Sartaj Singh
Directed by Rusty Cundieff, ‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ revolves around Layla (Christina Milian) as she rushes across New York City to get tickets to the sold-out Pentatonix Christmas Eve Concert for a chance at her fairytale romance. While waiting at an airport on Christmas Eve due to canceled and delayed flights, Layla is approached by James (Kofi Siriboe), who seems like the man of her dreams. The two make a deal to meet once again the following Christmas at the Pentatonix concert.
However, as the date finally approaches, Layla discovers that tickets for the concert are already sold out. As a result, she enlists the help of a professional, Teddy (Devale Ellis), to help procure some. As the two race against time with only a few days remaining, they find themselves developing feelings for one another. The Netflix holiday movie takes us across the streets of New York as they are lit up during the festive season, creating a vibrant background for Layla’s city-spanning adventure.
Where Was Meet Me Next Christmas Filmed?
Filming for ‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ took place in Toronto, Ontario. Principal photography reportedly took place between March 27, 2023, and May 1 of the same year. Although no filming was carried out in New York City, New York, the movie features establishing shots of the city that frame its iconic skyline, which includes recognizable structures like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. The cast members seem to really enjoy filming in Toronto and praise the city as a great destination, with lead actress Christina Milian calling it a fulfilling location to work in.
Toronto, Ontario
The city of Toronto in the province of Ontario stood in for New York City in ‘Meet Me Next Christmas.’ The production team behind the Netflix movie conducted filming on location as well as with the help of a movie studio. They were observed filming around the Downtown Toronto Entertainment District within Old Toronto. For each section of the street they shot in, the team dusted it with faux snow and adorned it with festive lighting and decor. When Layla rushes across a sidewalk and meets a man dressed as Santa Claus, the Royal Alexandra Theatre can be seen in the background. Located on 260 King Street West, the theatre’s exterior area and its marquee on King Street West are featured in ‘Meet Me Next Christmas,’ portraying a part of downtown New York City.
The Royal Alexandra Theatre holds substantial historical significance and is recognized as the oldest continuously operating theatre on the North American continent. Despite shooting in the summer, Milian felt cold while filming on location in the city, and her winter wardrobe would have served as a welcome respite. For creating interior locations, the team made use of Netflix’s leased soundstages in Cinespace Studios Toronto, which include Cinespace Marine Terminal Studio. Cinespace Studios Toronto has three campuses with 29 sound stages in the city, spread out over 1.4 million square feet. Among them, Netflix has leased four sound stages in Cinespace Marine Terminal Studio on 8 Unwin Avenue, where filming for ‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ took place.
The studio gets its name from being constructed in a former marine terminal, and each of its four sound stages spans over 25,000 square feet, allowing filmmakers to bring their projects to life in a controlled environment. The production team behind ‘Meet Me Next Christmas’ used the studio’s advanced facilities to create some of New York City’s interior venues. Cinespace Studios leased the space to Netflix in 2019, and it has also leased soundstages from Pinewood Toronto, pointing to a trend of the streaming giant’s expansion of production facilities in the film hub of Toronto.
“Netflix has made an auspicious choice for its new production hub, and the Cinespace family welcomes them,” then-CEO of Cinespace, Steve Mirkopoulos, told Netflix. “We are especially gratified to be creating a new inventory of studio and support space for Netflix to fill with new production volumes and new jobs, while they capitalize on both Cinespace’s 30-year track record of success and Toronto’s longstanding position as a global leader in film and TV production.” Cinespace Marine Terminal Studio has also served as a shooting location for movies and shows like Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Resident Evil: Retribution,’ ‘Pompeii,’ and ‘Beauty & the Beast.’
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