It has been 25 years since ‘Firestarter’ changed Wilmington. Back in 1984 when Drew Barrymore starred as a girl who started fires with her mental powers, a USA Today film critic commented that the movie had “gaping plot holes” and “a parade of badly directed performances.” The film wasn’t a top contender for an Oscar. But for this area, and perhaps all of North Carolina, “Firestarter,” was a history changing movie. Firestarter was not a huge critical or commercial success but the money saved on the location made an impression on its studio.
Back then in 1983, the population of Wilmington was less than 44,000 and the idea of making a movie here was pretty much unheard of. When filming began the curious local population showed up en mass on the location shoots to find out what the fuss was all about.
Back then no one here really knew what a key grip, gaffer or best boy was. How different it all is now just 25 years later!
These days Wilmington has a host of puesdonims like Hollywood East and Wilmywood and the list of television and feature films shot here numbers over 325.
Nowadays in Wilmington, you’ll be hard pressed to walk up to any local on the street who hasn’t either been in a movie, doesn’t know someone who has or hasn’t had the film industry touch their life in some way.
In the years since “Firestarter,” we have gained a top notch film studio, EUE/Screen Gems, which bought the facility from Carolco Studios (originally Dino DeLaurentiis’ old DEG Studios property). This studio is the largest east of California – and growing. In late May, “Dream Stage 10” will open here with a size of 37,500-square-foot. This will be the third largest soundstage in the country housing the largest and deepest special effects water tank in all of North America.
Some of the feature films and TV series shot in the Wilmington area include: Blue Velvet, The Butcher’s Wife, The Crow, Dawson’s Creek, Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Empire Records, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Matlock, One Tree Hill. Sleeping With The Enemy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Road To Wellville, The Secret Life Of Bees, Weeds, Crimes of The Heart, Weekend at Bernies, Amos and Andrew, Domestic Disturbance and A Walk To Remember.
Current running and upcoming Tv series being shot here include: Eastbound & Down (HBO), Little Brittain USA (HBO) and Provinces of Night starring Hilary Duff
