state of Georgia is no longer king of the film and production industry when it comes to the number of highest performing U.S. films being made.

Despite the recent popularity of filming in Georgia – see “Captain America,” “Ant-Man,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Spider-Man,” to name a few – Canada, where the 2017 teen drama and smash hit “Riverdale” is filmed in Vancouver, is now at the top of the list, according to statistics tabulated by FilmLa.com, a nonprofit that keeps track of such things.

Georgia is America’s top filming site, but Canada, and its many versatile cityscapes, is No. 1 in terms of number of top grossing films.

In 2017 (the 2018 fiscal year numbers are still ongoing), Canada led the way with 20 top 100 domestic films produced on its soil, with Georgia and the United Kingdom tied for second with 15 films each, and California placing third with 10. Those places were flipped in 2016 as Georgia came out on top with 17 top domestic films produced within its borders, while the United Kingdom (16) and Canada (13) closed out the top three spots.

Described by the Georgia Department of Economic Development as the “Camera-Ready State,” Georgia brought in a reported $6 billion in film production revenue during 2015, second only to the UK in regards to the number of top 100 domestic films produced in the world that year (15 to 13), compared to Canada’s $4.85 billion (up from $4.22 billion in 2013).

In 1918, long before Tyler Perry Studios and his popular “Madea” franchise set up shop in Fort McPherson, Canada created the world’s first national production unit.

Canadian territories in Quebec, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have been used to produce such films as “Brokeback Mountain,” “Capote,” “Mean Girls,” more recently “Deadpool,” more famously “Titanic” (in 1997) and winner of the 1998 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay “Good Will Hunting,” which used Canada as Boston for a large portion of the film.

The television market still might belong to Georgia with both “The Walking Dead” – there’s The Walking Dead Cafe in Senoia where some of the show’s filming takes place – and “Stranger Things,” the Netflix drama that uses Georgia as a backdrop for what is supposed to be an early 1980s small town in Indiana.

Clarification: This report has been updated to show that Georgia is no longer number one in the film industry in terms of top grossing, U.S. films being made. 

WABE brings you the local stories and national news that you value and trust. Please make a gift today.