NORTH CAROLINA — The film industry brought hundreds of millions of dollars to the state in 2024, thanks to the entertainment industry rolling cameras from mountains to coast.
More than 55 productions were set up and made $302 million in purchases statewide for their projects — which included (asterisk indicates filming that took place in the greater Wilmington area):
TV/streaming series
- “100 Day Hotel Challenge” (Season One)
- “Battle on the Beach” (Season Four)*
- “Blue Ridge” (Season Two)
- “Battle on the Beach” (Season Four)*
- “The Hunting Wives” (Season One)
- “The Runarounds” (Season One)*
- “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (Season Three)*
- “The Waterfront” (Season One)*
Feature-length films
- “Apopka / Christy Martin Biopic”
- “Capsized”*
- “Deadly Intentions”*
- “Henry’s Ebb”
- “Merv”*
- “Roofman”
- “The Double”
- “The Gardener”
- “The Shot”
According to the N.C. Department of Commerce, which oversees the film grant program, the $302 million is the third highest total since 2000, when it began offering incentives to support the film industry. 2021 remains record-breaking, garnering $416 million, and before that it was 2012 bringing in $370 million.
“Since 2017, movie, television and streaming productions have invested more than $1.4 billion in the state while creating nearly 97,000 jobs for our skilled film professionals and background talent, completing the comeback and proving that North Carolina is ready for center stage,” Gov. Roy Cooper wrote in a release.
While TV series and films often are heralded for receiving 25% back on qualified expenses, commercials that spend at least $250,000 also benefit. This year it included marketing content for Kia, Lufthansa Airlines, Home Depot, and Yamaha, among others filming across the state.
Guy Gaster, director of the North Carolina Film Office, said the state continues to position itself an attractive location with a reputation of having exceptional talent and crew, diversity of locations, and a “robust” incentive.
“As we head into a new year with dozens of projects already in the pipeline, we remain dedicated to fostering an environment that strengthens our communities and drives economic growth and look forward to building upon our strong momentum,” he said in the release.
The financial assistance offered to production companies are doled out after production wraps and an audit is conducted on spending.
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