Southport and it’s’ surrounding area has been home to a lot of big movies over the years. The small town charm and unique buildings provide a wonderful background for numerous Hollywood hits.
North Carolina is the third biggest filmmaking state in the world, and the only ones ahead are California and New York.
EUE/Screen Gems Studios even has a 43-acre full-service production facility right down the road in Wilmington, NC, that offers 10 stages with 150,000 square feet of shooting space!
They claim to be the most prominent sound stage and special effects water tank east of LA and have hosted over 400 feature films, commercials, and television series — including Iron Man 3, Halloween Kills, One Tree Hill, and more.
But, back to what’s actually been filmed in Southport NC! When you watch these movies and TV shows, we can only imagine that you may have recognized some of the backdrops. Let’s start with a few of the most popular major motion pictures:“Firestarter” (1984) – Downtown Southport, Orton Plantation
“Crimes of the Heart” (1986) – Northrup House on 229 N. Caswell Avenue, Dosher Memorial Hospital, William Ezzell law office, Fort Caswell, Harrelson’s grocery store, N.C. 133 toward Southport, Masonic Lodge, Old Brunswick County Jail, Old Smithville Burying Ground, Amuzu Theater, Orton Plantation
“Lovejoy” (1986) – Bay Street, Old Smithville Burying Ground, Yacht Basin, Orton Plantation
“Weekend at Bernie’s” (1989) – Bald Head Island, American Fish Company, Cape Fear River
“Sleeping With the Enemy” (1991) – Bald Head Island
“The Butcher’s Wife” (1991) – Bald Head Island
“Spies” (1992) – Dosher Memorial Hospital, 8th Street and Caswell Avenue, Howe Street, Moore Street, Old Brunswick Inn, “Spies House” on Bay Street, waterfront off Bay Street
“Amos and Andrew” (1993) – Bald Head Island ferry landing (Southport side), Dosher Flea Market, Moore Street
“The Inkwell” (1994) – Caswell Beach, Fort Johnston, Franklin Square, Southport Community Building
“Morning Glory, SC” (1996) – Crow’s Nest Grill, Franklin Square, Moore Street, Old Brunswick Inn, Old Smithville Burying Ground, Orton Plantation
“A Mother’s Instinct” (1996) – Masonic Lodge, Nash Street
“The Perfect Daughter” (1996) – Bay Street, Dosher Memorial Hospital
“A Step Toward Tomorrow (1996) – Old Smithville Burying Ground
“The Stepford Husbands” (1996) – Brunswick County Government Center, Masonic Lodge
“This World, Then the Fireworks” (1997) – Old Smithville Burying Ground, Yacht Basin, Trinity United Methodist Church
“Twilight Man” (1996) – Dosher Memorial Hospital
“Any Place But Home” (1997) – Boiling Spring Lakes, Fort Johnston, Yacht Basin, waterfront off Bay Street, Orton Plantation
“I Know What You Did Last Summer” (1997) – American Fish Company, Cape Fear River, ILA Hall, Yacht Basin, Ollie’s Oyster Bar, Port Charlie’s Restaurant, River Road, Short Street, Southport Fish Company, Southport-Fort Fisher ferry, Amuzu Theater
“The Jackal” (1997) – Southport-Fort Fisher ferry
“The Night Flier” (1997) – Brunswick County Airport, Winnabow Airport
“The Three Lives of Karen” (1997) – American Fish Company, N.C. 133 toward Southport, Howe Street, Moore Street, Nash Street, Northrop Antique Mall, The Pharmacy, River Oak Motel, Southport Baptist Church, city gym on Atlantic Avenue, Trinity United Methodist Church, Orton Plantation
“Domestic Disturbance” (2001) – Howe Street, River Oaks Motel
“Summer Catch” (2001) – Howe Street, Taylor Field off Nash Street, Brunswick Inn, Cool Dogs & Crazy Cats
“A Walk to Remember” (2002) – Cape Fear Restaurant, Trinity United Methodist Church, Old Smithville Burying Ground, Salt Marsh Boardwalk gazebo, Orton Plantation
“The Lost Cause” (2004) – Boiling Spring Lakes
“Pirate Kids: Blackbeard’s Lost Treasure” (2004) – Caswell Beach, Southport
“Pirate Kids II: The Search for the Silver Skull” (2006) – Bald Head Island, Caswell Beach, Southport
