WILMINGTON — A large film studio is on the market only six years after opening its doors.
Dark Horse Stages, located at 301 Harley Road, is listed for sale by commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates, a firm doing business in Raleigh, Durham and Wilmington.
The listing notes the property as fully built out, with 128,215 square feet of warehouse, flex and office space on 11.51 acres. The property includes four large warehouse buildings, which Dark Horse used as sound stages, flex spaces and more than 500 parking spaces.
The post does not include a sale price, noting the property is subject to offers. Owner Kirk Englebright did not return Port City Daily’s request for comment on why he is selling the property, if he hopes it will continue to be used as a film studio and if he is exiting the film industry altogether.
READ MORE: Inside the NC film incentive fallout, according to state leaders
Englebright and his partner, Rodney Long, purchased the property in 2019 for $4.8 million; a former Coastal Beverage Company facility, which previously had only one 90,000-square foot warehouse.
Englebright told Port City Daily in 2022 his original intention was to lease the space out to other retail businesses until Covid-19 hit; he said Hollywood then reached out to utilize the space as a film studio.
Then in 2023, Dark Horse announced a $20-million investment in two new sound stages. According to New Hanover County tax records, the property is valued at $12.8 million in 2026.
The land is currently zoned for industrial use, but a new property owner could apply to the City of Wilmington for a rezoning. The listing indicates the property could be subdivided into different parcels.
Russell Stewart, the listing agent for the property and vice president of Lee & Associates, told Port City Daily he was unable to answer Port City Daily’s request for more information, including how long the property has been up for sale.
The listing comes amid high uncertainty how the film industry will move forward in the state of North Carolina. There is a pause on new productions taking advantage of the film incentive, which is allocated $31-million annually from the state legislature. While some of the annual allocations rolled over into surplus funds in the last few years due to Covid-19 and strike slowdowns, the state has spent down that surplus and is at capacity for new grants. It has obligated the next three fiscal years of funding to productions that have already wrapped in the state and would need permission from state legislatures to make new grants.
Since, several productions have announced they will move to other states. Without additional money to the incentive, other productions that use Dark Horse, along with the other major Wilmington studio Cinespace, are expected to follow suit.
It is unclear whether the sale of Dark Horse is connected.
Englebright told Port City Daily last month: “We’ve got a lot at stake. We’ve got a lot of money in this — tens and tens of millions of dollars. We have thousands of hours invested in this … it is a sad and scary reality that it could come to a close, which is completely out of our power.”
He has been advocating to state leaders, discussing ways to unpause the program and allow for new grants to be made. Englebright hosted legislators at Dark Horse Stages last year and told Port City Daily in August he was hoping to set up a meeting with state leaders again to discuss an incentive solution. Last week, he was part of a roundtable with Gov. Josh Stein and Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley at Cinespace, as well as local leaders like Mayor Bill Saffo.
To Port City Daily, Englebright said “not a single project” at Dark Horse would have come to the studio if not for the film incentive. It has been used by many productions in recent years, including Showtime’s “George and Tammy,” Netflix’s “Florida Man,” the feature film “Merv,” starring Zooey Deschanel, and a Mr. Beast production.
Englebright added he would have a hard time shifting his business model to commercial work if the incentive program remains paused, with most commercial work concentrated in Charlotte.
“We would have to have a significant amount of commercials coming in with very heavy budgets,” he said.
When asked if he had any mitigation plans for a continued pause on new film grants, Englebright said he did but couldn’t disclose publicly at the time.
At Port City Daily, we aim to keep locals informed on top-of-mind news facing the tri-county region. To support our work and help us reach more people in 2026, please, consider helping one of two ways: Subscribe here or make a one-time contribution here.
We appreciate your ongoing support.
