The film and television industry in New York City is bouncing back, and its leader says the city has become one of the most affordable places to shoot in the world.
Rafael Espinal took office as the city’s entertainment chief in February, and he found a city thriving in almost every way except one: film and TV production had fallen by half since the pandemic. “The number of permits we were seeing was 50% compared to pre-pandemic,” he told Variety. “I joked to my team that I remember seeing tumbleweeds roll through our office.”
When Espinal moved to reduce red tape and the state strengthened its tax incentives, the recovery started. Today, the city’s soundstages are full, productions fill the streets, and New York has become a destination for major shows again.
The Credit That Made It Happen
The turning point was a 30% refundable tax credit backed by an annual pot of $800 million. The state also added enhanced post-production and above-the-line incentives, making New York competitive with London, Canada and Budapest, where Hollywood had been fleeing for cheaper crews and bigger tax breaks.
“New York is one of the more affordable places to shoot in the world,” Espinal says.
The figures confirm it. In the second quarter of 2026, production spending climbed 57% year-over-year, reaching nearly $1.06 billion, with 19% additional projects underway.
Soundstages Filling Up Across the City
The city has processed 4,311 filming permits so far in 2026, a 27% increase from last year. More than 600 projects were filmed on public property this summer.
A great many productions call New York home while they film, and the range of what they make runs wide.
- “The Gilded Age”
- “American Horror Story”
- The upcoming “Exorcist” movie
- “The Devil Wears Prada 2”
After the budget enhancements, the last production remained in New York, where it employed over 1,400 local cast and crew members and worked with 550 local vendors. The 46-day shoot produced an estimated $67.9 million in total economic activity and $45.8 million in local wages, per Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency.
Why No Other City Can Replace New York
Producers are told a straightforward proposition: shoot here, and you are promoting New York itself. The city stands as “the fifth character” of “Sex and the City,” and hundreds of people continue to gather at Carrie Bradshaw’s West Village stoop each week.
Even Toronto, which stands in for Queens in FX’s “Adults” and Manhattan in Sarah Polley’s upcoming “The Bell Jar” adaptation, cannot fully replace the city.
Robert De Niro’s work is shaped by a trilogy of films shot in New York: “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull”, and “Goodfellas”. That trilogy defines his career, according to “You can’t replicate the city anywhere else. It’s not the same,”.
More films need to be made in New York, according to De Niro, who regards the city as the finest on earth.
Rhoda Glickman, who is supposed to be in Washington, D.C., said “We’re happy to ‘cheat’ other locations,” and we film it here — it’s not beneath us to do that, ESD’s film and arts chief. “When something’.
Keeping Productions in Town
While Espinal acknowledges that the credit helps, he places greater weight on the infrastructure itself.
“I’m a firm believer that no matter how high the tax credit is, if you don’t have an infrastructure in place that supports filming, then it creates a burden on productions that’s not going to further attract them to your city,” he says.
He refers to it as “white-glove service.”, and his staff answers the phone to assist with finding solutions.
His first production involved shutting down the Manhattan Bridge for an alien invasion, a set-piece that demanded coordination with the NYPD, the MTA and the Port Authority. That film was “A Quiet Place Part III,”.
While actors fought against CGI aliens on set, Espinal faced off against a vocal community group that objected to the production’s temporary disruption of local businesses. That opposition was amplified by the New York Post. The production did compensate those businesses for their losses.
Rather than ignoring the noise, Espinal appeared at the set and posted a video making the case for why productions like this benefit the city over time.
“We’re going to have folks flying into our city, spending tourist dollars to be able to see where that shot took place,” he says.
Beyond Film and TV
The boom is not limited to feature films. Espinal also points to Cardi B’s “Ah Ha” music video and Josh Safdie’s Knicks-themed Nike commercial, both shot in New York.
Short-form social media series also revolve around the city, which serves as their central point.
“When a [project] is filmed in New York, the paycheck stays in New York,” says Emily Mijatovic, ESD’s downstate communications director. “It’s also about the jobs for the local folks: the electricians, the carpenters, the drivers, the makeup artists.”
“We’re going to have folks flying into our city, spending tourist dollars to be able to see where that shot took place.”
There is genuine progress under way, and it is gaining pace. The open issue is whether the state can sustain that drive.
The Numbers Behind the Boom
- 50%: Permits issued compared to pre-pandemic levels
- $800 million: Annual pot backing the 30% refundable tax credit
- 57%: Year-over-year production spending growth in Q2 2026
- $1.06 billion: Total production spending in Q2 2026
- 600+: Projects filmed on public property this summer
- 1,400+: Local cast and crew members on “The Devil Wears Prada 2”
- $67.9 million: Economic activity from the “Prada 2” 46-day shoot
- $45.8 million: Local wages from the “Prada 2” 46-day shoot
Credit, infrastructure and ambition are all present. The productions are already there. What remains to be seen is whether the city can continue to push the tumbleweeds aside.
Source material: “Sets and the City: Why New York’s Film and TV Business Is Booming,” Variety.
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