Utah Celebrates 100 Years of Hollywood History
variety.comKathy A. McDonald Utah is one of Hollywood’s real-world backlots. The scenic state’s close relationship with moviemakers began 100 years ago during the silent film era when cowboy star Tom Mix shot “The Deadwood Coach” in Southern Utah, and continues today through projects from the likes of multi-hyphenate Kevin Costner.
Dramatic red rock geologic formations, sandstone buttes and wide-open spaces have provided ample backdrops and artistic inspiration for legendary filmmakers throughout the decades.
John Ford, Robert Redford and Ridley Scott memorialized Utah settings from Monument Valley (“Stagecoach”) to Mt. Timpanogos (the wilderness of “Jeremiah Johnson,” now within the Sundance Resort) to Southeastern Utah’s Fossil Point in “Thelma & Louise.” Since 1924, more than 1,000 film and TV programs have lensed in state.
Film incentives sweetened the attraction, garnering a total in-state spend of more than $604 million across 237 projects just over the last 10 years, per stats from the Utah Film Commission (commemorating its 50th anniversary in 2024). “Our locations are unique and gorgeous,” says Utah Film Commission director Virginia Pearce, noting the natural appeal for Western-themed stories. “We also do very well in the Anytown USA vibe, so Hallmark and Disney love shooting here because there’s many small-town feels within an hour of Salt Lake,” she explains.
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