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New Jersey has quietly become one of the hottest places in the country to make a movie or TV show – and the numbers are finally starting to back that up.
A new report shows that while filming production dropped 10% across the United States in the first quarter of 2026, New Jersey was moving in the opposite direction.
Filming count in the Garden State is up 45% year over year. Production spend, meaning the actual money being pumped into crews, equipment, locations, and vendors – is up 37%.
Every other major production state saw declines. New Jersey was the exception.
This isn’t an accident.
The state has been quietly building something real here. Netflix is putting up 12 soundstages at the old Fort Monmouth site. Paramount is building out 1888 Studios in Bayonne. Lionsgate took over Great Point Studios in Newark. There is even a “micro-drama” project coming to Paterson.
That’s not small moves – that’s serious infrastructure being planted in our backyard.
The tax incentives are a big part of why production companies keep choosing us. New Jersey offers a 30% transferable tax credit on qualified production expenses, bumping to 35% outside the 30-mile NYC radius.
One producer behind the upcoming Sylvester Stallone biopic shot in Keansburg put it pretty plainly: “We ended up shooting it in New Jersey because they had the best tax deal.” You can’t argue with that kind of honesty.
And the projects showing up here aren’t small. Denzel Washington, Robert Pattinson, Cameron Diaz, Adam Sandler, a Steven Spielberg sci-fi film shot partly in Cape May County – these aren’t local commercials. These are major productions choosing New Jersey on purpose.
As someone who lives here and genuinely loves this state, I find this exciting. For a long time New Jersey was either the butt of the joke or the place people were “from” before they made it somewhere else. Watching it become a legitimate destination for film, business, for people who actually want to be here feels good.
A recent event at Brookdale Community College focused on the future of movie making in New Jersey. A panel of industry leaders and economic development personnel took to the stage with their thoughts and insights into Netflix and other prominent studios moving into the state. The talk of jobs, opportunities for small businesses and potential revenue impact was highlighted – and you could feel the excitement for what is to come.
A highlight of the event was the ability for small businesses to potentially be a part of the movie community. From cleaning companies to landscaping and so much more, there are opportunities for all types of businesses to be a part of Netflix.
More details can be found at https://www.nj.gov/njfilm/.
The Hollywood of the East is not just a cute nickname anymore. It’s starting to look like a real thing.
