What's New In NC
NC Shines In 'The Hunger Games'
North Carolina was a natural fit for "The Hunger Games," the Lionsgate release based on the first novel in a wildly popular futuristic trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The state offered filming locations that resonated with the novel’s fictional settings, including a “region once known as Appalachia,” a sleek city called the Capitol, and a dramatic forest arena where the central contest for survival takes place.
Shot on locations and sets from Concord to Barnardsville with some of Hollywood’s brightest young stars, "The Hunger Games" is the highest-profile movie ever made in North Carolina and puts the state’s history, architecture and scenic beauty center stage.
Janet Shamlian, NBC's "Today Show"
March 30, 2012
"It didn't take long for this. Fans who can't get enough of 'The Hunger Games' are flocking to sites where the movie was filmed in search of a little adventure themselves. All of them are here in North Carolina, many are idyllic settings like this. A few are off the beaten path, but that has not stopped the search."
Director Gary Ross in Q&A with ArtsBeat, New York Times
March 30, 2012
"As for your state, I LOVED it. And I miss Asheville very very much and I cant wait to go back," said director Gary Ross in an ArtsBeat Q&A.
Katia Hetter, CNN.com
March 27, 2012
"The movie's stars spent their after-work hours in Asheville, a town you'll enjoy independent of your child's movie obsession. With its funky architecture, independent spirit and thriving restaurant and brewing scene, artsy Asheville didn't need a movie to confirm its tourist appeal."
Kerrie Cassani, weather.com
March 22, 2012
"Hollywood is calling and it's hungry for the mountains of North Carolina."
Petti Fong, Toronto Star
March 22, 2012
"When the movie was filmed in various locations around the state last year, the phenomenon was still growing but with the movie premiering March 23, the worldwide spotlight is now on North Carolina where the state’s forests, mill towns and stunning architecture provide a backdrop for a movie franchise that could rival the first Twilight’s opening day grosse of $35.7 million (U.S.)."
Martha Waggoner, Associated Press
March 21, 2012
"Fans of 'The Hunger Games' are already turning up in North Carolina, seeking out places where the movie was shot, from old-growth forests to an abandoned mill town. And the tourism industry is prepared to cash in on them, with everything from hotel packages and zip lines tours, to re-enactments of scenes from the film and lessons in survival skills."
Theoden Janes, The Charlotte Observer
March 16, 2012
"'North Carolina really had it all visually for us.'"
Kathy Buckworth, The Huffington Post
March 14, 2012
"The filming locations were as diverse as the state's landscape. The abandoned cotton milling village of Henry River stood in for District 12, Katniss' home and Peeta's bakery and the ultra-modern architecture of big city Charlotte posed as the capitol."
A "Hunger Games" tour starts in places that matched the filmmakers’ vision — an abandoned mill village in Hildebran, DuPont State Recreational Forest between Brevard and Hendersonville, a warehouse hub in Shelby and modern uptown Charlotte — and extends beyond those points. Plan your trip with our 4-day itinerary or visit the official Hunger Games Fan Tours website.
Photo Credit: Lionsgate and Murray Close
added: March 22, 2012
updated: May 21, 2012
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