Wilmington marks 25th anniversary of ‘Blue Velvet’

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) – Wilmington is recognizing the 25th anniversary of the cult favorite movie “Blue Velvet,” but most of the celebrations will wait a couple of months.

One event is scheduled for Thursday at The Barbary Coast on Front Street, which served as one of the film’s locations. Local filmmakers have asked residents to come to the bar to share their stories about what they did during the film’s shooting.

Most local celebrations, however, will wait until November, around the time of the Cucalorus Film Festival. That’s also when MGM will release of the Blu-ray edition of “Blue Velvet.”

“Blue Velvet” opened Sept. 19, 1986. It was a box office flop, grossing just $7.2 million in first-run ticket sales against estimated production costs of $6 million, but it was a critical success.