Sep 27, 2022
Cinespace selected through Request for Proposal Process to develop PortsToronto’s Second Marine Terminal Building
TORONTO — Cinespace Studios (Cinespace), a global platform of production facilities, announced today the expansion of its Marine Terminal Studio Hub with the signing of a second long-term lease with PortsToronto. The lease comes at the conclusion of an open, multi-year Request for Interest (RFI) process and a subsequent Request for Proposal process that commenced in 2019. Located in Toronto’s Port Lands, the redevelopment of Marine Terminal 52 will create three production stages and support spaces totaling 130,000 square feet to welcome world-class productions in 2023. Global architecture, design and planning firm Gensler has been selected to design the studio.
Cinespace is the largest studio facility in Toronto with 1.3 million square feet of production space totaling 25 stages over three sites. This upcoming expansion in the heart of the city’s Studio District follows Cinespace’s successful development of Marine Terminal 51, which currently hosts Netflix’s production hub and was recently the home to Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley. The redevelopment of the site will create over 300 new jobs in Toronto and continues to support the infrastructure in Ontario that generates more than 48,000 jobs per year and $2.88B in direct spend.
“We are proud to continue our investment in Toronto that started over 30 years ago. It’s a privilege to partner with PortsToronto again and be selected to develop Terminal 52 into a second facility that will meet the increased demand for production infrastructure,” said Ashley Rice, President and Co-Managing Partner, Cinespace Studios. “The Marine Terminal Studio Hub is an integral part of the Port Lands’ revitalization and its future as a creative center for the city and the province.”
“Our goal for this development was to identify opportunities to develop the existing land and deliver maximum benefit in the area, including greater support for the growing employment district that has emerged in the Port Lands. Cinespace Studios’ development allow for the area to remain consistent with the activities of a successful and operational port, as this remains PortsToronto’s single priority in the area given the economic impact of the port for both commercial shipping and cruise ship operations,” said RJ Steenstra, President and Chief Executive Officer, PortsToronto.
Cinespace Toronto is home to productions that include AMC Networks’ upcoming Beacon 23, WBTV’s Titans, MGM TV/Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Sony Pictures TV’s Accused, MGM’s Flint Strong, UCP’s The Umbrella Academy and Netflix’s upcoming collection of sinister stories Cabinet of Curiosities.
About PortsToronto
For more than 100 years PortsToronto has worked with its partners at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to enhance the economic growth of the City of Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which welcomed approximately 2.8 million passengers in 2019; the Outer Harbour Marina, one of Canada’s largest freshwater marinas; and, Marine Terminal 52, which provides transportation, distribution, storage and container services to businesses at the Port of Toronto. PortsToronto is committed to fostering strong, healthy and sustainable communities and has invested more than $12 million since 2009 in charitable initiatives and environmental programs that benefit communities along Toronto’s waterfront and beyond. PortsToronto operates in accordance with the Canada Marine Act and is guided by a board with representation from all three levels of government.