The Sixth Borough will soon be home to a production complex for Lionsgate, the movie mega-giant behind popular series like the SAW franchise, the Hunger Games, and many more. The space chosen sits along the Hudson River, close to the Yonkers train station. Working with Great Point Capital Management, a known media investment firm, Lionsgate is slated to become another major anchor tenant for the foreseeable future in Yonkers. While the firm has ties to other known studios like Hallmark Entertainment, Lionsgate will maintain naming rights as a minority investor. Projected to break ground in November, its planned completion time is late 2020. 

Why New York? 

According to the New York Times, over 300 movies were filmed in New York in the last year, triple the number filmed in 1980. Coming on the heels of other major studio moves (such as Steiner Studios, Robert DeNiro’s Wildflower Studios, and Netflix soon to follow), Lionsgate and other companies have a chance to save money with cheaper shooting locations and tax credits that they can’t find out in LA. In part, this has been spurred by the growing popularity of streaming services and high demand for content. 

Lionsgate is only one of several companies to move into the area, creating new and unique construction projects as they set up their bases of operations, and more are coming. 

Lionsgate Studios (Yonkers): The Plan So Far

Less than half an hour from Midtown, this will be one of the nearest studio locations to the heart of Manhattan. In the next year, the $100 million project calls for a number of unique spaces within the full complex. This will include: 

• Three 20,000 square foot stages and two 10,000 square foot stages. 
• A full studio backlot for expansive outdoor shots and locations.

As yet there are plans to leave space for further developments, and with an industry that has made millions and created tens of thousands of jobs in the last couple years, the sky is really the limit for what Lionsgate can do with the space. 

What Will It Take to Complete This Project?

For an undertaking of this size, a single-year deadline might seem tight, and much needs to be completed for the developers and tradespersons involved in this Great Point project. 

• The five stages, for all their square footage, may represent the smallest part of the labor involved. If they’re designated as sound stages, then these open warehouse-like