Ben Affleck Says California's State Leaders “Take This Industry For Granted” As Hollywood Production Declines
Courtesy of Eric Charbonneau / Amazon MGM Studios via Getty Images.
Ben Affleck isn’t just crunching numbers in ‘The Accountant 2,’ he's also keeping a close eye on the economics of filmmaking in real life.
Speaking to the Associated Press at the film’s red carpet event on Wednesday, Affleck voiced concerns about California’s film and television tax incentive program. He suggested that state leaders may be underestimating the importance of the entertainment industry, saying, “they take this industry for granted.”
His remarks come on the heels of a troubling report from FilmLA, which noted a 22.4% drop in total shoot days across Greater Los Angeles during the first quarter — signaling a continued downward trend.
Although Governor Gavin Newsom has proposed a significant boost to the program (from its current $330 million annually to about $750 million in the 2025-2026 fiscal year), Affleck noted that California’s incentives still don’t match up to what other regions are offering.
“The percentage of what you get back in terms of the actual budget doesn’t compete with places like England, which is why you see a lot of these big, huge movies shoot in the U.K,” Affleck explained, pointing to the U.K. as a preferred destination for many large-scale productions.
Affleck, co-founder of Artists Equity, also pointed out that several U.S. states, including Georgia, New Jersey, and Louisiana, offer more favorable tax rebates or exchange rates, making them increasingly attractive to filmmakers.
His comments come at a pivotal moment, just ahead of a California legislative hearing on SB 630 and a related proposal aimed at enhancing the state’s competitiveness. The proposed legislation would raise the tax credit for individual projects from 20% to 35% for expenses in Los Angeles and allow the California Film Commission to add another 5% credit for productions in designated economic opportunity zones.
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