2025 Mid-Year Film & TV Production Report

Written By Bill Milling

1. Q2 Estimated TV & Film Spend (USA, 2022–2025)

  • Q2 2022: Baseline industry spend (ProdPro data)

  • Q2 2023: Production began rebounding post‑strikes; still below 2022

  • Q2 2024: Estimated $11.3 billion, down ~20% from Q2 2022

  • Q2 2025: Forecast indicates a modest recovery, trending up ~5% year-over-year

2. Q2 Weekly Filming Volume & Trends

  • Q2 2023: ~261 feature films began principal photography globally

  • Q2 2024: ~214 films, an 18% drop year-over-year

  • Q2 2025: Filming volume expected to rise slightly (~+5% vs. 2024)

3. Direct vs Third‑Party Studio Spend

  • While the exact quarter breakdown isn’t public, ProdPro data indicates the following:

    • Major U.S. studios (Disney, Warner, Paramount, Universal, Sony) continue direct-shoot shields

    • Independent producers and streamer-funded projects increasingly use 3rd-party service providers

    • The total Q2 2024 spending picture (~$11B) includes both in-studio and external vendor-led productions

4. Top Studio Division Leaderboard (Volume, Spend & Slate)

  • Major studio divisions (Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Paramount, Sony) remain top dogs

  • Disney (including Marvel, Searchlight) and Warner Bros. lead in Q2 volume

  • ProdPro and Sohonet data show Disney and Warner Bros divisions ranked highest in scripted television slate starts

5. Greenlight Index for Top Studio Divisions

  • Greenlight Index measures the ratio of projects that proceed from development to production

  • In early 2025, Disney Studios and Warner Bros Television sit at the top, meaning they greenlight more projects per development pitch than their peers

6. Global Filming Activity YTD (2025) vs Last Year

  • U.S. production dropped ~40% from pre‑strike levels in 2024

  • 2025 shows a rebound trend, with principal photography volume up modestly in Q1 & Q2

7. U.S. Production Hub Activity YTD

  • California remains the leading hub, followed by Georgia, New York, and Texas

  • 2024 permit fee increases (e.g. +33% in Los Angeles) have slowed shoot frequency but 2025 budgets are correcting

8. 2025 Production Forecast

  • Q2 2025 spend and filming activity are projected to surpass Q2 2024 by 5–8%

  • Annual spending forecast remains steady, hovering slightly below 2022 pre-strike levels, near $40 billion spent in U.S. production.

Bill Milling
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