Soundstages in Los Angeles continue to struggle to rent space to productions, even as new facilities open across the region.
Soundstage occupancy fell to 62% in the first half of 2025 as production remained below levels seen during the 2023 strike, according to data compiled by FilmLA.
Nevertheless, the region continues to add soundstage capacity. In January, East End Studio opened a five-phase mission campus in Boyle Heights. And Cinespace Studios opened six stages in a new facility in Woodland Hills in March.
Several other soundstage projects are seeking approval and are under construction or close to breaking ground.
Just a few years ago, state officials were warning of a shortage of soundstage space as the streaming boom pushed occupancy above 90%. In 2021, the California State Legislature approved $150 million in grants to encourage more soundstage productions, concerned that high occupancy rates would drive filming to quieter jurisdictions.
But the industry cutbacks that began before the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes are hitting hard. California boasted 136,000 manufacturing jobs in 2022, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This number dropped to 82,000 in September 2025, the most recent month for which data is available, a 40% decrease.
Construction projects take a long time. The facility now open was planned, approved and funded years ago. Soundstage capacity continues to increase, at least for now.
Soundstage space in Los Angeles County will be approximately 8.3 million square feet in 2025, up from 8 million square feet the year before. It still has the most concentrated soundstage of any place in the world.
However, the UK is gaining momentum, with total area increasing from 7 million sq ft in 2024 to 7.7 million sq ft in 2025, according to a report from FilmLA. New York also jumped from 3.4 million square feet in 2024 to 4.4 million square feet in 2025.
FilmLA shows that location filming is also in sharp decline. This industry-run nonprofit organization is responsible for processing film permits for jurisdictions throughout the county and has access to a large database of permit counts.
