St. Pete/Clearwater, FL - When Dolphin Tale shot to the top of the box office, it put the St. Pete/Clearwater area on display to millions of viewers. But the hit film starring Clearwater Marine Aquarium's own Winter the Dolphin is just one of a wide assortment of films to shoot in the area recently, raising the St. Pete/Clearwater area's profile among filmmakers.

Along with Dolphin Tale, the films---Magic Mike, Sunlight Jr., Sun Don't Shine, Not Waving But Drowning and Spring Breakers---make six feature films to hold shoots in the area since 2011.

"Obviously, a huge studio film like Dolphin Tale spends millions," said Jennifer Parramore, St. Pete/Clearwater Film Commissioner, adding that Alcon Entertainment spent about $18 million while filming in Clearwater.

Distributed by Warner Bros., Dolphin Tale was based on Winter's real-life story of survival after overcoming the loss of her tail at the grips of an entangled crab trap line. The smash hit filmed on-location at Clearwater Marine Aquarium and various points throughout the area featured a gaggle of stars, including Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. The movie has grossed more than $94 million worldwide.

The latest big-name project to call St. Pete/Clearwater home is Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, which has shot throughout the area this spring. That film features James Franco, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Vanessa Hudgens.

 "In addition to the dollars spent in the destination, each of these productions will be viewed by hundreds and thousands of people," Parramore added. "That kind of business is good for more business."

Magic Mike (Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaghey and Alex Pettyer) and Sunlight Jr. (Naomi Watts, Matt Dillon) both feature a variety of highly-acclaimed, A-list actors. Tatum's picture will be directed by film veteran Steven Soderbergh, the high-profile director behind Erin Brockovich and Ocean's Eleven, which also shot select scenes in St. Petersburg.

Magic filmed in Treasure Island and Fort De Soto in October and Sunlight took place in Clearwater.

Sun Don't Shine, directed by Amy Seimetz and produced by Kim Sherman, was filmed in St. Petersburg in early fall. Not Waving But Drowning, written and directed by Devyn Waitt and produced by Nicole Emanuele, was filmed in the area in early 2011.

Despite working with relatively small budgets, both of those films were accepted to the American Film Festival in Wrocaw, Poland, where they were two of only 11 American independent films selected.

Visit St. Pete/Clearwater is the destination marketing organization for Pinellas County, Florida.