Small Town New Mexico Rides High on the Hog with Film’s Success
Small town New Mexico rides High on the Hog |
|
Opening March 2, Wild Hogs raked in ticket sales, setting a March opening record for Disney and taking approximately $39.7 million at the box office. With a cast that includes John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William Macy, the account of their mid life crises was filmed largely in New Mexico.
Film locations included Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and the Jemez Mountains, but the production truly transformed one of New Mexico’s smaller towns along the Turquoise Trail, Madrid. “It’s wonderful to have a unique community like Madrid highlighted in the film,” said Lisa Strout, Director of the New Mexico Film Office. “Madrid is the quintessential Northern New Mexico town. Once a coal mining community, it is now filled with a myriad of artists and writers, imaginative shops and superb local fare.” Madrid locals Hugh and Honore Hackett took the production in stride, accommodating the cast and crew on their property and rare and unusual stone shop, the Ghost Town Trading Post. They now own Maggie’s Diner, which was built on their property specifically for Wild Hogs. A focal point of the film, the diner is where Macy’s character, Dudley, falls for the beautiful Maggie, played by Marisa Tomei. “Every twenty minutes someone pulls in and takes their picture in front of Maggie’s. It’s becoming a promotional vehicle not only for Madrid and the Turquoise Trail but the entire Santa Fe County,” said Hackett. “We’re happy that Disney’s biggest opening film was shot here in little Madrid,” said Jon Hendry, Business Agent for the IATSE Local 480, the local film union.
Choosing New Mexico was easy for director Walt Becker. “We were looking for a state with film incentives, and I had an inkling we’d find everything we needed in NM,” said Becker. “This was a sort of homage to Easy Rider-consider it City Slickers on motorcycles. New Mexico is such a biker-influenced state, it was the most logical place for the film.” As New Mexico’s aggressive 25% tax rebate and film loan program continue to draw filmmakers to the state, productions of large feature films keep rolling out. Sony Pictures’ Seraphim Falls and Warner Brothers’ Astronaut Farmer, starring Pierce Brosnan and Billy Bob Thornton, respectively, were both filmed in New Mexico in 2006 and release early this year. “The experience in Madrid illustrates why this business can be so beneficial beyond the immediate dollars spent on production,” said Eric Witt, Governor Richardson’s Director of Media Arts and Industries Development. “Not only is it mobile - meaning we can locate productions all around the state - but it also provides long-term benefits to a town like Madrid and New Mexico overall in terms of tourism, name recognition and caché.” Cabinet Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism Department, Mike Cerletti notes, “We hope that in showcasing our beautiful state, the successful Wild Hogs will bring more visitors to The Land of Enchantment.” For more information on film in New Mexico, contact: Mike Stauffer,
Jennifer Hoffman |
