Hollywood might write the scripts, but Hawaii's film industry is writing its own blockbuster success story, generating a record-breaking $500 million economic impact in 2022 while supporting thousands of local jobs.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the Hawaii film industry generated $281 million in direct spending on local goods and services
- Feature films and TV productions spent $162 million on local labor in Hawaii during 2022
- The film industry contributed $47 million in state taxes from productions in 2022
- 127 permitted productions filmed in Hawaii in 2022
- 45 feature films were produced or shot partially in Hawaii in 2022
- 82 television episodes were filmed in Hawaii in 2022
- The industry employed 4,200 full-time equivalent jobs in 2022
- 1,200 above-the-line positions like directors and producers worked in Hawaii 2022
- 3,000 below-the-line crew members including grips and electrics employed in 2022
- NCIS: Hawai'i filmed 22 episodes in Season 2 (2022) primarily on Oahu
- Magnum P.I. reboot shot 20 episodes in 2022 on Oahu plantations
- Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. produced 10 episodes in 2022 at Honolulu studios
- Hawaii's film tax credit caps at 25% for qualified expenditures up to $200M per production
- Additional 5% credit for hiring local hires exceeding 50% of crew
- Infrastructure credits up to 35% for studio buildouts over $10M investment
Hawaii's film industry generated half a billion dollars in economic impact in 2022.
Economic Impact
- In 2022, the Hawaii film industry generated $281 million in direct spending on local goods and services
- Feature films and TV productions spent $162 million on local labor in Hawaii during 2022
- The film industry contributed $47 million in state taxes from productions in 2022
- Total economic impact including indirect and induced effects reached $500 million for Hawaii's film sector in 2022
- Film and TV productions supported 4,200 jobs in Hawaii in 2022, leading to $250 million in wages
- Hotel spending by film crews amounted to $25 million in 2022
- Rental car expenditures by productions hit $12 million in 2022 across Oahu and other islands
- Local vendor payments for equipment and services totaled $85 million in 2022
- The industry's multiplier effect generated an additional $219 million in indirect spending in 2022
- Film tourism from movies like Jurassic Park adds $100 million annually to visitor spending
- In 2019 pre-pandemic, direct spending was $415 million, down to $281 million in 2022 but recovering
- Oahu captured 85% of all film spending in 2022 at $239 million
- Maui saw $22 million in film spending in 2022, boosting local economy
- Kauai's film expenditures reached $15 million in 2022
- Big Island (Hawaii Island) had $5 million in film-related spending in 2022
- The industry paid $38 million in transient accommodations taxes in 2022
- General excise taxes from film activities totaled $9 million in 2022
- Film productions supported 1,200 above-the-line jobs paying average $120,000 salary in 2022
- Below-the-line crew wages summed to $142 million for 3,000 jobs in 2022
- Extras and day players earned $20 million across 12,000 workdays in 2022
- In FY2021, film tax credits issued totaled $50 million, spurring $200 million in spending
- The sector's GDP contribution was 0.5% of Hawaii's total GDP in 2022 at approximately $450 million
- Film industry exports of services reached $150 million in 2022 from international co-productions
- Local business revenue from catering to crews was $18 million in 2022
- Construction and permitting for sets cost $10 million in 2022
- Fuel purchases by productions amounted to $8 million in 2022
- Air travel spending by non-resident crew was $30 million in 2022
- Retail spending on props and wardrobe totaled $15 million in 2022
- Medical and insurance services billed $5 million to productions in 2022
- Educational partnerships generated $2 million in joint programs funding in 2022
Economic Impact Interpretation
Hawaii's film industry is a blockbuster economic engine, proving that every dollar spent on a production is like a good supporting actor—it multiplies, creates jobs, and pays the bills for the entire state, all while showing off the islands so beautifully that tourists keep buying tickets to the real-life sequel.
