ByKathryn Bender, Star-Bulletin
Brendan Fraser leaps into his role for "George of the Jungle,"
which just wrapped up shooting on location on the North Shore.
The film's tentative release date is July 18.

Thanks to Disney's filming "George of the Jungle" on Oahu and Steven Spielberg with his "Jurassic Park" sequel "The Lost World" on Kauai, Hawaii's year-end film production revenue total reached $59.7 million. The fourth quarter produced about one-third of 1996's production revenues and most of the $11.8 million brought in from feature film production, said Georgette Deemer, Hawaii Film Office manager.

"The year ended much, much better than we had anticipated because we didn't expect the things coming in in the last quarter," Deemer said.

Hawaii's best ever film production year in terms of revenues was 1994 when the "Waterworld" production spent $35 million, she said.

From 1987 through 1996, motion picture and television producers have spent more than a half billion dollars - $537.6 million - on Hawaii-based productions which includes commercials, accounting for $903.1 million in generated sales, $582 million in generated income, and $98.8 million in state and local taxes, respectively. Commercials historically represent about 60 percent of production revenues.

Since 1987, average annual production revenues are about $54 million.

The biggest production revenue years with the exception have been those when a television series was based in Hawaii. Most shows spend about $1 million an episode with a season lasting between 13 and 22 shows.

Feature film revenues in 1996 topped out at $11.8 million followed by television commercials, $10.4 million, still photography, $3 million, and television specials, $3 million.

Feature film productions in Hawaii last year included "A Very Brady Sequel," "The Lost World," "George of the Jungle," "In God's Hands," "Kamaaina," and "Gang Related." A movie of the week, "Atlantis, The Lost Continent," also filmed on on Oahu.

Film revenues are a vital part of Hawaii's economy not only for the money spent, and workers employed, but the free advertising the state receives.