Steven Spielberg’s science fiction film “Disclosure Day,” which premiered in theaters Friday, spent an estimated $34 million in qualified production expenses while filming in New Jersey, according to the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission.

State officials said the production filmed for 23 days in New Jersey and hired more than 1,800 crew members. Filming took place in 10 municipalities across six counties, including locations in Atlantic, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex and Morris counties.

The film stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colin Firth and centers on an alien invasion of Earth. New Jersey locations were used to portray areas in Kansas, Missouri and Maryland, according to the commission.

Officials credited the state’s Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program with attracting major productions. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority said in-state film production spending reached an estimated $834 million in 2024, surpassing the previous record of $701 million set in 2022.

The state reported that 556 productions were filmed in New Jersey in 2024, employing more than 31,000 crew members.

Jon Crowley, executive director of the Motion Picture and Television Commission, said New Jersey’s mix of urban and rural locations, along with its film infrastructure and workforce, helped persuade Spielberg’s team to shoot the project in the state after it had been considering another location.

The tax credit program has also helped attract major studio investments, including planned production facilities from Netflix, 1888 Studios/Paramount Global and Lionsgate, state officials said.