Filmmaker Tyler Perry recently held the grand opening to his movie lot in southwest Atlanta. More than 800 guests came out to chrisen Tyler Perry Studios.
Celebrities like Beyonce, Oprah Winfrey, and even former President Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were on hand for the star-studded event.
Unlike other movie lots, Tyler Perry Studios, like the name implies, is made up of several studios and lots.
1. How big is Tyler Perry Studios?
Tyler Perry Studios sits on 330 acres just outside the borders of East Point, Georgia. It is one of the largest movie production facilities in America.
The studio is larger than the studio lots of Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony and Warner Brothers, with acres to spare. They’re also hiring now!
Here are some facts about Tyler Perry Studios:
- More than 40 sites on the National Register of Historic Places sit on Tyler Perry Studios property.
- Tyler Perry Studios has 12 sound stages
- The studio also encompasses more than 220 acres of greenspace
- The studio space has 21 movie sets on site
2. How many movie sets does Tyler Perry Studios have?
Tyler Perry Studios has 21 movie sets on the property. They have names like “Mansion,” “Prison Yard,” ‘Rustic Cabin,” “Motel,” “Oval Office,” “Motel,” and more.
3. What are the origins of Tyler Perry Studios?
The plot of land, more than 300 acres, traces its earliest beginnings to a U.S. Army barracks that would soon be home for the Confederate Army. It would quickly return to the Union during the Civil War.
In 1885, Fort McPherson would claim the space over 500 acres. The Army base was named after Union Major General James McPherson, who was killed in battle during the American Civil War.
When Georgia seceded in 1861, the Confederate government took charge of Fort McPherson. These lasted until the Battle of Atlanta, which saw operations at the base moved elsewhere.
But the site is not so much about the past as it is about its future. Perry has transformed the grounds into an oasis of manicured natural beauty.
4. Where was Tyler Perry’s first Atlanta movie studio?
Perry originally had a studio in Midtown Atlanta, where the site of Krog Street Market now sits.
After that in 2008, he bought a studio lot in southwest Atlanta close to Greenbriar Mall. That studio was 200,000 square feet and a perennial tourist attraction.
5. What was the first movie filmed there?
You know Atlanta has all types of movies filming here. Marvel’s “Black Panther” was actually the first movie to be filmed on the lot.
Perry has said in interviews how he thought it was appropriate that somehow a movie about a black superhero would be the first one filmed at his studio.
6. How will Tyler Perry Studios help the community?
Perry told CBS News that his studios will have a compound for LGBTQ youths that have been displaced. It will also be a safe place for battered women. Listen…
7. What are celebrities saying about Tyler Perry Studios?
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A who’s who of A-Listers spoke out about the massive achievement of Perry, who was homeless at one point in his journey.
Beyonce took to Instagram to say this about Tyler Perry Studios.
” I could feel our ancestors’ presence. Surrounded by my heroes, I watched Denzel, Queen Oprah, Spike, Whoopi, Sir Poitier, Will, Halle , Dame Cicely and our angels John Singleton and Diahann Carroll honored. The Armand de Brignac crashed against each soundstage as fireworks lit up the sky. Generations of blood, sweat and tears, success, excellence and brilliance. It makes me so proud, so full, I could not stop crying. Thank you my Virgo brother for so much love and passion put into every detail. My prayer today is that you will take it all in. You inspire me to dream even bigger.”
Actor Michael Ealy said that it was important for creatives of color to witness the creation of a black-owned film studio.
Oprah Winfrey was visibly moved to tears during a choir procession at the gala. Footage from fillmmaker Ava Duvernay showed the mogul taken aback by the gravity of the moment at Tyler Perry Studios.
Atlanta has become a movie mecca in recent years and Georgia has been a favorite location for TV productions since the state instituted generous tax breaks for film companies that agree to shoot locally. Projects from CBS, NBC, HBO, BET and more are slated to shoot in the metro area in 2018-19 and the foreseeable future.
Inside Tyler Perry Studio’s Star-Studded Grand Opening (PICS)
