Movies and Television Filmed in Wilmington
Cinespace Studios acquired the EUE/Screen Gems Studios complex in Wilmington, North Carolina from the Cooney family in 2023. One of the largest sound stage and facilities operators in the world, Cinespace offers 109 active stages in Wilmington, Atlanta, Chicago, Toronto, and Studio Babelsberg in Germany – including a mix of state-of-the-art, heritage, and purpose-built stages.
In 1984, famed film producer Dino DeLaurentiis built Wilmington NC’s movie studio now known as Cinespace Wilmington. Since then, more than four hundred (400) film, television and commercial projects have been produced here. The quality and volume of the productions have earned Wilmington the monikers, Hollywood East and Wilmywood.
Cinespace Wilmington maintains tremendous capacity to produce award-winning movies and television including ten state-of-the-art stages and a vast array of production equipment. The 50-acre full-service studio is one of the top filming facilities in the United States. The studio has attracted and developed a world-class film crew who enjoy living in Wilmington and The Beaches.
View the Cinespace Wilmington Studios location images and video clips overview here. It’s ten column-free stages and turn-key production offices are illustrated on the campus map.
Tours. Cinespace Wilmington does not provide tours of the studio at this time.
For film and television fans, BackroadPlanet.com has produced a summary of Wilmington film and television scene locations you can follow on your own self-guided tour.
Wilmington Bike & Brew Tours offers E-Bike One Tree Hill tours, Dawson’s Creek tours, and other Wilmywood production destinations.
Hollywood Location Walk offers a guided tour to various locations used in some of the 500+ credited feature film & TV shows shot in downtown Wilmington.
The Wilmington Regional Film Commission website contains locally produced film and television history as well our studio, crew and industry capabilities. This is an excellent resource for movie and television buffs and production companies.
Wilmington’s Film History
The history of the film industry in Wilmington, North Carolina began in the 1980s when famed film producer Dino DeLaurentiis built Wilmington’s first movie studio, now known as Cinespace Wilmington. DeLaurentiis, who had been looking for a location to build a studio outside of Hollywood, was drawn to Wilmington’s coastal setting and proximity to major cities such as New York and Washington D.C.
The studio, which originally opened as DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) Studios in 1984, quickly became a popular location for film and television productions. Some of the early productions filmed at the studio included “Firestarter,” “Blue City,” and “Maximum Overdrive.” The studio also played host to a number of popular TV shows, including “Dynasty” and “Matlock.”
In the 1990s, the studio was sold to EUE / Screen Gems and underwent a major expansion and renovation. The expansion included the addition of sound stages, editing suites, and other production facilities, making the studio one of the most advanced and well-equipped in the country.
During this time, Frank Capra Jr. moved to Wilmington to head the studio. Under his leadership, the studio attracted a number of high-profile productions, including “Dawson’s Creek,” “One Tree Hill,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III” and “Black Knight.” Capra Jr. also helped establish the North Carolina Film Office, which works to attract film and television production to the state.
In 2023, the Cooney family sold EUE / Screen Gems Studios to internationally acclaimed Cinespace Studios and it continues to operate under that name today.
© Brownie Harris
EUE / Screen Gems Studios former president Frank Capra, Jr. on the backlot in 1997.
In the 2000s, Wilmington continued to solidify its reputation as a film-friendly city and became a go-to destination for a variety of productions. The studio hosted many successful TV series such as “Dawson’s Creek,””One Tree Hill,” “Sleepy Hollow,” “Eastbound & Down,” “Under the Dome” and “Iron Fist.” The studio also served as a location for several films, including “Superhero Movie,” “The Conjuring,” and “We’re the Millers.”
In recent years, Wilmington has continued to be a popular location for film and television productions. The state and city’s film incentives, talented crew base and infrastructure continue to attract productions. Some of the productions filmed in Wilmington include “Swamp Thing,” “The Conjuring 3,” “The Longest Ride,” and “The Inspectors.” The studio also has hosted a number of popular TV shows such as “SIX” and “The Terror: Infamy.”
Today, Cinespace Wilmington is considered one of the top film and television production studios in the country, and Wilmington has become a hub for the film industry in North Carolina. The city’s rich history, diverse locations, and experienced crew base continue to attract productions of all types. The industry has also had a positive impact on the local economy, creating jobs and boosting tourism.