Employment and Workforce
- The industry employed 4,200 full-time equivalent jobs in 2022
- 1,200 above-the-line positions like directors and producers worked in Hawaii 2022
- 3,000 below-the-line crew members including grips and electrics employed in 2022
- Background extras filled 12,000 workdays at average $200 per day in 2022
- Local hire rate reached 85% for crew positions in 2022 productions
- Average annual wage for film crew: $75,000 in Hawaii 2022
- Women comprised 42% of the film workforce in Hawaii 2022
- Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders: 25% of hires in 2022
- Training programs graduated 500 new entrants via Hawaii Film Office in 2022
- IATSE Local 665 had 2,500 members active in 2022
- Teamsters Local 996 supplied 800 drivers for productions in 2022
- Post-production houses employed 450 specialists in 2022
- VFX artists numbered 200 in Hawaii firms serving film in 2022
- Stunt performers registered: 150 locals used in 2022 shoots
- Wardrobe and costume designers: 120 employed across seasons in 2022
- Location managers and scouts: 80 full-time in 2022
- Underwater camera operators: 40 certified locals in 2022
- Drone pilots licensed for film: 120 in Hawaii 2022
- Sound mixers and boom ops: 200 jobs filled in 2022
- Gaffer and lighting techs: 350 positions in 2022 productions
- Art department crew: 450 including set designers in 2022
- Editors and assistant editors: 180 local hires in 2022
- Production assistants: 600 entry-level jobs in 2022
- Catering staff for crews: 1,000 workdays weekly average in 2022 peak
- Security personnel: 400 shifts for night shoots in 2022
- Animal handlers: 50 jobs for films with wildlife in 2022
- Makeup and hair artists: 250 employed in 2022
- Transportation coordinators: 100 positions across shows in 2022
- Script supervisors: 60 hires for scripted content in 2022
Employment and Workforce Interpretation
While the islands' allure as a backdrop remains timeless, these figures prove that Hawaii's film industry now thrives not just as a scenic rental, but as a serious, homegrown economic engine, employing thousands from grips to gaffers and ensuring the luau behind the lens is as authentically local as the one on screen.
Major Films and TV Shows
- NCIS: Hawai'i filmed 22 episodes in Season 2 (2022) primarily on Oahu
- Magnum P.I. reboot shot 20 episodes in 2022 on Oahu plantations
- Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. produced 10 episodes in 2022 at Honolulu studios
- Jurassic World Dominion reshoots used Kauai for 12 days in 2022
- The White Lotus Season 2 filmed key scenes in Maui for 45 days 2022
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom shot underwater sequences off Oahu in 2022
- Indiana Jones 5 used Big Island for jungle scenes 15 days 2022
- Hawaii Five-0 legacy tours boosted from 250 episodes filmed 2010-2020
- Lost filmed 121 episodes on Oahu 2004-2010
- Pearl Harbor (2001) shot for 60 days on Oahu battleship sets
- 50 First Dates (2004) filmed entirely in Waikiki and Turtle Bay
- Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008) used Turtle Bay Resort extensively
- Battleship (2012) constructed sets at Kualoa Ranch Oahu
- The Descendants (2011) shot 40 days on Kauai and Oahu
- Moana (2016) animation inspired by Polynesian Hawaii culture
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2 filmed chase scenes in Honolulu 2022
- NCIS Hawai'i Season 1 (2021) 22 episodes Oahu $40M spend
- Magnum P.I. Season 4 (2022) 20 eps $30M local spend
- Doogie Kameāloha Season 2 (2023 prep 2022) 10 eps
- Fantasy Island series 13 episodes Oahu 2021-2022
- The Right Stuff Disney+ 10 eps Kauai launches 2022
- Ratched Netflix 8 eps Oahu mental hospital set 2022
- Torn Hearts indie film Big Island 2022 release
- My Adventure in Hawaii docuseries 6 eps 2022
- Commercials for Toyota shot 5 days Kauai 2022
- Nike ad campaign Maui waves 3 days 2022
Major Films and TV Shows Interpretation
Hawaii's film industry is a deceptively powerful economic engine, cleverly disguised as a vacation backdrop that just happens to produce everything from blockbuster bombast and network procedural comfort food to quirky comedies and prestige drama, all while its stunning geography consistently steals every scene.
