Written by Tom Deehan on Sep 2, 2016. Posted in General Interest

Chicago grabs USD1.3 billion over five years from film and TV

A new report issued by Mayor Rahm Emmanuel’s office has revealed that Chicago brought home a total of USD1.3 billion via film and television from 2011-2015, a massive increase when compared to the USD600 million brought in from 2006-2010. The rise in on location television shows can be attributed for the increase, with standout series including FOX’s Empire and The Exorcist.

Empire, which has become a staple of FOX’s current TV line-up has been shot entirely in Chicago over the last two years. The production has been spotted at locations including Marshall Boulevard, West Cermak Road and West Ogden Avenue.

Mayor Emmanuel explains: “we are proud that Chicago continues to serve as a destination for filming and commercial activity, due to our talented residents, state-of-the-art facilities, and affordable services — not to mention our iconic skyline and the rich character and diversity of Chicago’s neighbourhoods.”

Mark Kelly, the Chicago Cultural Affairs Commissioner adds: “we can say without question now, we are one of the great film production centres in the world.”

The Illinois Film Services Tax Credit received an increase from the rate of 20% to 30% in 2008, acting as a major cause of Chicago’s production boom. By offering an incentive that is far more competitive with that of other states and other countries, Illinois has been able to attract high budget productions such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Transformers: Age of Extinction.

To access the 30% tax credit, productions with a running time of over 30 minutes must spend USD100,000 while those under the threshold need only spend USD50,000. Eligible expenditures include the use of post-production facilities, production services and hiring of local labour.