In summary, the film industry in Wilmington, North Carolina began in the 1980s with the establishment of DeLaurentiis Entertainment Group Studios by Dino DeLaurentiis. The studio quickly became a popular location for film and television productions, and under the leadership of Frank Capra Jr. in the 90s, Wilmington solidified its reputation as a film-friendly city. Today, the studio is run by Cinespace Studios’ well known entertainment executives and is considered one of the top film and television production centers in the United States.
Movies Filmed in Wilmington NC
The following movies, television shows and series were shot in the Wilmington area. Many were filmed at Cinespace Wilmington and its predecessors.
MOVIES
Along For The Ride
Breakwater
One True Loves
Halloween Kills
The Georgetown Project
Drought
Uncle Frank
Words On Bathroom Walls
Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland
The Choice
The Longest Ride
The Sin Seer
Max Steel
The Squeeze
Tammy
The Remaining
Iron Man 3
The Conjuring
Heart of the Country
Jessabelle
Mary & Martha
Safe Haven
Where the Devil Hides
We’re The Millers
Stuck in Love
Piranha 3DD
Hick
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Arthur Newman, Golf Pro
The Conjuring
The Bleeding
A Good Old Fashioned
The Secret Life of Bees
Bolden!
Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever
The Marc Pease Experience
Nights in Rodanthe
The 27 Club
Hounddog
The List
Remember the Daze
Wreckage
Dead Heist
Forgiven
Two Tickets to Paradise
White Men Can’t Dance
Idlewild
Loggerheads
RedMeansGo
Southern Belles
Black Knight
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
Domestic Disturbance
The Last Summer
Off Season
A Touch of Fate
A Walk to Remember
The Angel Doll
The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Summer Catch
28 Days
New Best Friend
The Pavilion
The Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland
Black Dog
Bruno
Morgan’s Ferry
Muppets from Space
A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries
Takedown
The Cutoff
Dreams and Wishes
Enchanted
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Shadrach
Virus
Waterproof
Bloodmoon
The Jackal
The Night Flier
This World, Then the Fireworks
Traveller
The Grave
Kyoko
Lolita
My Teacher’s Wife
To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
Empire Records
Fall Time
Once Upon a Time… When We Were Colored
The Road to Wellville
Chasers
The Crow
Horror Story
The Hudsucker Proxy
It Runs in the Family
Radioland Murders
Amos & Andrew
Household Saints
Super Mario Bros.
Billy Bathgate
Sleeping With The Enemy (scenes)
Betsy’s Wedding
Everybody Wins
The Exorcist III
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Tune in Tomorrow…
Cyborg
Dream a Little Dream
Little Monsters
Loose Cannons
Weekend at Bernie’s
Collision Course
Date with an Angel
Dracula’s Widow
Hiding Out
Track 29
Traxx
Weeds
The Bedroom Window
Crimes of the Heart
No Mercy
From the Hip
King Kong Lives
The Squeeze
Trick or Treat
Blue Velvet
Manhunter
Marie
Maximum Overdrive
Raw Deal
Silver Bullet
Year of the Dragon
TELEVISION / SERIES
Our Kind of People (season 1)
The Summer I Turned Pretty (season 1)
George & Tammy
Christmas in Harmony
Line Sisters
Echoes
Florida Man
The Summer I Turned Pretty
One Summer
Our Kind Of People (season 1)
Flatch (season 1)
USS Christmas
Hightown (season 2)
Reprisal (pilot)
Swamp Thing (pilot & season 1)
Good Behavior (season 1)
Six (season 1)
Good Behavior (pilot)
Under the Dome (season 3)
Sleepy Hollow (season 2)
Under the Dome (season 2)
Secrets and Lies (season 1)
Secrets and Lies (pilot)
Red Zone (pilot)
How and Why (pilot)
Christmas in Conway
Sleepy Hollow (season 1)
Eastbound & Down (season 4)
Under the Dome (season 1)
Revolution (season 1)
Eastbound & Down (season 3)
Revolution (pilot)
Witches of East End (pilot)
