Paramount to Anchor New Jersey Film Production Campus

October 29, 2025

Mixed Use Brokerage New York News More Northeast

The 1.6 million-square-foot development is the largest such complex in the Northeast.

Rendering of 1888 Studios, a 1.6 million-square-foot campus in Bayonne, N.J. — 1888 Studios is expected to be fully operational by 2028.
*Rendering courtesy of New Jersey Economic Development Authority*

Paramount has signed a 285,000-square-foot lease and will anchor 1888 Studios, a 1.6 million-square-foot film and television production complex currently underway in Bayonne, N.J. The commitment will span at least 10 years.

Developed by Togus Urban Renewal, 1888 Studios is to feature more than 1.1 million square feet of production space. Moreover, the 58-acre campus will be the largest such facilities in the Northeast. The complex is scheduled to be fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2028, Variety reported.

The campus will come online with the help of the New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit program. 1888 Studios became the state’s first Film-Lease Partner Facility in May 2024.

The program expanded into 2025, allowing NJEDA to choose three Studio Partners and three Film-Lease Partner Facilities tied to major projects. Paramount’s Studio Partner Application is currently under review.

An early look at 1888 Studios

Designed by Gensler, 1888 Studios occupies the site of a former Texaco oil refinery that was rezoned in 2020. The project’s name references the year when Thomas Edison invented the first motion film camera.

Turner Construction Co. agreed to build the entertainment studio in 2022. Plans called for the construction of 23 smart sound stages ranging from 18,000 to 60,000 square feet with 40- to 50-foot-high ceilings, 350,000 square feet of production support space, flexible post-production space, offices, mills, base camp and backlot, as well as lighting and grip facilities. The development will also feature a waterfront park and promenade, amenities that showcase the relationship between infrastructure and real estate in modern mixed-use planning.

Togus’ initial investment in the project amounted to $900 million, which soon turned into $1 billion. In March 2023, the development received public financing, which included a $65 million bond. The Bayonne City Council also approved a 30-year PILOT agreement, which binds the developer to pay approximately $2.6 million annually, and gradually increase the amount to $7.5 million, NJ.com wrote at the time.

The campus is taking shape on the southwest corner of Bergen Point, west of Avenue A, some 13 miles of Midtown Manhattan. The Newark Liberty International Airport is within 9 miles west, on the other side of Newmark Bay.