Film and television shot/produced in Wilmington, North Carolina, are usually independent and/or low-budget films, mainly due to Wilmington being relatively more affordable than other cities to film in. Other reasons for Wilmington's appeal include its local university (UNCW), its location on the coast, the presence of many historic buildings/sites, and vast swamps and waterways outside of Wilmington. [1] It has remained the largest film and television production area in North Carolina since the 1980s, when the first major productions started to be made in the region. [2]
Producer Dino De Laurentiis first came to Wilmington to film Firestarter , which was released in 1984. [3] He would later create De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG), build a studio complex (operated by a subsidiary called the North Carolina Film Corporation [4] ), and found its headquarters in Wilmington; the film studio began releasing films in 1986. After it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1989, most of the company as well as its studio complex in Wilmington was sold to Carolco Pictures. [5] The company would later declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy and the same studio complex was sold to EUE/Screen Gems in 1996. [6] [7]
In 2013, Marvel Studios' Iron Man 3 was released to theaters; some places used in the film were the Port of Wilmington, Cape Fear River, and New Hanover Regional Medical Center. It remains the largest film to be shot in Wilmington and North Carolina. [8] [9] In the mid- to late-2010s, the city's film industry slowed due to the North Carolina General Assembly not extending pre-2014 film incentives and Governor Pat McCrory signing the controversial House Bill 2 (HB2) in 2017. [10] [11] Most of the business went to other major cities, including Atlanta, Georgia, where EUE/Screen Gems also had a studio complex. [12] [13] [14] [15]
Around the early 2020s—after the COVID-19 lockdowns, repeal of HB2, and changes to state film incentives—filming in the area began to increase again, with 2021 being the industry's biggest year to date, breaking the previous record set in 2012. [11] [16] [17] [18] 2021 was also the biggest year for the whole film industry at large in the state of North Carolina. [18] In 2022, Dark Horse Studios, which became Wilmington's second film studio in 2020, planned a 20 million dollar expansion to their studio complex in Wilmington, set to be complete in 2024. [19] [20] [21] On September 27, 2023, Cinespace Studios announced it had purchased two EUE/Screen Gems Studios locations in Wilmington and Atlanta. [22]
As of 2020, 138 films and 162 television shows/series have been shot/produced in the city. [3] Wilmington has been many nicknames refencing its film industry, including "Wilmywood" and "Hollywood of the East" or "Hollywood East". [23] [24]
Feature-length films released between 1984 and 2024. [25]
Television shows/series and TV movies released between 1988 and 2024. (Excludes news stories, documentaries, or television shows that filmed a single episode in Wilmington; only notable TV movies are listed below.) [99]
Brunswick County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the southernmost county in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 136,693. Its population was only 73,143 in 2000, making it one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. With a nominal growth rate of approximately 47% in ten years, much of the growth is centered in the eastern section of the county in the suburbs of Wilmington such as Leland, Belville and Southport. The county seat is Bolivia, which at a population of around 150 people is among the least populous county seats in the state.
Southport is a city in Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Its population was 3,971 as of the 2020 census. The current mayor, Rich Alt, was elected to a two-year term in November 2023.
Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth-most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the principal city of the Wilmington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender counties. Its metropolitan statistical area had an estimated population of 467,337 in 2023.
WWAY is a television station in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, affiliated with ABC, CBS, and The CW Plus. Owned by Morris Multimedia, the station has studios on Magnolia Village Way in Leland, and its transmitter is located west of Winnabow in Town Creek Township.
Wilmington International Airport is a public airport located just north of Wilmington, North Carolina, in unincorporated Wrightsboro. ILM covers 1,800 acres.
Figure Eight Island is a barrier island in the U.S. state of North Carolina, just north of Wrightsville Beach, widely known as an affluent summer colony and vacation destination. The island is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Area, and lies between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. As a private island, Figure Eight can only be reached by boat or via a guarded causeway swing bridge—the only private bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in the American Southeast.
