Georgia overtakes New York in soundstage space; in US, only L.A. has more
Georgia has the second most soundstage square footage domestically behind only Los Angeles County, according to FilmLA Research, a non-profit research group out of Los Angeles.
The state, with an estimated 3 million square feet in soundstage space as of the end of 2021, has now passed New York (2.8 million). Soundstages are the large, sound-proofed areas of a movie studio where filming takes place.
A year earlier, Georgia had an estimated 2 million square feet in soundstage space, behind New York (2.4 million), according to FilmLA Research.
Georgia has the fourth-most square footage in the world based on how FilmLA Research breaks down square footage, sometimes by province (in Canada), country (the U.K.), state (Georgia and New York) or county (Los Angeles County.)
Los Angeles County by the end of 2021 had 6.2 million square feet in soundstage space, up from 5.4 million in 2020. The United Kingdom grew from 4.7 million to 5.4 million. Ontario in Canada, focused largely around Toronto, expanded from 3.3 million to 3.8 million. British Columbia, which covers Vancouver, increased square footage from 2.5 million to 2.8 million.
The date collected by the organization is already more than a year out of date. Soundstage space is growing rapidly worldwide to fulfill growing demand for content in recent years, fueled by streaming services. But in 2023, there are signs of a slow down in scripted programming with cutbacks at HBO Max and Netflix.
This year, Georgia is seeing major growth in soundstages with the planned opening of at least three new studios: Electric Owl Studios near the Indian Creek MARTA station, Assembly Studios in Doraville and Lionsgate Studios Atlanta in Douglasville. Athena Studios in Athens, with 82,000 square feet in soundstages, recently opened and Trilith Studios in Fayetteville is adding eight more soundstages on top of its existing 24.