Los Angeles soundstages are still struggling to lease space to productions, even as new facilities are opening around the region. Soundstage occupancy fell to 62% in the first half of 2025, according to data compiled by FilmLA, as production remained below the levels seen during the 2023 strike. Despite that, the region continues to add soundstage capacity. In January, East End Studios opened its five-stage Mission Campus in Boyle Heights. And Cinespace Studios opened six stages at its new Woodland Hills facility in March. Several other soundstage projects are seeking approvals, under construction or about to break ground. Popular on Variety Only a few years ago, state officials were warning of a shortage in soundstage space, as occupancy rates exceeded 90% during the streaming boom. In 2021, the California Legislature authorized a $150 million subsidy to encourage more soundstage production, fearing that the high occupancy rates would send filming to less busy jurisdictions. But the industry contraction, which began before the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes in 2023, has taken a toll. California boasted 136,000 production jobs in 2022, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure fell to 82,000 in September 2025, the most recent month for which data is available, marking a 40% decline. Construction projects take a long time; the facilities opening now were planned, approved and financed years ago. For now at least, soundstage capacity continues to increase. L.A. County had about 8.3 million square feet of soundstage space in 2025, up from 8 million the year before. That remains the largest concentration of soundstages anywhere in the world. The U.K. is gaining ground, however, increasing its total from 7 million square feet in 2024 to 7.7 million in 2025, according to the FilmLA report. New York also jumped from 3.4 million square feet in 2024 to 4.4 million in 2025. FilmLA has also charted an equally sharp decline in location shoots. The industry-run nonprofit is responsible for processing film permits for jurisdictions around the county, and has access to a large database of permit volume.