Not one Best Picture Oscar nominee was made in Hollywood this year-a sign of an industry in crisis | Fortune

"For decades, if you wanted to build a career in film, the default answer was simple: You got yourself to Los Angeles. There, a dense ecosystem of soundstages, backlots, labs, rental houses, unions, and guilds created what economists call a virtuous circle. Projects attracted talent, talent attracted more projects, and the whole thing fed on itself."

"This year's Best Picture lineup reads like a map of Hollywood's dispersal: Marty Supreme was shot on New York streets, Sinners in Louisiana, Hamnet in the U.K., with other contenders anchored in Canada, Europe, and South America. The Dolby Theatre will still be the global showcase on Sunday, but the location spending, local payrolls, and tax revenues tied to the movies themselves are no longer in the greater Los Angeles area."

"Production measured in Los Angeles shoot days is plunging, down from 36,792 in 2022 to just 19,694 in 2025, according to FilmLA research. Around 41,000 workers exited the region's film and TV workforce between 2022 and 2024-some voluntarily, many not."

Hollywood's film industry is experiencing a dramatic geographic shift, with production moving away from Los Angeles to alternative hubs offering lower costs. This year's Best Picture nominees were shot across New York, Louisiana, the U.K., Canada, Europe, and South America—none primarily on Hollywood soundstages. The traditional ecosystem that sustained the industry for decades, built on soundstages, backlots, rental houses, and unions, is fragmenting. Los Angeles production shoot days have plummeted from 36,792 in 2022 to 19,694 in 2025. Approximately 41,000 workers left the region's film and television workforce between 2022 and 2024. This exodus threatens the informal apprenticeship system that historically trained the next generation of filmmakers and craftspeople.

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