For city, state coffers: An economic 'Chain Reaction'

If you lost your lower Michigan Avenue parking space to "Chain Reaction's" film crews recently, find some comfort in the fact that the city and the state will gain greatly from your inconvenience.

Illinois' take from "Chain Reaction" will be about $15 million to $20 million, predicts Illinois Film Office chief Ron Ver Kuilen. "It could be more," he adds. "They have a big crew and they did a lot of (set) building."

The state usually receives 30 percent to 40 percent of a movie's budget, Ver Kuilen says. The budget for "Chain Reaction" is a reported $50 million, a figure Fox will not confirm but which Ver Kuilen says is "probably accurate."

While Chicago receives no set amount from the moviemakers, it gains financially through taxes and location and permit fees, Ver Kuilen says.

Utilizing the area's talent pool -- including extras -- also enriches the local economy, and "Chain Reaction" producer Arne Schmidt and associate producer Carlos Sanchez estimate 70 percent to 80 percent of the cast and crew are local, an estimate that Ver Kuilen backs up.

About 30 extras, many of them scientists, were recruited from Argonne National Laboratory, says Charles Osolin, the lab's director of public affairs. Argonne also provided the filmmakers with equipment for its laboratory settings at various locations, including Inland Steel in East Chicago, Ind.