San Antonio expands film incentives
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San Antonio is boosting its film incentives in an effort to draw more movie and commercial productions to the Alamo City under an expanded state program.
Why it matters: While Texas is looking to compete with nearby states for film productions, new incentives also leave major Lone Star cities competing against each other.
- San Antonio officials say the city will offer the largest combined incentive package in the state, after Houston last month introduced what was then the most competitive.
Catch up quick: Texas lawmakers this year boosted the state's film incentive program to $300 million every two years through 2035.
Zoom in: Film productions could get a combined city-and-state rebate of up to 45% for filming around San Antonio, per city documents, after the City Council approved the new incentive program Thursday. In Houston, that combined city-and-state rebate is 41%. In Austin, it's 33.5%.
- The San Antonio incentive program also adds a 2% bonus for hiring a local crew beyond the local requirements, and another 2% bonus for hiring military veterans.
- Commercials will also be newly eligible for local rebates.
Between the lines: The city's budget for the program remains the same at $250,000 per year, spokesperson Rachel Treviño tells Axios. It historically has not used all its funds.
- That could potentially mean fewer, but more big-budget, productions receive the incentives.
- Treviño says more high-impact projects could actually spend more money in San Antonio, still increasing the overall boost to the local film industry.
By the numbers: San Antonio experienced a 165% increase in film permits from 2022 to 2025, growing from 221 to 586, per a press release. Total film days nearly doubled to 710.
- "1923," the "Yellowstone" prequel, recently filmed in San Antonio.
How it works: Productions must spend a minimum of $100,000 in an eight-county area that includes San Antonio and Hill Country locations like Boerne and New Braunfels.
- At least 60% of the production's days must take place in the area, and primary lodging must be within city limits.
- At least 10% each of the paid crew and cast must be San Antonio area residents.
What they're saying: With the new incentives, productions "will definitely come back, not to Austin or Houston, but to San Antonio," Sam Lerma, local filmmaker and co-owner of the local Screenville Films, told councilmembers.
- "This incentive not only helps our industry by keeping local filmmakers working — it will also entice future business, which will lay the groundwork for our future generation of filmmakers."
Editor's note: This story was updated to say that the budget of the San Antonio film incentive program remains the same.