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 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]
Around the early 2020s, after the
COVID-19 lockdowns, repeal of HB2, and changes to the 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
Feature-length films released between 1984 and 2024.[25]
Title
Director(s)
Producer(s) / Executive producer(s)
Production company(ies) (* = Distributor / ** = International distributor)
Genre
Year
Notes
20 Funerals
Anghus Houvouras
Dan Edgell, David Eubanks, James Register, Eric Tomosunas
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]
Title
Director(s) (
at time)
Producer(s) / Executive producer(s) (
at time)
Production company(ies) / Broadcasting company(ies) (
at time) (* = Distributor)
^Pillsbury, Sam (November 27, 2001),
Morgan's Ferry (Crime, Drama), Morgan's Ferry Productions LLC, Oregon Trail Films Ltd., Platform Entertainment, retrieved June 2, 2022
^Pavia, Mark (February 6, 1998),
The Night Flier (Fantasy, Horror, Mystery), New Amsterdam Entertainment, Stardust International, Medusa Film, retrieved June 2, 2022
^Chappelle, Joe (March 15, 2000),
Takedown (Biography, Crime, Drama), Dimension Films, Millennium Films, Hacker Productions, retrieved June 2, 2022
^Oblowitz, Michael (July 11, 1997),
This World, Then the Fireworks (Crime, Drama), Balzac's Shirt, JVC Entertainment Networks, Largo Entertainment, retrieved June 2, 2022
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 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]
Around the early 2020s, after the
COVID-19 lockdowns, repeal of HB2, and changes to the 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
Feature-length films released between 1984 and 2024.[25]
Title
Director(s)
Producer(s) / Executive producer(s)
Production company(ies) (* = Distributor / ** = International distributor)
Genre
Year
Notes
20 Funerals
Anghus Houvouras
Dan Edgell, David Eubanks, James Register, Eric Tomosunas
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]
Title
Director(s) (
at time)
Producer(s) / Executive producer(s) (
at time)
Production company(ies) / Broadcasting company(ies) (
at time) (* = Distributor)
^Pillsbury, Sam (November 27, 2001),
Morgan's Ferry (Crime, Drama), Morgan's Ferry Productions LLC, Oregon Trail Films Ltd., Platform Entertainment, retrieved June 2, 2022
^Pavia, Mark (February 6, 1998),
The Night Flier (Fantasy, Horror, Mystery), New Amsterdam Entertainment, Stardust International, Medusa Film, retrieved June 2, 2022
^Chappelle, Joe (March 15, 2000),
Takedown (Biography, Crime, Drama), Dimension Films, Millennium Films, Hacker Productions, retrieved June 2, 2022
^Oblowitz, Michael (July 11, 1997),
This World, Then the Fireworks (Crime, Drama), Balzac's Shirt, JVC Entertainment Networks, Largo Entertainment, retrieved June 2, 2022