An abandoned mill town in North Carolina that was used to film key scenes in box-office smash The Hunger Games has been put up for sale by its owner for $1.4m.

Henry River Mill Village, which covers 72 acres, was used by producers to shoot scenes in District 12, where the film's heroine Katniss Everdeen lives in Gary Ross's dystopian science-fiction film. The mill itself, which produced fine yarn, closed some time in the 1960s and the last resident moved out in 1987. The building burned down in 1977, but more than 20 others remain including the company store which doubled for the family bakery where Everdeen encounters Peeta Mellark in a flashback scene.

"I'm getting too many visitors," the ghost town's owner, Wade Shepherd, 83, of Transylvania County told the Associated Press. "Day and night, they're driving through, taking pictures, getting out and walking. I'm just bombarded with people."

The Hunger Games was shot entirely in North Carolina, with the state's largest city Charlotte even doubling as the opulent Capitol, which in the young adult novels by Suzanne Collins is said to be somewhere in the Rocky mountains. Film-makers spent more than $60m in the state and employed 5,000 people. It's likely that studio Lionsgate will return for production of the sequel Catching Fire, which features several scenes set in District 12, so Shepherd may be hoping to cash in by selling Henry River Mill Village to a film industry buyer.

The Hunger Games centres on a battle to the death between 24 teenagers until only one is left standing in the future state of Panem, once north America. Society is sharply divided into haves, who live in the Capitol, and have nots, who labour to produce vital supplies for them in a dozen poverty-stricken districts. Starring Oscar-nominated actor Jennifer Lawrence as Everdeen, the film has been widely praised by critics and compared favourably to other young adult fare such as the Twilight series of films.

In the wake of the movie's success, locals have already begun to benefit from Hunger Games tourism. A company called Hunger Games Fan Tours offers day tours of Transylvania County, where a number of scenes were shot, for $79 or $389 for a weekend sojourn. Participants learn survival skills such as archery, camouflage, firebuilding and how to use a slingshot on location at sites used for filming.

Henry River Mill Village's unexpected turn in the spotlight echoes the emergence of the town of Forks, Washington, as a tourist destination following the success of the Twilight films, which were shot there. A website, Discover Forks Washington, has been set up for eager fans and the town hosts an annual tribute to all things Twilight titled Stephenie Meyer Day after the author of the books. It is held each year on the weekend closest to 13 September – the birthday of vampire-loving heroine Bella Swan.