Southport businesses will earn a large chunk of the millions in revenue the film “Safe Haven” is projected to spend in the region during filming. Bringing red-carpet stars Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel and David Lyons, “Safe Haven” filmmakers are expected to spend between $15 million and $20 million in North Carolina on qualifying expenses, such as crew salaries, lodgings and construction costs, according to the N.C. Film Office.The Southport-based production will wrap filming this week, but the film’s impact will last long after the crews, cameras and sets are gone, city officials say.
“Filming can give your town both an economic boost and a profile boost,” Alderman Ken Karn said Monday. “You’ll continue to reap benefits from them even after they’ve left. You almost can’t put a dollar amount on that.” In the past, movies filmed in Southport have helped attract visitors for at least a decade after the cameras have stopped rolling, Mayor Robert Howard said Monday. “In our experience, we’ll have an impact of 10 to 12 years out after a movie has filmed here,” Howard said. “‘Crimes of the Heart’ is an example of that. People still ask where they can see the home they saw in the movie. The more successful the film, the more successful we are.”