Jersey City to Welcome State’s Largest Movie Studio Complex; Attracting Large Scale Productions while Preserving the Industrial Neighborhood and Creating Local Jobs

Existing Warehouse to Transform into Movie Studio Complex at 21 Caven Point Avenue

Jersey City – Mayor Steven M. Fulop welcomes Criterion Group LLC to Jersey City, the owner and developer planning to build New Jersey’s largest movie studio complex in Jersey City at 21 Caven Point Avenue, preserving the neighborhood’s industrial history. Once complete, the complex will provide three sound stages with the requisite ancillary space needed for large scale productions.

“Jersey City has seen an influx of major productions utilizing all parts of our City to film large scale projects, ultimately creating a heavy demand for the proper space studios and networks struggle to find,” said Mayor Fulop. “Not only will this bring even more production activity to the area, but this will also benefit Jersey City further as production companies stimulate the local economy, provide various employment opportunities, and contribute to the redevelopment in the southern part of our City.”

New Jersey’s motion picture and television industry has undergone a dramatic revitalization since the passing of the Garden State Film and Digital Media Jobs Act last year, which provides incentivizing tax credits for film and digital media.  This enactment, coupled with the City’s recent influx of production activity and the increasing recognition of Jersey City’s versatility as an ideal backdrop, has attracted more and more big picture production companies to the area. The City’s forethought and vision put Jersey City on the map as a sought out destination for production companies to do business.

“We are excited to bring Caven Point Studios to Canal Crossing. We believe in the development of Caven Point Studios is a natural progression of our business because of its proximity to New York City and the creative community,” said Shibber Khan, Principal of Criterion Group LLC.  “We believe that the sheer size and quality of Caven Point Studios will make Jersey City competitive with other film production facilities, not just in the tristate area, but on a national basis. The 70,000 square feet of sound stages and studios, is one of the largest in the region. We are looking forward to opening the doors to the film community in the near future.”

Recent large scale projects filmed in Jersey City include: Warner Brother’s “Joker” and “The Many Saints of Newark,” NBC/Universal’s “The Enemy Within,” HBO’s “The Plot Against America,” and Apple TV’s “Little America.”

The total project is 135,000 square feet, with 70,000 square feet of studio and sound stages, creating the largest studio in the Garden State.  The new complex will ignite other film studio owners to seriously consider the area as a place to bring their business and creative energies.

“The state of the art studios being constructed by Criterion Group LLC is a huge step forward for Canal Crossing and will help pave the way for Canal Crossing to move forward with the promise and potential that the redevelopment plan was built around. The marriage of film, the creative community, and a high quality mixed-income residential community will make Canal Crossing unique among Jersey City’s 94 redevelopment areas,” said Bob Antonicello, GRID Real Estate, LLC, project advisor.

The movie studio complex is expected to open its doors in the Spring of 2020, where it will play a pivotal role in the redevelopment of the area.