‘Deliver Me from Nowhere,’ Bruce Springsteen biopic, spent $41.8 million filming in New Jersey
TRENTON, N.J. — With the Bruce Springsteen biopic set to hit theaters this week, the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission (NJMPTVC), part of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), announced Thursday that Deliver Me from Nowhere spent a total of $41.8 million during its 31 days of filming across the Garden State.
The film, starring Jeremy Allen White, opens in theaters Friday and was shot in 16 towns throughout New Jersey. The production utilized the NJEDA’s Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program, which offers incentives to projects that film in-state.
“There was only one place that made sense to film a movie about Bruce Springsteen – the place where it all began, right here in New Jersey,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan. “From the Stone Pony to the Meadowlands, Springsteen’s career crisscrossed the state, eventually becoming an international sensation. Major productions like Deliver Me from Nowhere continue to create jobs, support small businesses, and fuel our economy. New Jersey’s growing film industry is delivering real economic impact and driving creative energy across the state.”
Since Governor Phil Murphy reinstated the film tax credit program in 2018, production in New Jersey has surged. In 2024, in-state production spending reached $833 million, surpassing the previous record of $701 million in 2022. A total of 556 productions filmed in New Jersey last year, hiring more than 30,000 crew members, nearly doubling the number of hires from 2023.
During filming, Deliver Me from Nowhere hired 500 crew members and averaged $1.3 million in daily spending, according to the NJEDA. The production spent $552,000 on lodging, $429,000 on catering, $1.7 million on extras, $79,000 on tolls, and $2.2 million on wardrobe.
“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.”
The movie filmed in Asbury Park, Bayonne, Chatham, Denville, East Rutherford, Freehold, Harding Township, Jersey City, Montague, Montclair, Mountain Lakes, Newark, Orange, Rahway, Rockaway, and Roseland.
A testament to the state’s versatility, New Jersey doubled for locations across the country. Meadowlands Arena served as Riverfront Arena in Cincinnati and the L.A. Sports Arena, while Central Restaurant and Konoz Restaurant in Newark portrayed New York City eateries. Washington Street in Newark stood in for Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, and Nutria Alley in Newark was used as Los Angeles’ Chinatown. Hunan Taste in Denville also appeared as a Chinatown restaurant.
Other sites included Route 23 in High Point State Park, which doubled as the Blue Ridge Mountains; an office building in Roseland that portrayed Memphis near Graceland; and a Harding farm that doubled as the Archer County Fair in Texas.
The film is one of many major productions to shoot in New Jersey since the state’s tax credit program was reinstated. Officials said the program has attracted hundreds of feature films, television shows, and digital media projects, and has drawn major studios — including Netflix, 1888 Studios, and Lionsgate — to build permanent facilities in the state, fostering long-term job growth and economic expansion.