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) was an entertainment production company and distribution studio founded by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. The company is notable for producing Manhunter, Blue Velvet, the horror films Near Dark and Evil Dead II, King Kong Lives, and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, as well as distributing The Transformers: The Movie.
EUE/Screen Gems Ltd. is an American film and television studio that owns and operates facilities in Miami, Florida. The company collaborates with other studios and producers for the development, production, marketing, and distribution of entertainment for feature film, television, and digital content.
The North Carolina Film Office, originally called the North Carolina Film Commission, is a member of the Association of Film Commissioners International.
Firestarter is a 1984 American science fiction thriller horror film based on Stephen King's 1980 novel of the same name. The plot concerns a girl who develops pyrokinesis and the secret government agency known as The Shop which seeks to control her. The film was directed by Mark L. Lester, and stars David Keith, Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen and George C. Scott. Firestarter was shot in and around Wilmington, Chimney Rock, and Lake Lure, North Carolina.
The Orton Plantation is a historic plantation house in the Smithville Township of Brunswick County, North Carolina, United States. Located beside the Cape Fear River between Wilmington and Southport, Orton Plantation is considered to be a near-perfect example of Southern antebellum architecture. Built in 1735 by the co-founder of Brunswick Town, Colonel Maurice Moore, the Orton Plantation house is one of the oldest structures in Brunswick County. During its history Orton Plantation has been attacked by Native Americans, used as a military hospital, and been home to lawyers, physicians, military leaders, and a Colonial governor.
Good Behavior is an American drama television series based on the novel of the same name by Blake Crouch. The series stars Michelle Dockery as Leticia "Letty" Raines, a professional thief who becomes involved with a hitman named Javier Pereira, played by Juan Diego Botto.
The Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, commonly known as House Bill 2 or HB2, was a North Carolina statute passed in March 2016 and signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory. The bill amended state law to preempt any anti-discrimination ordinances passed by local communities and, controversially, compelled schools and state and local government facilities containing single-gender bathrooms to only allow people of the corresponding sex as listed on their birth certificate to use them; it also gave the state exclusive rights to determine the minimum wage.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, United States.
Cinespace Film Studios is a series of film studio facilities in the US and Canada, founded in 1988 by Greek-Canadian Nick Mirkopoulos. The studios began with a facility in Vaughan, that had been in operation since the 1960s. Current studios include facilities in Toronto; a branch in Chicago, founded in 2007 with Mirkopoulos's nephew Alex Pissios; and facilities in Atlanta and Wilmington, NC acquired in 2023 from EUE/Screen Gems. In 2022 TPG Real Estate Partners acquired the facilities of Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam-Babelsberg and merged those into Cinespace
Heart of the Country is a 2013 American drama film written and directed by John Ward and starring Jana Kramer and Gerald McRaney. When a wealthy New York socialites’ world is in upheaval, she’ll need to lean on the family and southern roots she left long ago. It is based on a novel by Ward and Rene Gutteridge.
Brenden Jones is an American politician and entrepreneur from the state of North Carolina. He is a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the Republican Party, representing the 46th district. He was first elected in November 2016.
Halloween Kills is a 2021 American slasher film directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems. It is the sequel to 2018's Halloween and the twelfth installment in the Halloween franchise. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, and Will Patton. The film begins on the same night where the previous film ended with James Jude Courtney reprising his role as Michael Myers whose presence has become apparent to the residents of Haddonfield.
The Cucalorus Film Festival is a film festival held annually in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is one of the largest film festivals in the U.S. South and recognized as a destination film festival for indie filmmakers. MovieMaker magazine recognizes it as "one of the coolest film festivals in the world", and "one of 50 film festivals worth the entry fee". The Brooks Institute named it one of the top ten film festivals in the nation.
The Wilmington Journal is a newspaper in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is North Carolina's oldest existing newspaper for African Americans. R. S. Jervay established the paper in 1927. It continued under his son Thomas C. Jervay Sr.