The prospect of being in a major motion picture is an exciting opportunity for Selma, especially because the film is named after the queen city of Alabama’s Black Belt.

Since news first broke of the film crew’s plans to use Selma as one of its filming locations, many people have expressed excitement about the potential business boost that it offers immediately. The economic benefits cited — people eating in restaurants and staying in hotels — are as old as Selma itself.

However, increased restaurant and hotel business are only effective when tourism is a major industry. Otherwise, the benefits are largely unnoticeable. The best indicator — city and county tax revenue — will only jump several thousand dollars with filming taking place in Selma.

A larger benefit looms for Selma, and it hinges on the success of the movie “Selma.”

To date, Selma doesn’t have one, true industry that characterizes its economic state. Sure, there are multiple manufacturing plants and industrial parks nearby. The industry is an important part of the overall economic climate of the area, but Selma itself doesn’t have enough manufacturing plants for it to claim industry as its economic focus.

With the movie, Selma could finally declare a major industry and be in a position to capitalize.

First and foremost, the movie is named “Selma.” If the county seat of Dallas County isn’t the most well-known city with a population near 20,000 in the world, it will be soon.

The movie is going to be distributed by Paramount Studios, which is considered to be one of the big six studios in Hollywood. Paramount is also the fourth oldest film studio in the world.

“Selma” will be distributed internationally by Pathé — the second oldest film studio in the world.

The distribution of the film could reach dozens of foreign counties and potentially millions of people. If the film is critically acclaimed and well-received by movie goers, it’ll help the notoriety of Selma — a small, restless town on the banks of the Alabama River.

The movie is scheduled for release in January 2015. With a well-organized calendar, you’d know that’s two months before the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday — a major focal point in the movie.

It’s possible the film could entice more people to attend the Bridge Crossing Jubilee and ultimately make tourism the largest economic driver in Selma.

Selma’s story has been told in other movies before, but with such large distribution possibilities, school history lessons could be revived, creating a yearning to see history in person.

And we aren’t just talking about tourists. Media, such as major newspapers, magazines and television networks, are likely to travel to Selma. Dallas County residents shouldn’t be surprised to flip to NBC’s evening news and see pictures of Selma in March 2015.

Those media personalities need hotel rooms and food too. Major media was likely to travel to Selma for the 50th anniversary regardless of a major movie production, but the film only increases the chances.

In some cases, media would work as a public relations firm during the 50th anniversary events, unless their focus is on the dozens of pothole pocked streets and crumbling buildings.

The combination of the movie and 50th anniversary could prove tremendous for the future of tourist traffic into Selma.

In previous years, tourist traffic reached nearly 20,000 during the Bridge Crossing Jubilee. The 50th anniversary could dwarf every previous year in terms of tourists. In fact, for a few hours in March 2015, Selma could briefly crack the list of 10 largest cities in Alabama. The 10th largest city — Madison has about 40,000. Auburn is the next largest with over 50,000 people.

Future tourism likely wouldn’t bring similar amounts to Selma at once. Instead, it would be a steady stream, if the movie and 50th anniversary prove beneficial.

It’s a laughable issue to consider currently. Selma barely provides adequate roads and services for its current population. Many of its downtown buildings are in a deplorable state. How could Selma possibly accommodate a large tourism industry?

The only way is for Selma’s public officials and business owners to commit to a specific agenda to improve our city.

Talk about improving Selma is common, but without a targeted focus on capitalizing on the movie and 50th anniversary, the future of Selma will remain unchanged. Sewer pipelines will continue crumbling under the pressure of old age and sales tax will continue declining.