Twentieth Century Fox sells Baja

Studio was 'Titanic' production base

By BASHIRAH MUTTALIB

Baja Studios

Twentieth Century Fox has sold Baja Studios -- the Rosarito, Mexico, facility created to house the production of "Titanic" in 1996 -- to Baja Acquisitions for an eight-figure pricetag.

The studio ultimately became one of the industry's premier water-tank facilities.

Features such as "Master and Commander," "Pearl Harbor," "In Dreams" and "Tomorrow Never Dies" lensed at the facility, which spans more than 37 acres and boasts two outdoor water tanks (one of 17 million gallons, another of 500,000 gallons) with an uninterrupted vista of the Pacific Ocean. It also houses two indoor tanks (of 4.3 million and 400,000 gallon capacity) and has three stages of various sizes. "We had a great run of productions and memories at the facility in Baja, beginning with 'Titanic,' " said a Fox spokesman. "Taking into account our production needs and given the availability of our two other extensive production facilities in Los Angeles and in Sydney, Australia, we decided to accept this lucrative offer from local financial interests and divest our stake in the studio."