Yahoo Movies Watch ‘The Hunger Games’ in District 12 under the stars this weekend in Hickory
Imagine flying the Millennium Falcon or sauntering through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. North Carolina-based On Set Cinema tries to come close to recreating that kind of experience for movie fans by hosting screenings at the locations where films were shot.
On Saturday, On Set Cinema will celebrate 10 years of “The Hunger Games” franchise with a screening, tour and campout at Henry River Mill Village in Hickory, which served as District 12 in the film.
“It really is like you’re walking into District 12,” said Kenny Caperton, the founder of On Set Cinema. “As it stands right now, Katniss’ home from the movie looks just like it did in the film.”
The March 2012 release of “The Hunger Games” marked a peak in the Charlotte area’s brush with Hollywood. Tax incentives had kicked up productions on big budget film and television projects statewide — the biggest of which was the Jennifer Lawrence-led franchise.
Locations for the first film dotted the landscape from the DuPont Recreational Forest near Brevard to the former Philip Morris plant in Concord (with another memorable scene shot at the Charlotte Convention Center).
Turning Henry River Mill Village into a poor, rundown community frozen in time, wasn’t a stretch. The nearly 100-year-old abandoned mill town was practically move-in ready.
“That’s what I love about ‘The Hunger Game’ events is that we’re doing it at a truly historic venue,” Caperton said. “That’s the reason why they chose the Henry River Mill Village. There’s a ton of history there, and it’s still standing.”
Its small wooden houses that once housed the families of textile mill workers needed little redressing as the shanty homes of Katniss Everdeen (played by Lawrence) and her neighbors. Nowt, a few fans will get to stay overnight inside the cabins from the film, and others will camp on the grounds.
“I always tell people I try to create the full experience. You can stay all night in District 12 in a tent. We have a food truck, my friend Brian has a massive collection of ‘Hunger Games’ memorabilia that grows every year. He brings a U-Haul and displays this incredible collection inside Katniss’ house and they get to check that out, too,” Caperton said.
This marks the third year On Set Cinema has hosted the screening.“The thing with ‘On Set Cinema’ is I’ve been doing it for 25 years just for fun. Now I’m able to travel and hang out with fans and create these incredible, sometimes once in a lifetime, events for fans,”Caperton said. “Sometimes I’m like this is too good to be true. I don’t take it lightly. I’m just going along with this experience.”
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On Set Cinema’s “Hunger Games”
Location: 4255 Henry River Rd, Hickory, North Carolina 28602
Neighborhood: Hickory, 61.5 miles from Charlotte
When: 6 p.m., Saturday, May 28
Tickets: https://myershousenc.thundertix.com/events/195402
$30 for general admission, which includes a guided tour of Henry River Mill Village and movie screening
$50 per person for overnight tent camping, which includes the guided tour of Henry River Mill Village and movie screening. Checkout is at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.
Cabin tickets are sold out.
