2021 is expected to be the biggest year for film in North Carolina history, with Wilmington leading the way. We are so excited to see all of the different productions taking place in Wilmington and the surrounding cities. 2012 was the last big year for film in NC when the production “Iron Man 3” brought $337 million to town. This year the film industry will be even better with spending predictions well over that of 2012.
Projections for this Year
Gov. Roy Cooper announced recently that the film industry is expected to bring in $409 million to the state this year. If this turns out to be true, this will be the best year on record in production spending. This year alone 72 projects have completed “intent to film” forms in NC. 18 of which have been approved for the grant program that gives certain productions financial rebates for expenses. Many of these productions are to take place in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender Counties.
Implications for the Area
These productions are responsible for providing over 20,000 jobs to those in the film industry this year. With an estimated $331 million expected to be direct in-state spending, many believe we will far surpass that number.
Gov. Cooper along with many other officials have discussed implementing workforce training, education and diversity initiatives as a way to grow the state’s film industry. This is all great news for the local economy and will hopefully encourage more productions in the future.
What you Can Expect to See
Productions in the state currently consist of 30 local films, 5 feature films, 4 television series, 3 streaming series, 5 TV streaming productions, 2 reality shows and 17 travel shows.
Currently filming in Wilmington is “Florida Man”, a Netflix series starring Jason Bateman and Edgar Ramirez, and “Our Kind of People”, a FOX series about a single mom’s hair care line. Some that finished production earlier this year include Netflix film “Along for the Ride,” Starz series “Hightown,” Blumhouse thrillers “The Black Phone” and “I.S.S,” and FOX’s “Welcome to Flatch”
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