Apr 20, 2025 04:04 PM IST
At the recently held premiere of The Accountant 2, actor Ben Affleck talked about why big budget movies are being shot out of the US.
Actor Ben Affleck recently attended the premiere of The Accountant 2 at Los Angeles’ TCL Chinese Theatre. On the red carpet, he spoke to the Associated Press about California’s production crisis and why he believes many big-budget films are moving production outside of the United States. (Also Read: Ben Affleck says he ‘hated’ getting into Batman suit, found it difficult to film: ‘It does not make you feel heroic’)
Ben Affleck says California takes Hollywood for granted
Talking to AP on the red carpet, Ben said, “Other places will have better exchange rates or tax rebate deals that are meant to lure this industry there because they understand how stimulative it is for their economies. I think part of the problem with California is they came to take this industry for granted a little bit.”
He pointed out that California Governor Gavin Newsom proposed increasing the state’s cap on its tax incentives program for the film and television industry. But he said it’s insufficient to prevent production houses from shooting elsewhere. He said, “The percentage you get back in terms of actual budget doesn’t compete with places like England, which is why you see a lot of these big, huge movies shoot in the UK.”
Ben mentioned that incentives from states like Georgia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Massachusetts, and New Jersey have also been a huge draw. He ended it by saying that good technicians move out of California, and it ‘hurts the industry’ in the long run when that happens.
Recent work
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben’s recent projects have invested in local production despite these barriers. The Accountant 2 is shot partially in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita. He is also filming and starring in a Netflix project called Animals in California.
Ben recently produced numerous projects, including Kiss the Future, The Instigators, Unstoppable, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Accountant 2 and RIP. The sequel to the 2016 film The Accountant stars Ben alongside Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, JK Simmons and Daniella Pineda.
Leave a Reply