“The Water is Wide” (2006) – Yacht Basin Provision Company, Orton Plantation
“Nights in Rodanthe” (2008) – Clarendon Avenue house
“The Secret Life of Bees” (2008) – Amuzu Theater, Moore Street house
“Arthur Newman” (2012) – Brunswick Community Hospital
“Iron Man 3” (2013) – Oak Island
“Safe Haven” (2013) – Southport Marina, West Moore and Bay Streets, Southport Fort-Fisher Ferry, Old American Fish Company, Southport Community Building, Ports of Call Bistro, Wildlife Restaurant & Grill
“We’re the Millers” (2013) – Brunswick Forest
“Tammy” (2013) – Boiling Spring Lakes, The Grille Restaurant on Main Street in Shallotte
“The Longest Ride” (2015) – Caswell Beach
Television Productions
“Matlock” (ABC, 1993-1995) – Brown Street, Brunswick Cove nursing home, Cape Fear River, Caswell Avenue, Dosher Flea Market, Masonic Lodge, “Matlock’s house” on Lord Street, Moore Street, Nash Street, Old Smithville Burying Ground, Sea Captain Restaurant, Southport Marina, waterfront off Bay Street, Orton Plantation
“The Birds II: Land’s End” (Showtime, 1994) – Cape Fear River, Yacht Basin
“Sweet Justice” (NBC, 1994) – Franklin Square
“American Gothic” (CBS, 1995) – Franklin Square
“The Crying Child” (USA, 1996) – Franklin Square, Howe Street, Old Smithville Burying Ground, Yacht Basin, Port Charlie’s Restaurant, Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry, Orton Plantation
“Buried Alive” (USA, 1997) – Old Smithville Burying Ground
“Dawson’s Creek” (The WB, 1998-2003) – Bay Street, Boiling Spring Lakes, Carousel Consignment Shop, Franklin Square, ILA Hall, Moore Street, Yacht Basin, the current Fishy Fishy Cafe, City Pier, Southport-Fort Fisher ferry, Southport Video, Orton Plantation
“Oprah Winfrey Presents…The Wedding” (ABC, 1998) – Bay Street, East Bay Street and Atlantic Avenue, Keziah Park, Old Brunswick Inn, City Pier
“Spies” (Disney Channel, 1992) – Bay Street
“Holy Joe” (CBS, 1999) – Franklin Square, Moore Street, Old Smithville Burying Ground, Prince of Brunswick on Moore Street, Southport Fire Department
“Hart of Dixie” (CW, 2011) – Franklin Square, Moore Street
“Revenge” (ABC, 2011) – Pebble Shore Lane, Fishy Fishy Cafe, Oak Island
“Mary and Martha” (HBO, 2013) – East Bay Street and Trinity United Methodist Church in Downtown Southport
“Under the Dome” (CBS, 2013) – Trinity United Methodist Church, Pilot’s Tower, 100 Block East Bay Street, Atlantic Avenue, Old Smithville Burying Ground Rhett Street, US Post Office Nash Street
“Sleepy Hollow” (FOX, 2013) – Brunswick Town, Dosher Hospital
“Secrets and Lies” (ABC, 2015) – Trinity United Methodist Church, Southport
“Good Behavior” (TNT, 2016) – Boiling Spring Lakes Mini Mart
“One Summer” (Hallmark, 2021) – Oak Island; Nash Street, Moore Street, 203 East Bay Street in Southport; Bald Head Island Lighthouse in Bald Head Island
“Our Kind of People” (FOX, 2021) – Trinity Church
“Along for the Ride” (Netflix, 2022) – Oak Island Lighthouse in Caswell Beach
“Echoes” (Netflix, 2022) – Caviness Park, the lawn of the Old Town Hall, Maritime Museum, Southport Market, St. Phillips Church
“George & Tammy” (Showtime, 2022) – Dosher Hospital
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” (Amazon Prime Video, 2022) – Season 1 Episode 1: Bay Street in Southport; Season 2 Episode 2: East Moore Street
(Sources: The State Port Pilot, “Film Junkie’s Guide to North Carolina” by Connie Nelson and Floyd Harris, TheCinemaholic.com, CityofSouthport.com)
Perhaps the best known movie filmed in Southport is “Safe Haven” a 2013 American romantic drama fantasy thriller film starring Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and Cobie Smulders from the novel by North Carolina’s own Nicholas Sparks.
The film marked the final film role for actor Red West. It was released theatrically in North America on February 14, 2013. The film was directed by Lasse Hallström, and is an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2010 novel of the same name.
