Melanie Wexler 
In recent years, there has been an uptick in production across the state, as New Jersey’s film and digital media tax credit program has encouraged more projects to film here. The Garden State offers a wide variety of landscapes, architecture, and settings within a relatively small area, making it a desirable filming location. Read along to learn more about some of the most popular movies filmed in New Jersey.
A Beautiful Mind (2001) | Princeton
A Beautiful Mind tells the story of John Nash, a brilliant mathematician who navigates academic fame and the challenges of living with schizophrenia. The Academy Award-winning film was partially shot at Princeton University in New Jersey, where the cast and crew filmed on the campus during spring break in 2001. Several recognizable campus locations appear in the movie, including Holder Hall and Mathey College.
A Complete Unknown (2024) | Hoboken, Jersey City, Cape May, + Paterson
A Complete Unknown, the biopic following a young Bob Dylan’s rise to fame, filmed widely across New Jersey, with production taking place in twenty cities and towns statewide. Production transformed Hoboken’s Little City Books, Moran’s Pub, and downtown Jersey City to give the town a 1960s look. Cape May locations near the Victorian Motel and Congress Hall were used to represent 1960s-era Newport, Rhode Island. Additional scenes were filmed on Ellison Street and in the surrounding parts of downtown Paterson.
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American Gangster (2007) | Morristown
American Gangster is a 2007 crime drama based on the true story of Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and detective Richie Roberts’ efforts to bring him down. Scenes from the film, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe, were shot in New Jersey, specifically at the New Jersey Army National Guard Armory in Morristown, located at 430 Western Avenue. The location was used for interior scenes involving law enforcement facilities, including the film’s morgue scenes, where detective Richie Roberts identifies his dead partner.
Annie (1982) | West Long Branch
The iconic musical comedy-drama, Annie, was famously filmed at The Great Hall at Shadow Lawn at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, formerly known as Woodrow Wilson Hall. The mansion was used as the primary filming location for Daddy Warbucks’ Fifth Avenue residence. The Great Hall, home to the university’s Undergraduate Admissions Office, was transformed into Warbucks’ private office, while the second-floor ladies’ restroom was repurposed as Annie’s upscale bathroom.
Friday the 13th (1980) | Hardwick Township
Friday the 13th was shot at Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in Hardwick Township, New Jersey, which stood in as the fictional Camp Crystal Lake. The camp’s cabins, dining hall, lakefront, and wooded grounds were featured in the classic, while nearby Blairstown provided several small-town scenes and exterior shots. Located at 11 Sand Pond Road, Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco remains an active Boy Scouts of America camp and is generally closed to the public. However, the camp’s alumni periodically host Crystal Lake Tours, giving fans the opportunity to walk the grounds and take photos.
Goodfellas (1990) | Fort Lee
Goodfellas filmed several scenes in Fort Lee, New Jersey, specifically using a private home on Inwood Terrace, which served as the suburban residence for Henry and Karen Hill. Production chose the community of Fort Lee for its affluent suburban setting, using the neighborhood to reflect the Hills’ increasingly luxurious lifestyle as Henry became more deeply involved in organized crime.
Happy Gilmore 2 (2025) | Bedminster + Montclair
Happy Gilmore 2 filmed scenes in both Bedminster and Montclair during the fall of 2024. In Bedminster, the private Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club served as a primary golf setting for Happy Gilmore’s return to competitive golf, as well as many of the film’s tournament scenes. In Montclair, the French restaurant Faubourg was transformed for production and selected for its modern, upscale aesthetic on Bloomfield Avenue.
Joker (2019) | Jersey City + Newark
Joker opens with major scenes filmed in Newark, including Market Street, where the historic Paramount Theatre exterior is shown. Additionally, the film shot key scenes at the William J. Brennan Courthouse in Jersey City. For production, it was transformed into “Wayne Hall” and served as the backdrop for major, chaotic protest and riot scenes involving protestors in clown masks.
Marty Supreme (2025) | East Rutherford + Elizabeth
Key scenes for the sports drama Marty Supreme were shot at the venue formerly known as the Izod Center in East Rutherford. Now referred to as Meadowlands Arena, the empty space was used to create the set of an international table tennis tournament for the film. Since permanently closing, the arena has been repurposed as a rehearsal space for musicians and a filming location for movie and television productions. Production also traveled to Elizabeth, New Jersey, transforming the Ritz Theatre & Performing Arts Center to look like a 1950s Manhattan venue to capture the theatre scenes featured in the film.
