New York is rolling again as tax breaks pull cameras back
New York is filming again at a pace not seen since before the pandemic.
Production spending in the state rose 57% year on year in the second quarter of 2026 to nearly $1.06 billion, while the number of projects shooting rose 19%, according to figures reported by Variety. The turnaround has been fast.
The streets tell the same story. New York City processed 4,311 filming permits so far in 2026, a 27% increase from last year. More than 600 projects filmed on public property in the city in summer 2026.
When Rafael Espinal took office in February as the city's media and entertainment commissioner, permits were at 50% of pre-pandemic levels. His brief covers film, television, music and games across the five boroughs.
The driver is money back on spend. New York State offers a 30% refundable tax credit, meaning productions get a share of qualifying costs returned in cash, backed by an $800 million annual fund. Budget amendments from Gov. Kathy Hochul that enhanced the incentive were signed in 2025.
The Devil Wears Prada 2 is the clearest example. The budget enhancements convinced the sequel to remain in New York. Its shoot supported more than 1,400 local cast and crew members and engaged 550 local vendors.
Empire State Development reported the 46-day shoot generated $67.9 million in total economic activity and $45.8 million in local wages. That is wages for drivers, caterers, carpenters, hair and make-up teams and all the labour a location shoot pulls in.
Studio space has grown with demand. Wildflower Studios in Astoria, co-founded by Adam Gordon with Robert De Niro and Raphael De Niro, opened in 2024. It joined a base that includes Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, which Doug Steiner opened in 2004.
City impact studies give a sense of scale. The 2021 film and television study put the industry at 185,000 jobs, $18.1 billion in wages and $81.6 billion in total economic output, according to the NYC Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. The same office credits music with 60,000 jobs and $21 billion in output, and digital games with 7,600 jobs and $2 billion in output.
The pipeline remains open. The application window for Pool 2 of the New York State Independent Film Production Tax Credit Program re-opened on 16 September 2026 at 10 a.m. EDT, according to Empire State Development. A separate post-production programme is funded at $45 million a year through 2036, with an additional 5% credit potentially available.
Other strands include a commercial credit worth 30% of qualifying costs upstate and 20% downstate, and a 25% credit for qualifying musical and theatrical productions in designated New York City facilities. A federal bill reported by The New York Times on 24 September 2026 would add a credit of at least 20% on wages for workers who make films and television shows.
For viewers, this means more of the New York on screen is the real New York. For crews, it means work that stays local and stories that get finished where they started.
