Listen to this articleThe basics:
- ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere‘ filmed across 16 NJ towns with a $41.8M spend
- 500 local crew members hired; $1.3M average daily production spend
- Filming locations included Asbury Park, Freehold, Newark and the Meadowlands
- Film underscores state’s rise as a premier destination for productions
The highly anticipated film “Deliver Me from Nowhere” is hitting theaters Oct. 24, and Bruce Springsteen‘s native New Jersey has a starring role.
The 20th Century Studios movie – written and directed by Scott Cooper and starring Jeremy Allen White – was adapted from the 2023 book “Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska” by Warren Zanes. It focuses on the period of Springsteen’s career during the recording of the critically acclaimed 1982 album, “Nebraska.”
It was filmed entirely in the Garden State.
“There was only one place that made sense to film a move about Bruce Springsteen – the place where it all began, right here in New Jersey,” said Tim Sullivan, CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which oversees the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. “From the Stone Pony to the Meadowlands, Springsteen’s career crisscrossed the state, eventually becoming an international sensation.”
Over 31 days of filming across 16 towns in New Jersey, the production spent $41.8 million – and used the NJEDA Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program.
Key details about filming:
- Production hired 500 crew members and had an average daily spend of $1.3 million
- Category spending:
- $552,000 – lodging
- $429,000 – catering
- $1.7 million – extras
- $79,000 – tolls
- $2.2 million – wardrobe
- Filming locations included: Asbury Park, Bayonne, Chatham, Denville, East Rutherford, Freehold, Harding Township, Jersey City, Montague, Montclair, Mountain Lakes, Newark, Orange, Rahway, Rockaway and Roseland
- In a nod to Jersey’s versatility, the state doubled as other locations across the country:
- Central Restaurant and Konoz Restaurant (Newark): New York City restaurants
- Meadowlands Arena (East Rutherford): Riverfront Arena (Cincinnati) and LA Sports Arena
- Washington Street (Newark): 8th Avenue, NYC
- Nutria Alley (Newark): Los Angeles’ Chinatown
- Hunan Taste (Denville): Chinatown restaurant in Los Angeles
- Route 23 (High Point State Park):Blue Ridge Mountains (Georgia–Pennsylvania)
- 105 Eisenhower Parkway (Roseland): Memphis near Graceland
- Farm in Harding Township: Archer County Fair in Texas
Watch the ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere’ trailer:
‘Deliver’ing economic impact
“Deliver Me from Nowhere shines a spotlight on New Jersey’s rich culture and talent, and honors Bruce Springsteen’s unmatched legacy,” said NJMPTVC Executive Director Jon Crowley. “This film showcases our varied locations and deep talent pool and is a testament to why productions keep choosing the Garden State. New Jersey, the birthplace of film, is the industry’s future.”
Just this week, the NJMPTVC announced that in-state production spending hit $833 million in 2024, shattering the previous record of $701 million in 2022. Last year, 556 productions were filmed in Jersey, including “Deliver Me from Nowhere.”
“Major productions like Deliver Me from Nowhere continue to create jobs, support small businesses, and fuel our economy,” Sullivan said. “New Jersey’s growing film industry is delivering real economic impact and driving creative energy across the state.”
Listening to the Boss
“This film – Deliver Me from Nowhere – is going to be a love letter to New Jersey,” Crowley told NJBIZ. “And we’ve got Springsteen to thank for that.”
Crowley noted how there was talk at one point of filming in Pittsburgh. “And Springsteen was like – no, we’re going to be filming this in my backyard where all of this really happened,” said Crowley. “So, we have him to thank for that. And they did 500 crew hires and they filmed in New Jersey for 31 days. They spent almost $42 million – and they were all over the place. They were in Asbury. They were in Freehold. Of course, those two places where he grew up – and where he was doing all his early days at the Stone Pony; East Rutherford, Bayonne, Jersey City, Montclair, Newark.
“So, they were all over the place. And their daily spend was $1.3 million.”
He continued, “When a production comes into the state, they’re not bringing everything with them. They’re not bringing cars. They’re not bringing food. They’re not bringing the hotel rooms. They’re not bringing their sets or their props – or their wardrobe.
“They’re acquiring all that here in New Jersey – so that qualified spend is going toward all of that stuff.”
Jersey versatility
Crowley recounted how he went to the filming at the Meadowlands Arena on the day it doubled as the LA Sports Arena, and how it brought him back to his childhood growing up in Los Angeles.
“I was like – wow, I’ve been transported in time. I feel like I’m back in LA – and it’s the 1980s. They had hundreds of extras in there, and they were all dressed in those concert t-shirts with the haircuts and everything,” Crowley said. “I feel like I’m back in school in LA because it played perfectly.”
He noted how that versatility of New Jersey is also important from a financial standpoint – especially when productions can stay put and not have to travel to another state.
“Time is money,” said Crowley. “To be able to get everything you need here in New Jersey – that’s a huge time savings, which means it’s a huge savings on the budget. And it’s another pull for New Jersey for studios and networks to commit their slate to the Garden State.”
Those realities, plus the growing film ecosystem/infrastructure, and the tax credits and incentives all make for a compelling case to film in New Jersey.
NJ on center stage
Crowley then reflected on the effects beyond economics the film will have on the state’s efforts to draw more productions to the state.
“This is going to get a lot of buzz come awards time,” said Crowley. “And that’s going to put New Jersey front and center to an audience that sees this. And Bruce Springsteen is a hugely popular, iconic figure. His fans are going to go see this. And I think there’s something else that we don’t talk a lot about – which is film tourism.
“That is something that is on the uptick. As more and more productions are being made here, people want to come to New Jersey to check out the locations.”
He said that as the film is seen, people are going to be curious and want to learn more about where the Boss was born and raised.
“People are going to want to go check out the Stone Pony,” said Crowley. “So, that’s a whole other sideline business that’s of significant value to these location owners and restaurants and hotels. People coming over to New Jersey to check it all out.”
