An estimated $225,000 per day is added to the economy where film production occurs, officials said. In Illinois alone, "The Dark Knight" provided a boost for Chicago when production of the Batman movie injected $35 million in jobs, taxes and other revenue over two months. Louisiana benefitted from "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" while New Jersey and Pennsylvania were featured in "The Wrestler." "Revolutionary Road" and "Rachel Getting Married" were filmed in Connecticut, "Tropic Thunder" was filmed in Hawaii, and "Iron Man" shot in Nevada.

Nearly 1.5 million film industry workers -- from truck drivers to set designers and caterers to animators -- earn more than $30 billion in wages annually, the MPAA said. Plus, more than 40 states have enacted tax and other incentives to lure Hollywood productions to their cities and towns. The industry came close to being handed even more economic encouragement when the Senate Finance Committee's tax title of the economic stimulus legislation included a tax break worth up to $246 million over 11 years for investors in bigger-budget movie projects that don't necessarily qualify for incentives currently. That provision was eliminated before the bill passed Congress.