TV, movie crews spent $560M in Illinois in 2019
Eamonn Walker as Battalion Chief Wallace Boden on NBC's "Chicago Fire." (Adrian Burrows/NBC / HANDOUT)
By Nina Metz
Chicago Tribune |
Feb 18, 2020 | 8:05 AM
The amount of money spent in Illinois by film and TV projects increased in 2019, according to estimates jointly released by the state and the City of Chicago. Thanks to a steady roster of television shows, $560 million was spent on cast and crew wages as well as other related expenditures, compared with $473 million in 2018.
While the Illinois film incentive (recently extended through 2026) with its 30% tax credit is a consistent factor in attracting new projects to the state each year, the three NBC shows from Dick Wolf — “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med” — remain the bedrock of the local filming industry. The shows shoot 10 months out of the year and employ large crews. “Chicago Fire” has been around the longest and is midway through its eighth season.
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