Warner Bros. Pictures’ late September high-profile release, “One Battle After Another,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, utilized El Paso as a significant filming location, leaving a broad economic footprint in the Borderland.

The film, which prepped for over two months and filmed for 18 days in May and June 2024, contributed millions in direct local spending, benefiting a wide range of businesses and individuals across the community. All of the filming locations selected within El Paso city limits were primarily utilized at night with limited impact to downtown businesses.

The production’s investment included hiring local cast and extras, purchasing hardware and lumber, sourcing props, set dressing, and wardrobe, and utilizing car and truck rentals, catering services, off-duty police, security services, hotel accommodations, and location fees. This influx of activity provided a boost to El Paso’s event, creative and service sectors, reinforcing the city’s growing reputation as a film-friendly destination.

A significant portion of the spending was driven by two major set builds constructed specifically for the El Paso portion of the film. These large-scale builds required extensive materials and labor, resulting in higher-than-average local expenditures compared to other filming regions. The sets and accompanying infrastructure demonstrated the city’s capacity to support complex production needs. “Drew Mayer-Oakes’ leadership as Film Commissioner continues to elevate El Paso’s reputation as a dynamic production hub,” said Jose Garcia, President and CEO of Destination El Paso. “The El Paso Film & Creative Industries Commission, as part of Destination El Paso, plays an essential role in driving economic impact and showcasing our region’s creative strengths. Productions like “One Battle After Another” shine a spotlight on El Paso as a thriving destination for film and television, demonstrating the city’s capacity, creativity and readiness to welcome future productions.”

Drew Mayer-Oakes, Film Commissioner for the City of El Paso, emphasized the collaborative effort behind the scenes. Mayer-Oakes notes “From the very first call, to the last day of wrap, the El Paso Film Commission played a critical role in coordinating more than fifteen local, city, county, state and federal agencies and organizations to bring the El Paso portion of the film to the screen.” The successful execution of “One Battle After Another” in El Paso highlights the city’s capacity to support major film productions and its commitment to fostering economic development through film, television and the creative industries. This film production demonstrated the depth of the city’s local labor, vendors and crew – all ready to do more as the state’s newly revised incentive program promises to attract more production.

Mayer-Oakes continues “we are capitalizing on the visibility of this project to bring more films and opportunities to El Paso – projects that can provide more work for not only our craftspeople, but vendors of all kinds” providing goods and services to film and television productions.