Mean Girls (2004) | Montclair
The hit 2004 teen comedy, Mean Girls, was a major pop-culture phenomenon and was the source of iconic catch phrases that remain widely used today. The film later inspired the Broadway musical, which then inspired the 2024 musical film adaptation. While much of Mean Girls was filmed in Canada, several scenes from the original movie were filmed at the interior of Montclair High School in Montclair. The school’s hallways, lockers, and classrooms were used to represent North Shore High School.
Men in Black (1997) | Jersey City
Men in Black is a sci-fi comedy movie following two secret agents policing alien activity on Earth while keeping extraterrestrial life hidden from the public. Men in Black filmed key scenes in New Jersey, specifically at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The area along Freedom Way and Morris Pesin Drive was used for the iconic “New Jersey Turnpike” scene, where Will Smith’s character, Agent J, helps deliver a baby squid.
Ocean’s Eleven (2001) | East Jersey State Prison in Rahway and Atlantic City
The 2001 heist film opens and closes with scenes filmed inside East Jersey State Prison, formerly known as Rahway State Prison. At the beginning of Ocean’s Eleven, George Clooney’s character, Danny Ocean, is shown serving time before being released on parole. Danny is later seen gambling shortly after his release, scenes that were filmed at the former Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino. Additional footage was reportedly filmed at Caesars Atlantic City and the famous White House Sub Shop to help create the film’s Atlantic City atmosphere. Though brief, the Atlantic City scenes are memorable.
School of Rock (2003) | Rahway
School of Rock is a comedy film starring Jack Black, who plays a struggling musician turned substitute teacher who transforms his class into a rock band. The 2003 film shot notable scenes in Rahway, New Jersey, at the historic Union County Performing Arts Center at 1601 Irving Street. The theater was the exterior setting for the movie’s final “Battle of the Bands” scene.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) | Newark
The Dark Knight Rises, the final film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, filmed scenes in downtown Newark, New Jersey, which doubled as Gotham City. Newark City Hall appeared during scenes involving Gotham’s government, while the underground light rail station was used for scenes in which Catwoman leads Batman through the subway tunnels to Bane’s underground hideout.
The Godfather (1972) | Jersey City
The Godfather portrays the powerful Italian-American Corleone family and the rise of Michael Corleone from a decorated veteran to Mafia boss. The iconic “Leave the gun. Take the cannoli” scene was filmed on an unmarked road that is now part of Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. The scene where Clemenza has Paulie executed with the Statue of Liberty in the background is the only part of the film shot in New Jersey.
The Housemaid (2025) | Clifton, Jersey City, Madison, Montclair, Morristown + Ridgewood
Psychological thriller The Housemaid, with Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, was filmed extensively across New Jersey, visiting Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Passaic counties. The primary house used as the Winchester family home is a historic mansion on Greenwood Avenue in Madison. Rutt’s Hut, Clifton’s iconic hot dog spot, appears in the early parts of the movie. Filming also took place at DanceWorks Studios and Lackawanna Station in Montclair, Cinelease Stages in Jersey City, The Peck School and The Madison Hotel in Morristown, and Green Way Markets in Ridgewood.
The Karate Kid (1984) | Harrison
The Karate Kid is a highly popular martial arts movie that follows Daniel, a bullied teen who learns self-defense, discipline, and life lessons through martial arts while training under Mr. Miyagi. The early scenes of the film portrayed Daniel LaRusso’s origin in Newark, New Jersey, but were actually filmed in Harrison. The primary location was Franklin Avenue near Hamilton Street, where Daniel’s home is shown before he and his mother drive cross-country to move to California.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) | Ramapo Mountain State Forest
New Jersey’s Ramapo Mountain State Forest, located in Bergen and Passaic Counties, was a filming location for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The snowy forest scenes where Katniss and Gale hunt together in District 12 were filmed on Skyline Drive in early 2013. Production needed a genuine, cold, wintry environment for the opening, which was provided by the Jersey location. Ramapo Mountain State Forest is currently open for hiking, birding, and exploring, featuring trails near the area used for the film.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) | Closter
The Wolf of Wall Street is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort and his rise as a wealthy stockbroker to his inevitable downfall involving crime and corruption. A memorable scene from the film, in which Brad Bodnick, Belfort’s drug dealer, gets into an altercation that escalates into a police takedown in a public parking lot, was filmed at Closter Plaza in New Jersey. Closter Plaza was chosen because producers needed a location that appeared old at the time and resembled a conventional shopping center. Since then, the plaza has undergone major renovations and is now almost unrecognizable from how it appeared in the film.
West Side Story (2021) | Paterson
The popular romance drama West Side Story was filmed in the downtown area of Paterson, New Jersey, where production transformed parts of the city to look like New York City in 1957. Most of the film’s scenes were actually shot in Paterson, specifically around the downtown area on Washington Street.
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