Ireland's Film Spending Reaches Record High

The shift of major American productions to European locations has accelerated, with Ireland emerging as a primary destination. The country recorded its highest production spending in history last year, a trend driven by financial incentives and operational capacity.

According to Screen Ireland, the national agency for film and television, production spending in Ireland reached $632.7 million in 2025. This figure represents a 26% increase from the previous year. A survey by ProdPro ranked Ireland as the fifth most preferred filming location globally, behind New York, the United Kingdom, California, and Georgia.

A key driver is the expansion of the country's tax incentive program. Ireland offers a 32% refundable tax credit on eligible expenditures, including cast and crew salaries. The per-project cap for these credits rose from $81 million to $145 million. In 2025, the government added value-added benefits for visual effects and post-production work. The country also became the first in Europe to provide a dedicated refundable credit for unscripted content, capped at $16.8 million per project.

Recent high-profile American projects have utilized Irish facilities. Netflix filmed its third season of "Wednesday" around Dublin and Wicklow, while Apple TV+ shot its science fiction series "Foundation" at Troy Studios in Limerick. USA Network's "The Rainmaker" wrapped its second season in Dublin, and A24 filmed "The Riders" across the country in the summer. The game show "The Floor," hosted by Rob Lowe, relocated to Troy Studios for its sixth and seventh seasons.

The influx of work has created demand for local infrastructure and services. Troy Studios, Ireland's largest soundstage complex, opened nine years ago in a former Dell Computer factory. Local companies have expanded to meet the need for props, post-production, and animation. Ruth Treacy, a producer in Dublin, described the recent surge in activity as a "green wave," noting that studios are frequently booking all available resources, from lenses to edit bays. Screen Ireland has invested nearly $170 million in the sector over the last five years to support this growth.