Cinespace Film Studios is a group of film studio facilities in the US and Canada. It was founded in 1988 by Greek-Canadian Nick Mirkopoulos.[1] The studio started with a facility in Vaughan, a suburb of Toronto, which had been in operation since the 1960s. Current studios include facilities in Toronto, a branch in Chicago (Cinespace Chicago Film Studios) founded in 2007 with Mirkopoulos's nephew, Alex Pissios, and facilities in Atlanta and Wilmington, NC acquired in 2023 from EUE/Screen Gems. [2] In 2022, TPG Real Estate Partners acquired the Studio Babelsberg facilities in Potsdam-Babelsberg and merged them into Cinespace.[3]
Studios
Kipling Avenue Studios
The company acquired a 30 acres (0.12 km2) campus at 777 Kipling Avenue in Toronto's Etobicoke area in 2009.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
At the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival, Mayor of TorontoJohn Tory joined with Cinespace officials to announce plans to build two very large new studios on the site, with a combined footprint of 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2).[6][8][9] One of the large studios will be permanently devoted to underwater filming.
Cinespace Chicago Film Studios opened for business in 2011[1] and Alex Pissios, the president and CEO of the company, worked with his uncle, Nick Mirkopoulos, to establish the Studios in Chicago. Mirkopoulos and Pissios purchased 60 acres of the former Ryerson Steel complex in the Windy City's North Lawndale neighborhood. The Studios are the largest independent movie studios outside of Los Angeles.
The studios have continued to expand and now have 36 sound stages. Pissios and Cinespace Chicago Film Studios were featured in the December 2019 Chicago Magazine and highlighted the success and influence the studio has had on the film industry in Chicago.[11] Cinespace Chicago Film Studios, is the “Hollywood of the Midwest,” bringing more than 15,000 jobs in digital media and education opportunities to the community and region by revitalizing a depressed neighborhood.[12] Cinespace Chicago has been instrumental in infusing billions of dollars of revenue into the city and the state of Illinois.[13]
Its 70 acres (0.28 km2) campus has been the nexus for over 40 major productions used to film multiple television series and feature films, including:
Thstudioio is planned to have 36 sound stages on its 2 million square foot main campus in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhoods. Additional studios have been under construction at 31st and Kedzie. Cinespace is the largest film studio outside California. In addition to studio space, Cinespace Chicago Film Studios houses numerous production offices and support spaces as well as production tenants.
Cinespace partnered with DePaul University's film school in 2013 to house student classrooms, two interactive stages, faculty offices, lounges, and equipment vaults. Ranked in the top 25 film schools nationwide, DePaul University's School of Cinematic Arts program teaches aspiring producers and creatives about all aspects of television and film production.
^
Cynthia Reason (2010-01-15). "Fire ignites at new Cinespace location". Etobicoke Guardian. Retrieved 2018-01-03. There were no injuries reported at the three-alarm fire, and although there are no damage estimates in yet, Mirkopoulos said only a small area of the roof was primarily affected.
^
Bruce Demara (2013-03-22). "Toronto's film and television industry soars to new heights". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2018-01-03. Pinewood and Cinespace are two big reasons why Toronto's and Ontario's film and television production industry is on a roll, with two successive years of record spending, $1.28 billion in 2012, preceded by $1.26 billion in 2011 — helped by massive Hollywood productions Pacific Rim and Total Recall, respectively. It's the second year that the city and province have reclaimed the title of Hollywood North from Vancouver and B.C., which led the industry in Canada for more than a decade.
^ ab
Guy Dixon (2009-12-18). "Etobicoke plant to become film studio". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2018-01-03. Cinespace Film Studios, which provides studio and office space for films shooting in Toronto, has bought the old Consumers Glass factory in the west end. The plant was more recently owned by glass bottle and container maker Owens-Illinois and closed last year, eliminating 400 jobs.
^ ab
David Rider (2017-09-07). "Cinespace to build 2 new film studios in Etobicoke". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2018-01-03. Cinespace, home to the Hulu hit "The Handmaid's Tale", recently wrapped period drama "Reign" and many other productions, says the addition will allow concurrent filming at its Kipling Studio Campus of seven big productions, up from six. The expansion will also include a large, permanent underwater filming tank.
