As Sundance Film Festival opens its 45th and final run of the independent film fest in Park City, the Utah Film Commission is simultaneously celebrating another milestone year for Utah’s ever-expanding film and television industry.
Utah’s growing reputation as an entertainment hub appears unscathed as the locally nourished Sundance Film Festival gears up to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, starting in 2027.
In 2025, the Utah Motion Picture Incentive Program supported 36 productions to film across 14 different counties in Utah, generating more than $136 million in production spending and creating over 2,600 jobs for Utahns.
Major productions shot in Utah during 2025 included the CBS series “Marshals,” the HBO drama “Mountainhead ” and the Legendary Pictures film “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.”
Dozens more approved projects will come to Utah in the next year, including the upcoming season of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” and the team that produced Kevin Costner’s Western epic, “Horizon: An American Saga,” will return to Utah to film the Western “Blood on the Promontory.”
“We’ve cultivated a thriving ecosystem of talent, infrastructure and incentives that will continue to attract filmmakers and productions to our beautiful state,” Virginia Pearce, director of the Utah Film Commission, shared in a statement.
Pearce added, “We remain focused on investing in a strong film industry, one that drives our creative economy and inspires the next generation of artists and audiences. We believe that Utah is a place full of innovation and creativity. We want to see that thrive and grow organically.”
The Utah Film Commission also stressed its continued commitment to rural film production through the Rural Utah Film Incentive — which has enabled productions to spend over $200 million in rural Utah communities in the past four years.
Moving into 2027, Utah is ready for film production on a statewide level as all 29 counties are prepared to support productions with location, local coordination and community support.
“Choosing Utah was one of the best decisions we made in setting up our film,” said Jay Roewe, senior vice president of HBO Global Incentives and Production Planning (“Mountainhead”).
“The scale and scope offered in its beautiful landscapes and uniquely modern locations have allowed us to seamlessly tell our larger-than-life story with the backdrop it deserves. We are grateful for the wonderful support of the Utah Film Commission, including the film incentive and outstanding local crew, and look forward to this being a very special and successful production.”
Utah’s diverse landscape and neighborhoods have provided backdrop for thousands of movies and other film productions over the last century and continues to entice filmmakers.
High-profile films such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” “Thelma & Louise,” “Footloose,” “Forrest Gump” and Marvel’s “Thunderbolts” were filmed in Utah, as well as dozens of Disney movies such as “High School Musical” and “The Luck of the Irish.”
Between June and October, the Utah Film Commission has announced 17 additional projects approved for state film incentives, including a spinoff series to “Yellowstone,” a seventh season of “The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch” and several independent feature films.
