Wakatipu movie-goers have been delighted to recognise their own backyard on the screen now X-Men Origins: Wolverine has gone on general release.
Queenstown Lakes landscapes stand in for the Canadian Rockies, where the $100 million prequel establishes how Hugh Jackman's character, James Logan, becomes the troubled, indestructible superhero.
Although no figures have been studied on how much Wolverine cast and crew pumped into Queenstown, productions spent $38.7 million in Otago-Southland last year and Wolverine was credited with a significant amount of the sum.
The blockbuster employed about 100 Queenstown film-making and service talents out of a small army of more than 300 cast and crew when production was based in the resort from early October 2007 to mid-June 2008.
Production offices were set up at Peppers Beacon, in Lake Esplanade, and Jackman was spotted at Shotover Jet, Queenstown Gym and Reading Cinema among other resort establishments.
Logan's isolated log cabin was built and shot on Deer Park Heights.
The farmhouse and barn where he seeks refuge were made and blown up on private land near Paradise, and the Harley Davidson versus helicopter action set-piece was created on a public road in the valley.
Vistas in the Glenorchy area and Lake Mahinerangi forest and the Clutha district formed the backdrops of several scenes, and State Highway 6 south of Kingston was shot for a scene on the open road.
A disused cement works in Dunedin served as the logging camp operation and the bar where Wolverine and Sabretooth face off.
Film Otago Southland executive manager Kevin Jennings, of Queenstown, said: "Aside from the initial direct economic benefit of money into the resort and creation of jobs, there's the building of relationships with international film-makers and it once again cements our reputation to deliver the goods."
Mr Jennings liaised with the film-makers and the public on location at Deer Park Heights and in Paradise.
"It was really impressive. They spared no expense at creating a completely authentic feel. Activities ramped up when Hugh Jackman was in town because his availability was limited."
The production generated 670 tonnes of waste, 615 tonnes of which was reused or recycled.
It saved the film company an estimated $55,000 in landfill fees and formed the template of a "how-to zero waste" initiative for visiting film-makers, which was launched last August by the Queenstown Lakes District Council in association with Film Otago Southland.
However, concern was raised in January last year when it was revealed Woz Productions had been storing explosives for the film inside the Fun Centre building in the Queenstown Gardens, in breach of a lease agreement.
Mr Jennings said there was never any danger to the public.
"The reason that problem came up is because we don't have any dedicated facilities for film crews. Our industry has flourished despite our lack of infrastructure."
Wolverine earned $1.451 million at the New Zealand box office in its opening week and went straight to the No 1 spot, despite a pirated workprint on the internet.
The managing director of 20th Century Fox, Mark Croft, said it was "pure delight" to see the New Zealand backdrops used in the movie.
"They say it's Canada but any New Zealander would know straight away where it was and it looked amazing."
Jackman, also co-producer, said in a statement he wanted the prequel to look "bigger and different" from other X-Men movies,"There's something otherworldly about New Zealand. It's so magical. It helped elevate our world and the film's reality."
