film
New Jersey is the land of pizza and bagels, and it is now an emerging hub for movie studios. As the birthplace of cinema and home to the original Hollywood, the Garden State is reclaiming its role in film history. In recent years, big names like Lionsgate and Netflix have announced plans to develop studios here. This is the result of several policy changes that make it appealing for these businesses to have operations in New Jersey. These developments promise not only economic growth and hundreds of new jobs, but also a wave of nostalgia for New Jersey’s cinematic roots. Read on to learn about the origin of cinema, new and upcoming studios, and recent productions filmed right here in New Jersey.
Jersey, the Birthplace of Film
Between 1888 and 1892, Thomas Edison and his employee William Kennedy Laurie Dickson developed the kinetoscope and the kinetograph, two early motion picture devices. Thomas had a home in West Orange and had a laboratory in town. This is where he created the world’s first movie studio, Black Maria, in 1893. It fell into disuse by 1903 and was demolished. The Thomas Alva Edison Foundation created a replica, placing it at the original site in 1954. The rebuilt studio was not used for filming, but instead to show movies to the public until the 1980s. The National Park Service stewards Thomas Edison National Historical Park, which includes Thomas’s home and factory. In 2022, the NPS began a two-year rehabilitation of the structure, involving extensive repairs, a new exterior, and an accessible ramp. The replica Black Maria opened to the public in April 2024 with new exhibits, interpretive panels, a replica film backdrop, and a few other interactive features.
Read More: What’s Filming in Hoboken + Jersey City? An Ongoing List for 2025
Bergen County’s Fort Lee is home to America’s first motion picture industry. Many early films were shot at studios and on location in and around the town. With the first constructed in 1909, Fort Lee had almost a dozen major studios by 1918. Among them were Peerless Studios, Fox Studios, Victor Studios, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation, and Selznick Pictures, many of which eventually shut down or merged with larger film companies as the industry evolved.
A plethora of reasons led to the Garden State’s loss of control over the film industry. One notable reason was Thomas Edison’s ownership of patents relevant to motion picture production. East Coast producers acting independently of Edison’s Motion Picture Patents Company were often sued as the courts enforced patents. This was something producers on the West Coast, like in Hollywood, rarely had to worry about.
So Why Here?
Of course, New Jersey has beautiful beaches, dozens of unique towns, historic cities, an airport and rail connections, and a bustling port. Other East Coast states may have this, too, but their pizzas and bagels are not up to par. Some might joke that the real reason film studios are flocking to the Garden State is for access to a proper pepperoni pie or a solid Taylor ham, egg, and cheese before a long day on set. The truth is a bit more strategic.
Over a century ago, Thomas Edison’s control over his patents scared many studios out of the state. Current policies, many created by the Murphy Administration, welcome them back with open arms. In 2018, during Governor Phil Murphy’s first term, he enacted the Film + Digital Media Tax Credit, a bill that, per NJ.gov, ” provides a transferable credit against the corporation business tax and the gross income tax for certain expenses incurred for the production of certain films and digital media content in New Jersey.” The bill incentivizes media and film companies to work on products and open studios in New Jersey, bringing jobs and economic development. The project, funded through 2039, provides a tax credit of up to 35 percent of qualified film production expenses. It also includes a Diversity Tax Credit of up to four percent for productions that employ the services of women or people of color.
Lions, Tigers, + Bears, Oh My!
In 2022, Newark announced that Lionsgate would develop a studio in the city’s South Ward. The facility is expected to bring about 600 new jobs to the area. It will be located on the former site of the Seth Boyden housing projects. Construction began in 2024.
In September 2023, Atlantic City’s Playground Pier reopened as ACX1 Studios. Featuring entertainment, movies, and music, this spot will also be a production space for film and music. The studio will have up to 150 sets.
In February 2024, Netflix received key approval to move forward on a production complex in Fort Monmouth, a former army base. This Monmouth County studio looks to include 12 soundstages totaling nearly 500,000 square feet, production and office buildings, a cafeteria, retail shops, a helipad, a hotel, and studio trailer parks. Netflix promises that this location should provide 1,400 jobs once operational.
