Key Findings

• There are around 57,000 film and video production companies around the world.
• There is an estimated total of 2056 sound stages worldwide.
• North America accounts for 41% of the global film and video market.

Introduction

• According to an article from the Actor's Academy, there are around 57,000 film and video production companies around the world with a combined revenue of $87 billion.  

• Due to the limitation of data related to the number of sound stages around the world, we will estimate the number using the figures of the global market leader, North America.

• CBRE has reported that there are around 12 million square feet of sound stages in North America with the greatest concentrations in Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York.
• A report by Film L.A Inc states that the average size of a sound stage is around is 14,230 square feet (in Greater Los Angeles).
• Based on this information we can estimate that there are about 843 sound stages in North America. (12 million/14,230 sq feet).
• It was also found that North America accounts for 41% of the global film and video market. The global market was valued at $251.92 billion in 2021. 
• Assuming that North America also accounts for 41% of the total number of sound stages globally, we can estimate that there are around 2056 sound stages worldwide (843/.41).

Other Findings

• Universal Pictures is the largest film production and distribution company in the world by total worldwide box office revenue ($43 billion).

•  The top 10 leading production companies in the world include Universal Pictures, Warner Bros.,Columbia Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Legendary Entertainment, and Relativity Media.
• Here is a list of film production companies by country.
• There are over 12,000 production companies in the US and over 15,000 in the UK.

• Globally, Los Angeles area ranks as the leader in sound stage capacity with more than 5.2 million square feet of certified stage space. A total of 52 production facilities contain 384 certified sound stages. Hence, the average studio with certified stages in the region contains roughly 100,000 square feet of space (in total).
• Deloitte has reported that Los Angeles has the largest number of sound stages (384) and amount of sound stage space of any city in the world. "Projected supply will only increase available space by 4% relative to existing supply. To meet the booming demand, supply would need to more than double in Los Angeles county.
• Major North American Markets by production space/sound stage footprint include Los Angeles (5.5 MSF), British Columbia (1.2MSF), Atlanta (1.8MSF), New York (1.5MSF), Ontario (0.8MSF), and Louisiana (0.7MSF).
• The top 5 film industries in the world include Hollywood, Bollywood, Cinema of China, United Kingdom, and Cinema of Japan (Nihon Eiga).
• The UK has a total of 3.5 million square feet in sound stage space. Using the same assumptions as our previous calculation, this amounts to roughly 246 sound stages (3.5 million/14,230). 
• The largest film studio complex in the world is Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad, India, comprising 47 sound stages.  
• In China, "Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis has about 40 top-class sound stages, including the world's largest sound stage at around 10,000 square meters, and the world's only underwater sound stage. The 400-acre Qingdao Oriental Movie Metropolis has attracted over 200 production companies from within China and abroad."
• Toho group, Japan's largest film company has 10 sound stages.