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Cleveland’s $147M Movie Boom—And It’s Just the Beginning

Cleveland’s $147M Movie Boom—And It’s Just the Beginning

February 03, 2025

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In today’s 216 Scoop Edition:

State of Cleveland film industry: ‘Superman’ sparks record $147 million spending spree with more just announced
Take this, Phil: Buckeye Chuck wakes up to save the day
WWE Monday Night Raw hits Cleveland; plans to shoot TV series here in ‘25
Two eateries close in Cleveland’s topsy-turvy foodie scene
100^th anniversary of Balto: The legendary Cleveland dog that saved Nome, Alaska

John Petkovic, Mark Espinosa, Victor Takakura

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IN THE NEWS

State of Cleveland film industry: ‘Superman’ sparks record $147 million spending spree with more just announced

Photos (from top left and clockwise) courtesy of DC, Marvel, Universal, Marvel, Samuel Goldwyn Mayer, HBO, Marvel.

Clevelanders gushed with pride after seeing the city featured so prominently in the trailer for the upcoming ‘Superman’ movie.

Imagine all the cities vying to land such a high-profile shoot… Why here?

Cleveland boasts 1920s and ‘30s architecture and wide avenues, making it a perfect stand-in for an old, iconic city like Metropolis. Or New York, which Cleveland doubled as in “The Avengers,” “Captain America: Winter Solider” and “Spider-Man 3.”
It features industrial grit and classic charm, which lured shoots for “White Boy Rick,” “Fast and Furious 8,” “Antwone Fisher,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Stranger than Paradise,” “A Christmas Story” and “American Splendor.”
It’s cheap and easy. It’s easier to close and shoot on Superior than Fifth Avenue, and the cost of doing business here is lower than most urban cities.

There’s also the financial support from Ohio Department of Development, which just announced that 14 new film and television projects will get $26 million in tax credits.

Three will be shot in Cleveland: “Old Cedar Road” ($5.3 million); “Arnie” ($1.2 million) and “Jacob and the Wolf” ($719,000).

Details are scarce. All three are ‘in development’ or ‘in pre-production’ and operating under working titles that could easily change.

The bigger the credit the bigger the film; ‘Superman,’ for instance, received $11 million in credits a year ago.

This year’s biggest recipient, “Automated Trucking” ($12,392,622), is a spoof of classic trucker comedies by Mike Judge (‘Beavis and Butt-head,’ ‘Idiocracy,” “King of the Hill”). While it has yet to reveal filming locations, the story suggests multiple places.

“We’re not just supporting productions,” said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. “We’re building an industry that will keep jobs in our state for years to come.”

Cleveland attracted a record $147 million in film production budgets last year, according to the Greater Cleveland Film Commission.

“Superman,” slated for release in July, is estimated to have brought 1,200 jobs to the area and 3,400 statewide.

Ohio is a mid-tier player in the tax-credit game. It allocates about $75 million annually. A bill in the Ohio Senate would bump up that number to $100 million.

That’s still a far cry from Georgia, which is estimated to have spent a $1 billion a year to create four million square feet of stages across Georgia.

But Cleveland is fortunate to have a look that dresses up well. It might not be a star, but it’s got a solid career as a body double.

WWE Monday Night Raw hits Cleveland; plans to shoot TV series here in ‘25

Rhea Ripley vs. Liv Morgan. Photo courtesy WWE

The 2024 WWE SummerSlam was off the rails. The event at Cleveland Browns Stadium drew 57.591 – the largest crowd ever for a SummerSlam in the U.S.

It was the most-attended event in WWE history, aside from WrestleMania, and set records for viewership, merchandise, sponsorship, and social media.

Well, they’re back…

WWE Monday Night Raw hits Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The mayhem starts at 7:30 tonight. Starring are Gunter, Liv Morgan, Penta, Rhea Ripley, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods. For tickets, go here.

Also, the WWE has qualified to receive tax credits from the Ohio Department of Development that support film and television productions in the state. As in the first news item, the just-announced credits will benefit three films that will be shot in the area.

The WWE is set to receive $731,000 for a television production in the Cleveland area. It’s the only TV series to receive tax credits in Cleveland and one of four in Ohio. The credits apply toward 30 percent of production costs – so in order to receive the full amount, the WWE would have to spend about $2.44 million.

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The 216 Rundown

Two eateries close in Cleveland’s topsy-turvy foodie scene

One place opens, another closes. We’re barely into the second month of the year and the restaurant scene is akin to a reshuffling of chairs on the deck of… your choice, the Titanic or Jeff Bezos’ yacht.

It been a continuous churn with no clearly defined trend – unless you two closing in one area as a trend.

Two years after opening, 1899 Social Club closed its doors in the Van Aken District in Shaker Heights. The sprawling 17,000-square-foot combined indoor golfing with signature cocktails and casual dining.

“After an incredible run, we’re saying goodbye to our Shaker Heights location,” read an announcement from owner Brian Lindenbaum. “Thank you to everyone who joined us over the past two years for golf, brunch, dinner, live music and countless events.”

(The Twinsburg and Canton locations remain open.)

It’s the second closing in as many days at Van Aken District, which will lose another tenant on Feb. 7 – the last day of operation for Nature’s Oasis.

“This decision wasn’t easy, as this space has been so much more than a café and grocery,” according to a company announcement. “It has been a place where relationships blossomed, stories were shared, and our community came together.”

Nature’s Oasis opened in 2019. The flagship location in Lakewood will remain open.

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NOTES ON A COCKTAIL NAPKIN

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

Photos courtesy Cleveland Museum of Natural History

100th anniversary of Balto: Legendary Cleveland dog that saved Nome, Alaska

It was 100 years ago that a little pup with a big heart and miles of drive saved the day in Nome, Alaska.

Let’s hear it for Balto – a 45-pound black Siberian Husky who led a dogsled team on the last leg of a 674-mile journey from Anchorage to deliver a lifesaving serum to the town.

They arrived in Nome Feb. 2, 1925.

Balto and his colleagues were forced into action when the propeller froze on the only plane that could deliver the serum had frozen. There was no choice but to take a chance that a team of dogs could travel through -23 degree weather.

Sledrunner Gunner Kaassen couldn’t see through the white-out conditions, but the gutsy dog kept pushing. It made him an international hero and led to statues erected in his honor, in Central Park and around the country.

Sadly, Balto ended up in a Vaudeville show – until 1927, when he was discovered by a local businessman who brought him and six fellow dogs to in comfort at the Cleveland Zoo.

After he died in 1933, his body was taxidermied and placed in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in University Circle. He’s still there, along with a statue and an exhibit honoring his feat.

VINTAGE CLEVELAND

Langston Hughes was one of America’s great writers and the leader of the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and ‘30s. He wrote his earliest works at 2266 East 86^th Street – specifically the third-floor attic of a colonial house. He lived there after his mother and stepfather left Cleveland – while Hughes, a teenager, was attending Central High School. The house is still standing.

Photo courtesy NEOHREX

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WEATHER

Monday
51°F 🌡️ 27°F | ☁️ | 0% | 💨 SW 15 mph (13 knots)

Tuesday
32°F 🌡️ 23°F | ⛅ | 0% | 💨 NW 10 mph (9 knots)

Wednesday
37°F 🌡️ 33°F | 🌧️❄️ | 80% | 💨 SW 12 mph (10 knots)

Note: This forecast is based on data from weather.com

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