Toronto solidifies its title as Hollywood North, raking in $1.13 billion last year

The stars who descend on Toronto during TIFF may get all the attention, but it’s the movies that film here that pour mega-bucks into the local economy—$1.13 billion in 2011, in fact. That was the industry’s best performance since 2002, when a weak loonie was used to lure film productions north. Now, it’s Toronto’s “world-class talent behind and in front of the camera,” that draws production teams, according to Councillor Michael Thompson, who chairs Toronto’s economic development committee. Whether or not that’s true, several feature films shot were shot here last year, including the remake of Total Recall starring Kate Beckinsale and Colin Farrell (spoiler: it was really, really expensive). We hope any producers considering Toronto take note of its range: the city’s just as comfortable playing host to a younger (funnier) Adam Sandler as it is to 50 Cent. Read the entire story [CTV]»