Hornet’s Nest
A Smile As Big As The Moon
One Tree Hill (season 9)
Eastbound & Down (season 3)
Home & Away
Hart of Dixie (pilot)
Revenge (pilot)
Teen Spirit
A Cinderella Story
Playing With Guns (pilot 2)
One Tree Hill (season 8)
Swamp Loggers (season 3)
Teen Mom 2
One Tree Hill (season 8)
Eastbound & Down (season 2 – 1 episode)
Swamp Loggers (seasons 2 & 3)
Playing With Guns (pilot 1)
Gimme Shelter (pilot)
One Tree Hill (season 7)
Teen Mom 2
One Tree Hill (season 6)
Swamp Loggers (season 1)
Eastbound & Down (season 1)
Little Britain USA
One Tree Hill (season 5)
Eastbound & Down (pilot)
One Tree Hill (season 4)
IQ-145
Madison Rose (pilot)
One Tree Hill (season 3)
Surface
Ghost Stories
One Tree Hill (season 2)
History Channel’s Days That Shook the World
One Tree Hill (season 1)
The Water Is Wide
HGTV’s Building Character
Dawson’s Creek (season 6)
One Tree Hill (pilot)
Dawson’s Creek (season 5)
The Locket
Dawson’s Creek (season 4)
Going to California
Amy & Isabelle
Dawson’s Creek (season 3)
MTV’s Fear
Inspirational Channel
Outdoor Channel
The Runaway
Southern Living Presents
The Color of Love: Jacey’s Story
Dawson’s Creek (season 2)
Freedom Song
The Snooker Report
C15: The New Professionals
CNN News
Dawson’s Creek (season 1)
Funny Valentines
Glory, Glory (pilot)
Holy Joe
MTV News
Ambushed
Dawson’s Creek (pilot)
Miracle in the Woods
Nathan Dixon
Ruby Bridges
The Wedding
What the Deaf Man Heard
Any Place But Home
Bastard Out of Carolina
Battleship
Buried Alive II
The Crying Child
A Different Kind of Christmas
The Ditchdigger’s Daughters
A Kiss So Deadly
Love’s Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder
The Member of the Wedding
Morning Glory
Never Give Up: The Jimmy V Story
Perfect Crime
The Perfect Daughter
Ralph Emery on the Record
Something Borrowed, Something Blue
A Step Toward Tomorrow
The Stepford Husbands
The Summer of Ben Tyler
The Three Lives of Karen
Timepiece
To Dance with Olivia
Unsolved Mysteries
The Almost Perfect Bank Robbery
American Gothic
Andersonville (reshoots)
Blue River
A Brother’s Promise: The Dan Jansen Story
Dare to Love
The Face on the Milk Carton
Gramps
Her Deadly Rival
Inflammable
Kiss and Tell
A Mother’s Instinct
Murderous Intent
One Christmas
The Sister-in-Law
Sophie & the Moonhanger
Stolen Memories: Secrets from the Rose Garden
Sweet Justice
Twilight Man
Against Her Will: The Carrie Buck Story
A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story
Justice in a Small Town
Matlock (season 8)
Matlock (season 9)
The Road Home
Search for Grace
Star Struck
Touched by an Angel (pilot)
The Birds II: Land’s End
In the Best of Families: Marriage, Pride & Madness
Labor of Love: The Arlette Schweitzer Story
Linda
Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage
The Lovejoy Mysteries: The Lost Colony
Matlock (season 7)
Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics
Woman on the Run: The Lawrencia Bembenek Story
The American Experience: Simple Justice
Mayberry Reunion
Stompin’ at the Savoy
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
Black Magic
Day-O
Golden Years
In a Child’s Name
Night of the Hunter
T Bone N Weasel
Spies
Movie Making Careers
The University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Cape Fear Community College have film studies and movie and video production programs.
Wilmington NC Ranked Second Best Place to Live and Work as a MovieMaker in Smaller Cities and
Towns by MovieMaker Magazine (2023).
Cucalorus Film Festival. The Cucalorus Film Festival, a vibrant celebration of independent cinema, offers a unique experience for filmmakers of all levels. This annual event, held in the heart of Wilmington, North Carolina, provides a platform for emerging talent to showcase their work, connect with industry professionals, and immerse themselves in a creative community.