An Updated Look at New Jersey’s Film Industry: Studios + Movies Coming Soon

From A-list actors grabbing coffee in Hoboken to major productions quietly taking over suburban streets, New Jersey is having a Hollywood moment yet again. Once the birthplace of American cinema, the Garden State is reclaiming its role in the film industry as studios like Netflix and Lionsgate invest billions. Fueled by public policy, major studio developments, and a deep cinematic legacy, New Jersey is emerging as the East Coast’s new Hollywood. Read on to learn about how + why filming has increased in New Jersey + what’s already hit + will hit the screen.

Jersey, the Birthplace of Film

In the late 19th century, Thomas Edison developed early motion picture devices and built the world’s first movie studio, the Black Maria, in West Orange. Fort Lee in Bergen County later became America’s first motion picture industry headquarters. New Jersey eventually lost its dominance as filmmakers moved west, partly to avoid Edison’s strict patent control, which was less enforced in places like Hollywood.

So Why Here?

New Jersey offers beaches, historic towns, major transit, and ports—plus famously good pizza and bagels. While the humor, food, and landscape draw film studios back, the real reason is more strategic. Over a century ago, Thomas Edison’s control over his patents scared many studios out of the state. Current policies, many of which were 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 includes a Diversity Tax Credit of up to four percent for productions that employ the services of women or people of color.

Read More: Movies + TV Shows Filmed in New Jersey Coming Out in 2026

Studio Development Projects

In 2022, Newark announced that Lionsgate would develop a studio in the city’s South Ward. In September 2023, Atlantic City’s Playground Pier reopened as ACX1 Studios. In February 2024, Netflix received key approval to move forward with a production complex in Fort Monmouth, a former U.S. Army base. 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. In May 2024, it was announced that Togus Urban Renewal, LLC would develop 1888 Studios in Bayonne.

On May 23, 2025, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at Fort Monmouth for the future Netflix studio. On December 9, Netflix completed a $55M purchase of nearly 300 acres at the former Fort Monmouth site in Oceanport and Eatontown. On December 11, NJPAC, Lionsgate, and Great Point Studios officially signed the agreement for New Jersey’s first purpose-built film and television studio. On December 16, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at 1888 Studios in Bayonne.

Filming Over The Years

Numerous shows and movies were filmed in New Jersey over the last few years like Happy Gilmore 2, Deliver Me from Nowhere, and Harlan Coben’s Shelter. Keep reading for a list of movies and shows filmed in NJ over the last few years. 

What Will Hit Screens in 2026

1. Disclosure Day filmed in Cape May County, Jersey City, and Middlesex County, is set to release June 12th.

What Hit Screens in 2025

1. A House of Dynamite was filmed in Trenton
2. Deliver Me from Nowhere filmed in Asbury Park, Freehold, Bayonne, + Rockaway
3. Echo Valley filmed in Rockaway + Stockton
4. Good Boy was filmed in Harding Township
5. Happy Gilmore 2 filmed in Morristown, Maplewood, Millburn, Newark, West Orange, + Verona
6. Kiss of the Spider Woman was filmed in Jersey City and Kearny
7. Marty Supreme filmed in Chesterfield Township + East Rutherford
8. Miller’s in Marriage filmed in Hoboken, Morristown, + Union City.
9. Nonnas filmed in Bayonne, Edison, Elizabeth, Hoboken, Jersey City, Linden, + Paterson, 
10. Song Sung Blue was filmed in Monmouth County and Old Tappan
11. The Beast in Me was filmed in Red Bank
12. The Family McMullen filmed in Jersey City
13. The History of Sound filmed in Freehold Township + Hoboken
14. The Home filmed in Denville, Elizabeth, + Nutley
15. The Housemaid filmed in Cresskill, Jersey City, + Montclair

What Hit Screens in 2024

1. A Complete Unknown filmed in Hoboken + Jersey City
2. A Different Man filmed in Maplewood + Montclair 
3. Exhibiting Forgiveness filmed in Allendale, Bayonne, Paterson, West Orange, Montclair, + more 
4. I Saw The TV Glow filmed in Cedar Grove, Keansburg, + Verona
5. It Ends With Us filmed in Chatham, Hoboken, + Jersey City 
6. Joker: Folie à Deux filmed in Belleville
7. Mean Girls was filmed in Middletown Township 
8. Mother’s Instinct filmed in Cranford
9. Música filmed in Hoboken + Newark
10. Ponyboi filmed in Palisades Park, Ocean Township, Kearny, + Asbury Park 
11. Presence filmed in Cranford 
12. Rob Peace filmed in Newark
13. The 4:30 Movie filmed in Atlantic Highlands
14. The Room Next Door was filmed in Montclair

What Hit Screens in 2023

1. A Good Person filmed in Maplewood + South Orange 
2. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was filmed in Jersey City
3. Daughter of the Bride was filmed in Cranford
4. Dogman filmed in Newark
5. Dumb Money filmed in Jersey City + Morristown
6. Eileen filmed in Metuchen and South Amboy
7. Ezra filmed in Jersey City + Westwood
8. Harlan Coben’s Shelter filmed in Bloomfield, Kearny, Livingston, Paterson, + more
9. Hustle filmed in Camden
10. Maybe I Do was filmed in Montclair
11. Oppenheimer filmed in Princeton
12. The Perfect Find filmed in Jersey City + Newark

What Hit Screens in 2022

1. Armageddon Time was filmed in Teaneck
2. Clerks III filmed in Red Bank
3. Goodnight Mommy was filmed in Bedminster
4. Smile filmed in Hoboken, Morristown, + Newark
5. The Walking Dead: Dead City filmed in Franklin Lakes, Hoboken, + more

See More: Upcoming Bayonne Film Studio Signs Paramount Skydance to 10-Year Lease

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