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Department of State

The Hon. Tahesha Way, Lt. Governor and Secretary of State

‘Knock at the Cabin’ and ‘Daughter of the Bride’ Premiere February 3

Movies filmed in Burlington, Essex, Morris and Union counties

 

NEWARK, N.J.

From mayhem to matrimony, two feature films shot in New Jersey will hit the big screen on Friday, February 3rd.

A wide array of New Jersey locations can be seen in Knock at the Cabin and Daughter of the Bride, showcasing the Garden State’s extraordinarily diverse towns and landscapes. These motion pictures are among the dozens of major productions filmed in New Jersey recently, featuring some of the entertainment industry’s most celebrated performers.

Knock at the Cabin

M. Night Shyamalan returned to South Jersey to film his upcoming apocalyptic horror film Knock at the Cabin, produced by Blinding Edge Pictures and Universal Pictures. The movie is based on the New Hampshire-set 2018 book The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul G. Tremblay. While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a horrific choice to avert the apocalypse.

The film marks the 15th feature film produced and directed by Shyamalan. Marc Bienstock and Ashwin Rajan are co-producers.

Knock at the Cabin stars Dave Bautista (Army of the Dead), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter franchise) and Nikki Amuka-Bird (Old), along with Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth) and Jonathan Groff (Mindhunter). Much of the movie was filmed on location in Tabernacle, and at the Evergreen Dairy Bar in Southampton.

Shyamalan is best known for his supernatural and psychological thrillers such as The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. Although most of his films are set in and around the Philadelphia area, Shyamalan has filmed in the Garden State on two other occasions. The Village was partially shot in Pedricktown (Oldmans Township) in 2004. In 2021, Shyamalan directed scenes for Season 3 of the Apple TV+ television series Servant in Ocean City.

Blinding Edge Pictures reported expenditures of $5 million for the filming of Knock at the Cabin, which is being released in theaters nationwide.

Daughter of the Bride

Cranford will have a starring role in the upcoming romantic comedy Daughter of the Bride. The movie follows the special relationship between the mother-daughter duo Diane and Kate, who are also best friends. Their lives are turned upside down when Diane announces her engagement to a mystery man. Directed by Annette Haywood-Carter, the movie is written by Karen Bloch Morse. Summer Crockett Moore, Tony Glazer, Julie Yorn, and Patrick Walmsley serve as producers.

Daughter of the Bride stars Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River), Halston Sage (The Orville), Andrew Richardson (A Call to Spy), and Aidan Quinn (Elementary).

The movie was shot primarily in Cranford, at The Cranford Hotel and Perrotti's Quality Meats. Additional scenes were filmed at The Legacy Castle in Pompton Plains, The Crystal Plaza in Livingston, Roessner Field in Springfield, Elizabeth Johns Bridal Couture in Morristown, and at various locations in Montclair, Montville and Roselle Park.

MarVista Entertainment, the production company, reported hiring over 160 cast and crew members and 317 extras for the filming of Daughter of the Bride, spending approximately $4 million in New Jersey for labor, goods, and services. The movie can be seen in select theatres—including Center Cinemas in Rutherford—on digital HD, and On Demand.

“These movies reflect the diverse types of projects we are attracting to New Jersey, ranging from studio blockbusters to independent features. They create thousands of jobs for our residents and patronize countless businesses across the state,” said Secretary of State Tahesha Way.

The New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program, enacted in 2018, has proven to be hugely successful. High-profile productions recently attracted to the state include Zach Braff’s A Good Person starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman, Sony Pictures’ Dumb Money with Seth Rogen and Pete Davidson, Yale Entertainment’s The Kill Room featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman, and AMC’s six-part series The Walking Dead: Dead City, all set to be released later this year.

“2022 was an outstanding year for film and television production in New Jersey,” according to Michael Uslan, Chairman of the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. “Hundreds of projects were filmed here, enhancing the economy by over $650 million. And we are extremely proud that four NJ made features premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival this month, including Birth/Rebirth, Eileen, Cat Person and The Persian Version. That is a testament to our outstanding success in bringing production here.”

About the New Jersey Motion Picture & Television Commission
The NJMPTVC, which falls under the New Jersey Department of State’s Business Action Center, is staffed by industry professionals and serves as a resource for production companies. The Commission promotes film and television production in New Jersey.

 


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