Production Volume
- 127 permitted productions filmed in Hawaii in 2022
- 45 feature films were produced or shot partially in Hawaii in 2022
- 82 television episodes were filmed in Hawaii in 2022
- Commercials accounted for 35 projects with 120 shooting days in 2022
- Documentaries and independents totaled 25 permits in 2022
- Total shooting days across all productions reached 2,500 in 2022
- Oahu hosted 1,950 shooting days or 78% of total in 2022
- Maui had 350 shooting days for 14% of productions in 2022
- Kauai recorded 150 shooting days in 2022
- Big Island saw 50 shooting days for niche projects in 2022
- 60% of 2022 productions were TV series continuations like NCIS Hawaii
- New series launches included 5 major shows starting in 2022
- Feature film budgets averaged $25 million for Hawaii shoots in 2022
- TV episode budgets spent $1.5 million per episode on average in Hawaii 2022
- Commercial production days increased 20% from 2021 to 120 days in 2022
- Student films and shorts totaled 40 permits in 2022
- Music videos shot 15 projects in 2022
- Still photography for ads had 12 shoots in 2022
- Virtual production stages used in 5 projects in 2022
- Drone permits issued for 80 productions in 2022
- Underwater filming permits: 25 in 2022 mostly around Oahu and Kauai
- Night shoots accounted for 30% of total shooting days in 2022
- Helicopter aerial days: 120 in 2022
- Boat-based shoots: 200 days in 2022
- Land permitting on state lands: 90 projects in 2022
- Park filming permits: 40 in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park 2022
- Total permits processed by Hawaii Film Office: 1,200 in 2022 including renewals
- International productions: 15 from Asia-Pacific in 2022
Production Volume Interpretation
Hollywood may still be scrambling for that perfect tropical backdrop, but Hawaii's film industry in 2022 clearly proved it's no one-trick pony, expertly juggling everything from blockbuster budgets and the relentless grind of TV procedurals to the delicate dance of drone shots over volcanoes, all while reminding us that the true starring role is held by the islands themselves, with Oahu commanding the spotlight and the neighbor islands carving out their own unique, albeit smaller, niches in the plot.
Tax Incentives and Policies
- Hawaii's film tax credit caps at 25% for qualified expenditures up to $200M per production
- Additional 5% credit for hiring local hires exceeding 50% of crew
- Infrastructure credits up to 35% for studio buildouts over $10M investment
- $500,000 minimum spend required for tax credit eligibility in Hawaii
- Credits transferable and sellable to third parties at market rate
- In FY2022, $72 million in tax credits allocated to 20 productions
- Separate labor pool credits for post-production up to 20%
- Digital media and animation qualify for up to 25% credits
- No cap on total annual credits since 2019 law change
- Audits required for all claims over $1M by Dept of Taxation
- 96% local workforce spend qualifies for full credit rate
- Above-the-line caps at $2M per person for credit qualification
- Maui County offers additional 10% rebate on top of state credits
- Kauai filming permits streamlined under new 2021 ordinance
- Hawaii Film Office processes permits free for under 10 people shoots
- Workforce development grant matches 50% of training costs up to $100K
- Export incentives for international sales of Hawaii-shot films
- Green production rebates 5% for sustainable practices certified
- Soundstage rental subsidies 30% for first-time Hawaii studios
- Annual film festival funding $2M via EFC grants
- HB1189 (2023) extends credits to 2030 with ROI study
- 4:1 ROI ratio required for credit approvals per law
- VFX and CGI spend qualifies if 75% local labor
- Music scoring credits up to 25% for Hawaii composers
Tax Incentives and Policies Interpretation
Hawaii’s film tax code is like a meticulously crafted luau for Hollywood: it’s generous enough to lure in the big productions, but shrewd enough to ensure the local economy gets a hearty plate of the poi.
Sources & References
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