In recent months, Georgia’s film industry has struggled to grab major productions and has been in a slow decline.
Since the state beefed up its tax credit in the early 2010s, major-grossing films like those from “The Fast & Furious,” “The Avengers” and “The Hunger Games” series have taken base here.
But now, Randy Davidson, CEO and founder of Georgia Entertainment, is saying that the Peach State may be facing a distinctive shift in its production output.
“Is Marvel gonna keep doing $200 million budgeted films? No. Are there going to be multiple $50 million to $100 million films made in Georgia? No, not anymore. That’s not a viable thing,” Davidson said.
“What is viable is smaller productions, commercials, TikToks, YouTubes, episodics — feature films with more reasonable budgets of $20 million. And there’ll be a lot of those … I think that that’s what Georgia’s workforce is doing in the creative space is just trying to make sure they’re ready and accepting of what is presented before them,” he added.
As of May 1, 26 films and TV shows are being filmed in Georgia, according to the state’s Department of Economic Development. These include the CBS Daytime drama “Beyond the Gates,” the second season of the FX comedy “English Teacher” and the upcoming Peacock series “The Good Daughter.”
Nonscripted programming shooting in the metro Atlanta area this month includes the 13th season of the reality series “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” and the 27th season of the classic game show “Family Feud.”
“Is Marvel gonna keep doing $200 million budgeted films? No. Are there going to be multiple $50 million to $100 million films made in Georgia? No, not anymore, that’s not a viable thing.”
Randy Davidson, CEO and founder of Georgia Entertainment
Like most Americans in recent months, Davidson said that a majority of the concerns that he hears from crew members relate to tariffs and their potential financial repercussions.
However, with the arrival of annual events like the Atlanta Film Festival, Davidson maintains high energy for strong state representation and economic boosts.
“The Atlanta Film Festival is one of the top film festivals in the world. It is also an event that brands Atlanta to the world and brings in a lot of tourism, and helps us export our culture while embracing it locally,” Davidson said.
And while soundstages may not be booked for television and film projects, they are quickly being used for a variety of events, ranging from esports events to fashion shows.
“We held a big gala in December on soundstage five at Assembly Studios in DeKalb. Seven hundred people there. It’s a big black box, you know? And soundproof, and we just dressed it up, and we had a wonderful event there,” he said.
“In the current state, we have too many stages for the current environment. However, that’s not to say that that’s an awful thing. It’s a way of saying, let’s pivot,”
The CEO shares that the future of the industry involves supporting local artists and attracting new creatives to the state. State entertainment representatives will travel to the Cannes Film Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals, later this month in Cannes, France.
“Like in any industry, it’s got its ups and ups and downs,” said Davidson. “But I do feel like we’re getting some normalcy and on our way back up.”
This story is available through a news partnership with WABE, Atlanta’s National Public Radio affiliate.