Atlantic County Film Studio Project Still Stuck in Limbo

It was two years ago when I first wrote about a proposed film studio in Atlantic County.

Here's some of what I wrote at the time.

"Is Egg Harbor City destined to become a movie-making hotspot on the East Coast?

It is way too early to say, but the town has received a $1 million grant for site work on a proposed motion picture studio.

Egg Harbor City Receives State Grant for Movie Studio Development

In 2024, Egg Harbor City was awarded a grant for over a million dollars to begin infrastructure improvements on an 80-acre former brownfields site at 1000 Hamburg Avenue for development by Atlantic Picture Motion Studios.

The idea was to turn the location into a 185,000-square-foot motion picture and media sound stage and entertainment production support space.

The grant money was intended to be used for road widening, curb cuts, sidewalk improvement, street lighting, and drainage improvements.

Where Did Grant Money Come From?

Egg Harbor City was one of five New Jersey towns awarded money from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority in the Film and Digital Media Studio Infrastructure Program.

The grants — which total $9.5 million — were part of a wave of public funding from Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration, which sank over $2 billion into the state’s film and television industry since the approval of a popular tax credit program in 2018.

Carteret, Jersey City, and East Brunswick also received grants.

In 2023, Atlantic City took advantage of grant funding to sign a deal with the film and production group ACX1 to use a building on the former Playground Pier on the AC Boardwalk for multiple movie sets and a live entertainment venue.

That deal went down the drain earlier this year, when the company filed for bankruptcy and closed after three unsuccessful years in business.

Much more positively, ground broke in 2025 on the Netflix production studio at Fort Monmouth in Eatontown, and Oceanport is expected to be fully completed by 2028.

What is Atlantic Motion Picture Studios?

Atlantic Motion Picture Studios is the creative company behind Cape May native filmmaker Jonathon Sachar, who has developed films such as the comedy horror flick Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever, Cross, and Rites of Passage.

Sachar received attention in 2025 for being a producer of the action film Killing Mary Sue, which won several awards at the IFS Film Fest.

In June 2025, the Atlantic County Economic Alliance posted on Facebook about the Atlantic Motion Picture Studios project.

With support from the Atlantic County Economic Alliance and a $1 million grant from NJ Department of Community Affairs, AMPS will bring jobs, innovation, and new energy to South Jersey’s creative economy.

“This project reflects the kind of creative economic growth ACEA is proud to support,” said Lauren Moore, President of the Atlantic County Economic Alliance. “Jonathan’s work will generate jobs, support local businesses, and help build a lasting film infrastructure in Atlantic County. We have been honored to work alongside him for over 18 months to help make this vision a reality.”

From brownfields to backlots—this is just the beginning.

More Delays With Studio Project

Almost a year later, construction has yet to start as the New Jersey Pinelands Commission, which regulates the use of hundreds of acres of South Jersey forestland, has not issued final approvals.

The delay has forced the city to postpone a vote to finalize a redevelopment agreement with Sachar several times, including last month.

In early April, the Hammonton Gazette reported on an Egg Harbor City Council meeting where public comment on the studio was encouraged.

The Gazette said the project met with concern from some residents in attendance and was criticized by others for a lack of information about the size and the location of the proposed studio.

The council said this site was the final choice.

A few speakers also requested that the board look for other locations occupied by abandoned buildings rather than destroying wildlife and the local environment.

The EHC Council tried to clarify that these issues should be brought to the Land Use Board. However, choosing a separate site is non-negotiable as the site is the last of the developable land owned by the town. Additionally, the location has also undergone extensive redevelopment and surveying.