A lot has happened since we last looked at Canada’s entertainment industry (a pandemic, industry strikes), and with so many popular movies and shows (including The Last of Us, The Boys, and Reacher) all filmed in this country, it seems like a good time to revisit that sector.
As per the Motion Picture Association of Canada:
The film and television industry supports a dynamic creative economy in Canada, employing people in every province, across a diversity of skill sets and trades. In recent years, the rise in streaming has been a key driver of investment, with increased demand for content in markets around the world seeing production volume reach a pre-COVID high of $9.5 billion in 2019/20. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry reversed recent trends and experienced a robust rebound in production activity. In 2021/22, total production volume across Canada reached $11.69 billion, stimulating $13.73 billion in GDP and creating more than 240,000 jobs for Canadian creatives working in a wide range of roles – from special effects technicians to makeup artists to sound editors, carpenters, and more.
The Last of Us has been touted as the largest series ever filmed in Canada, with knock-on effects that included more than $141 million spent across Alberta ($70 million on local goods and services, and $71 million on local labour), 840 jobs created for local cast and crew, and support for 1,000 provincial businesses during filming.
Canada’s film and television production industry consists of four key segments – television production, theatrical feature film production, foreign location and service production, and broadcaster in-house production – and 2021/2022 was a record year on all fronts, according to the Canadian Media Producers Association’s Profile 2022 report. All four segments contributed to that season’s $11.69 billion record production volume, with the biggest contributions coming from foreign location and service (FLS) production (up over 27%) and Canadian television production (up almost 39%). FLS volumes increased by 27.3% to account for 57% of total production volume (and an all-time high of $6.71 billion).
The provinces of Ontario and British Columbia are in direct competition for Canada’s film and television production hot spots. In 2021/22, Ontario grabbed 33% of total production volume (32% for British Columbia), but only 25% of FLS volume (against 44% for British Columbia), although both provinces marked increases that year. Quebec received 26% of total production volume,.
Although funding and intellectual property matters are concerns for industry insiders, there remains a sense of optimism in Canada’s entertainment sector. Earlier this year, Amazon MGM Studios entered a multi-year commitment for exclusive use of Toronto’s Pinewood Studios for future productions; the city of Hamilton, Ontario is getting ready for a busy 2024 (including filming for a new season of Reacher); and industry-related trade shows and film festivals are scheduled throughout the year.
Companies with services and/or products that support the entertainment sector may find opportunities in the Canadian market.
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