Ben Affleck criticizes California for taking Hollywood's influence for granted: 'This is why you see a lot of these huge movies shoot in the UK'

Ben Affleck recently attended the premiere of The Accountant 2 at Los Angeles' TCL Chinese Theatre. On the red carpet, he spoke with the Associated Press about California’s film production challenges and why many big-budget movies are now being filmed outside the U.S.

Ben Affleck shared with the AP that other locations offer better exchange rates and tax incentives to attract film productions, recognizing the positive impact it has on their economies. He believes California’s problem is that the state took the film industry for granted and didn't fully appreciate its value.

Ben Affleck mentioned that while California Governor Gavin Newsom suggested raising the state's tax incentive cap for the film and television industry, it’s still not enough to keep productions from moving elsewhere. He explained that California's incentives don't compare to those offered by places like the UK, which is why many big-budget films are shot there.

Ben Affleck highlighted that states like Georgia, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Massachusetts, and New Jersey also offer attractive incentives, drawing productions away from California. He expressed concern that skilled technicians are leaving the state, which could negatively impact the industry in the long term.

Despite the challenges, Ben Affleck's recent projects have continued to invest in local production. The Accountant 2 was partially filmed in Los Angeles and Santa Clarita, while he is also currently filming and starring in a Netflix project titled Animals, based in California.

Ben Affleck has recently produced several projects, including Kiss the Future, The Instigators, Unstoppable, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Accountant 2, and RIP. In The Accountant 2, the sequel to the 2016 film, Ben stars alongside Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, JK Simmons, and Daniella Pineda.