In April 2024, a studio in West Orange was approved. The Matrix Development Group will build the facility near the Black Maria replica, a nod to the area’s history. This studio could span between 150,000 and 350,000 square feet, featuring up to six production stages between 20,000 and 30,000 square feet. Additionally, there will be offices and parking for hundreds of cars and dozens of trucks. This location expects to create 300 to 600 new full-time jobs once in operation. “A film studio in downtown West Orange is the most appropriate historical location in the world and will bring prosperity to the town just as Thomas Edison did in the late 1880s,” said West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney to TapInto West Orange back in 2023. “This will provide our town and its stakeholders with financial stability that will positively impact our business owners, residents, and local economy.”
In May 2024, it was announced that 1888 Studios in Bayonne would be developed by Togus Urban Renewal, LLC. This space will cover roughly 60 acres of land in Bayonne, plus 20 acres in Newark Bay. In a press release from NJDEA, development plans include 23 mega-powered smart sound stages, over 350,000 square feet of production support space, office spaces, a parking garage, and other things. It’s slated to open in 2026 as the largest studio in the Northeast.
Filming Over The Years
This year, movie lovers will see at least three more movies filmed in the Garden State come to the big screen or streaming platforms. On July 25th, Happy Gilmore 2 and The Home were released. Thanks to Adam Sandler, North Jersey’s “six degrees of separation” just got a little closer. While filming Happy Gilmore 2 in Morristown, Maplewood, Millburn, Newark, West Orange, and Verona, he was frequently spotted eating at local spots and chatting with residents. The movie can be watched on Netflix. The Home, a psychological horror film shot in Denville, Elizabeth, and Nutley, was recently released in theaters. Come October, music lovers and Jerseyphiles alike will be able to watch the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere. It was filmed in towns like Asbury Park, Freehold, Bayonne, and Rockaway. Keep reading for a list of movies and shows filmed in NJ over the last few years.
What Hit Screens in 2024
A Complete Unknown filmed in Hoboken + Jersey City
A Different Man filmed in Maplewood + Montclair
Exhibiting Forgiveness filmed in Allendale, Bayonne, Paterson, West Orange, Montclair, + more
I Saw The TV Glow filmed in Cedar Grove, Keansburg, + Verona
It Ends With Us filmed in Chatham, Hoboken, + Jersey City
Joker: Folie à Deux filmed in Belleville
Mean Girls filmed in Middletown Township
Mother’s Instinct filmed in Cranford
Música filmed in Hoboken + Newark
Ponyboi filmed in Palisades Park, Ocean Township, Kearny, + Asbury Park
Presence filmed in Cranford
Rob Peace filmed in Newark
The 4:30 Movie filmed in Atlantic Highlands
The Room Next Door filmed in Montclair
What Hit Screens in 2023
A Good Person filmed in Maplewood + South Orange
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom filmed in Jersey City
Daughter of the Bride filmed in Cranford
Dogman filmed in Newark
Dumb Money filmed in Jersey City + Morristown
Eileen filmed in Metuchen and South Amboy
Ezra filmed in Jersey City + Westwood
Harlan Coben’s Shelter filmed in Bloomfield, Kearny, Livingston, Paterson, + more
Hustle filmed in Camden
Maybe I Do filmed in Montclair
Oppenheimer filmed in Princeton
The Perfect Find filmed in Jersey City + Newark
What Hit Screens in 2022
Armageddon Time filmed in Teaneck
Clerks III filmed in Red Bank
Goodnight Mommy filmed in Bedminster
Smile filmed in Hoboken, Morristown, + Newark
The Walking Dead: Dead City filmed in Franklin Lakes, Hoboken, + more
To find an even more complete list, click here for information from the state government website.
See More: What’s Filming in Montclair + Essex County? An Ongoing List of Movies and TV Shows
Follow @thehobokengirl on Instagram + TikTok for the latest Hoboken and Jersey City updates, sign up for our weekly newsletter here that shares everything you missed each week, and check out our events calendar, which has over 100+ events weekly to peruse.
Comments are closed.