By Matthew Hersh
More than 30 years ago, before phone cameras and Instagram, there was Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, and even Tony Shaloub and Walter Matthau enjoying Thomas Sweet in downtown Princeton during breaks from shooting IQ, a quintessentially ’90s romcom about Einstein, portrayed by Matthau, who plays matchmaker for his niece, played by Ryan.
IQ, along with films like A Beautiful Mind, showcased Princeton’s image around the world as a global academic destination, coupled with the uniqueness of a local community. Now, Princeton hopes to leverage that identity as New Jersey continues its ascent as a national filmmaking destination.
This month, Princeton Council introduced an ordinance that sets guidelines and parameters for filming, as well as setting permitting standards, when and how to film in residential neighborhoods as well as in municipal rights-of-way — meaning that sometimes, Hollywood glamour and local statutes go hand-in-hand. A public hearing and second reading of the ordinance is scheduled for February 23.
A growing number of New Jersey towns have opted to develop local ordinances on commercial filmmaking. In 2024, as filming for Happy Gilmore 2 was underway, the state’s film-friendly policies were on display as actors Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller were seen out and about in the 31 towns and nine counties that hosted the film’s actors and crews. Crews spent more than $152.5 million in local production dollars, according to the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA), around locations that included golf courses, residential neighborhoods, bars and other local haunts throughout the state.
The production, which concluded in late 2024, used more than 400 local crew members and 3,000 extras.
“New Jersey has solidified its place as a formidable leader in the national and international film industries,” said former Gov. Phil Murphy, who reinstated the Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program in 2018, last fall. “Our tax incentive program has been impactful in bringing new movies, television shows, and major studios to the state, which has resulted in good-paying jobs and revitalized communities. The film industry is here to stay and the future of entertainment now runs through the Garden State.”
Overall in-state production spending from filmmaking hit $833 million in 2024, surpassing the previous record of $701 million in 2022, according to EDA. In total, 556 productions filmed in New Jersey last year, hiring a total of more than 30,000 crew members, nearly doubling the number of crew hires from 2023.
The Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program, which has been extended to 2049, offers tax credits to film and digital media productions of up to 40 percent for expenses incurred. New Jersey’s competitive tax incentive program supported an increase of 41 percent in total qualified spending from 2023 to 2024, outpacing other North American production hubs, according to EDA data.
Other in-state productions that filmed in 2024 include The Housemaid starring Sydney Sweeney and Amada Seyfried, The Beast in Me starring Claire Danes, A House of Dynamite directed by Kathryn Bigelow, and Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere.
Netflix was been designated as a Studio Partner and approved for Aspire awards by the NJEDA in 2024, and that company broke ground on its 292-acre, $1 billion production facility in Fort Monmouth in 2025. 1888 Studios in Bayonne was designated as Film-Lease Partner Facility and approved for Aspire awards in 2024. Aspire is EDA’s gap financing tool to support commercial, mixed use, and residential real estate development.
Last year, the NJEDA approved $9.5 million in funding for five projects under the Film and Digital Media Studio Infrastructure Program, aimed to support the development of production studios. EDA has prioritized its Film Ready New Jersey program, a five-step certification and marketing program that “educates municipalities on the basics of motion picture and television production and sets basic standards for attracting filmmaking,” according to EDA, providing towns with “an elevated platform for certified communities to promote themselves as filming destinations and connects film and television professionals with skilled and knowledgeable liaisons across the state.”
There are currently 43 “Film Ready” designations in New Jersey, according to EDA.
Princeton Mayor Mark Freda declined to comment due to the pending ordinance hearing on February 23.