‘Superman’ puts Cleveland in the spotlight — and pumps millions into local economy

Superman fans try to get a glimpse of the superhero during the first day of filming on the Superior Avenue set in downtown Cleveland.

So while fans around the world head to theaters this weekend to watch the Man of Steel take flight in writer-director James Gunn’s highly anticipated, heavily promoted “Superman” reboot, Northeast Ohioans may find themselves more focused on the background than the action.

That’s because in this version of the iconic superhero story, Metropolis is Cleveland. The film spent six weeks shooting here last summer, transforming the city into Clark Kent’s adopted hometown.

“I get this rumbling, tingling feeling thinking about it,” said Bill Garvey, president of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission, the nonprofit that helped bring the production to the region. “This is a big deal, and it’s great to have been part of bringing Superman home.”

Filming began today on the set of the Superman movie in downtown Cleveland on Superior Avenue.

The iconic superhero, of course, was born in Cleveland, dreamed up by Glenville natives Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster nearly a century ago. But there’s more at play than hometown pride and spotting familiar landmarks on the big screen. Filming “Superman” in Northeast Ohio had a real — and measurable — economic impact.

Based on the $11 million subsidy awarded through the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit, the production spent as much as $37 million in the state (Gunn, who has pushed back on reports on the size of the film’s budget, also spent two days filming in Cincinnati). Garvey couldn’t disclose specific figures for “Superman” due to a nondisclosure agreement. But he said the six projects the GCFC brought to the area last year — including the upcoming Hulu film Eenie Meanie — generated $77.8 million in local spending. Those productions hired nearly 3,000 crew members, cast 2,500 background actors, and booked more than 25,000 hotel room nights.

That kind of activity, Garvey added, supports not just camera operators, costume designers and key grips, but locksmiths, plumbers, hardware stores and dry cleaners, too. It also contributes to a ready-made workforce for film and television producers looking to shoot their next project.

“This is an opportunity for Ohioans to build lucrative careers in this growing industry right here at home,” he said. “Eighty percent of behind-the-camera crew jobs offer starting salaries of $36.31 per hour plus a pension and health insurance.”

Founded in 1998, the commission works behind the scenes to attract productions to the region. “Superman” is one of its most high-profile gets to date. The group’s efforts were bolstered in the early 2010s when Ohio’s film tax credit was introduced and Garvey — then working as a location scout and manager for Marvel — helped bring “The Avengers” to downtown Cleveland to film its climactic “Battle of New York” scene.

Metropolis banners hang from a lamp post near the Cleveland Public Library on Superior Avenue in preparation for the filming of a segment of Superman.

“That was the giant billboard that screamed to the world, ‘Hey filmmakers, we’re open for business here.’ And it’s had a ripple effect,” he recalled.

That ripple has created a built-in infrastructure of vendors and crew members, many of whom came up through programs supported by the film commission. The result has attracted tentpoles like “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “The Fate of the Furious,” mid-budget productions such as “Cherry” and “Judas and the Black Messiah” and independent films like “Lost & Found in Cleveland.”

“I’ve never had a filmmaker, when we show them around and when they work here, come away and say, ‘I’ll never come back,’” Garvey said. ”We get a lot of repeat business because filmmakers fall in love with this place."

Garvey can’t disclose how he landed a meeting with “Superman” producers or what his pitch looked like. Gunn said the decision to film in Cleveland was influenced by the city’s “beautiful art deco architecture,” which matched the nostalgic, timeless aesthetic he envisioned for Metropolis.

Indeed, the region’s diverse building stock and topography allow it to stand in for a wide range of locations — and much of it has never been captured on film before.

Combined with an experienced local crew base, it makes Northeast Ohio a compelling location for filmmakers. But ultimately, it was the tax credit that sealed the deal.

“You need a factory for filmmaking in order to have a filmmaking industry, and we have a great factory here — it’s very attractive for filmmakers,” Garvey said. “But all the filmmaking here is built around the tax credit.”

Shooting “Superman” here didn’t come without disruptions. The production shut down streets, inconvenienced downtown workers and residents, and temporarily closed The Arcade, the Cleveland Public Library and Headlands Beach State Park in Mentor.

Metropolis police cars are lined up along Lakeside Avenue in preparation for the filming of Superman in front of City Hall.

But on screen, the payoff seems worth it.

Within the first five minutes, Superman (David Corenswet) crashes into PNC Plaza during a midair battle, leaving a crater at East 9th and Euclid. He shares a levitating kiss with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) under the glass roof of The Arcade. In between, Superman saves Metropolis from a fire-breathing monster rampaging through Public Square, stops a building from collapsing on a car driving across the Detroit-Superior Bridge, and faces off with Ultraman and the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) at Progressive Field. Over at Headlands Beach, Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) searches for a missing Superman while outsmarting Lex Luthor’s (Nicholas Hoult) goons.

The Superman movie crew takes a break after a shooting a scene at the Daily Planet set on Superior avenue.

“The whole world is watching the highest profile movie of year amplify Ohio’s profile,” Garvey added. “You can’t pay for that kind of advertising.”

He hopes the film’s success attracts even more productions to the region. The biggest obstacle, he said, is the $50 million cap on the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit. Once the state hits that limit, projects go elsewhere. That’s why the GCFC supports legislative efforts to raise the cap to $100 million, which would allow the state to compete with Texas ($150 million cap), Pennsylvania ($100 million), New Jersey ($100 million) and Kentucky ($75 million).

Superman crewman remove set pieces from the Superior Avenue set in Cleveland. The Superman set moves to Public Square.

“Hopefully, we’ll get that bill done,” Garvey said. “We have a pipeline of production coming here, but there’s always production that applies and gets turned away. Georgia is still the epicenter of the universe, and it’s because of their uncapped production tax credit.”

Superman crewman remove set pieces from the Superior Avenue set in Cleveland. The Superman set moves to Public Square.

Most of “Superman” was filmed at Trilith Studios outside Atlanta.

The film is projected to earn between $100 million and $130 million at the box office over its opening weekend, which begins Friday, July 11. But Garvey is already thinking ahead.

“James Gunn says he loves Cleveland. When do you start convincing him to return for the sequel?” I asked.

“July 12,” Garvey replied, not missing a beat.

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Superman works on a reference shoot diving into pads during the filming of the Superman movie on Public Square.

Filming began today on the set of the Superman movie in downtown Cleveland on Superior Avenue.

Superman works on a reference shoot diving into pads during the filming of the Superman movie on Public Square.