Napster is backing out of its $160 million plan to develop a movie studio in Fort Lauderdale, putting the project back in the hands of its original developers.
Napster, formerly known as Infinite Reality, had signed onto a plan for an office and movie studio at the 61-acre property at 1400 Northwest 31st Avenue. But the company once known for its music sharing says the project no longer aligns with its priorities, the South Florida Business Journal reported.
The company planned a headquarters and movie studio with 100,000-square-feet of office space that would support at least 1,000 jobs. The developers planned to lease the land from the city for $1 a year for more than 50 years and pay for construction.
Napster, now an AI platform, dropped its involvement in December.
But the movie studio idea isn’t dead yet.
The Fort Lauderdale Studio Initiative, an entity created to manage the development, now controls the project, with developer Michael Ullian leading.
The city commission agreed to push the project’s deadline to the end of next year, with options to further extend it if construction was progressing. That extension allows the planners more time to finalize approvals before construction starts, a city spokesperson told the newspaper.
It’s unclear whether the city has another investor or tenant lined up.
Plans for the movie studio on the old Wingate incinerator site emerged in 2022. The property was once a Superfund site, and it housed a wasted incinerator from 1954 to 1978.
Napster signed onto the project in 2024. At the time, the city lauded the company as an innovator in digital media and AI, adding that Broward College film and media students could benefit from the studio.
The potential studio is planned to feature sound stages, production offices, a green room, a talent holding area and retail space, the newspaper reported.
— Alissa Gary
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