Tyler Perry has made history by opening the first-ever fully black-owned film studio. Over the weekend, the filmmaker invited some of the most reputable names in Hollywood to Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta to see the grounds and celebrate the landmark moment.
Those in attendance at Perry’s grand opening celebration included JAY-Z and Beyoncé, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Samuel L. Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Halle Berry, Tiffany Haddish, and Stacey Abrams, among others. Thankfully, a number of the guests took to social media to provide us with a look at the studio, which boasts sound stages dedicated to the likes of Oprah, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Harry Belafonte, and Perry’s mother, Willie Maxine Perry.
View this post on InstagramMe and @jadapinkettsmith clean up NICE! We flew down to ATL to be with @tylerperry as he opened the FIRST and largest Black-Owned studio. This moment is monumental in so many ways! And a sound stage in my name… ? I’m inspired and honored to be part of something of this magnitude. @tylerperrystudios ?: @westbrook @jas
Thanks to Ava’s insta story! I’m screaming. Tyler Perry’s studio is a whole Town! Even Oprah Winfrey was in tears ? @tylerperry !!!! God is good ???
I want to visit this place somehow… pic.twitter.com/4XYZtBztgT
— Elsie Godwin (@ELSiEiSY) October 6, 2019
“The studio lots of Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, Fox and Sony could fit inside
@TylerPerry’s studio lot at the same time – and there would still be 60 acres to spare,” said Ava DuVernay of Tyler Perry Studios, which is located on a former Confederate Army base.
Fun Fact: The studio lots of Disney, Warner Bros, Paramount, Fox and Sony could fit inside @TylerPerry’s studio lot at the same time – and there would still be 60 acres to spare. All on a former Confederate Army base. A stunning achievement that will echo through the generations. https://t.co/XCeXE09y77
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 6, 2019
In speaking with The Hollywood Reporter about Tyler Perry Studios, Whoopi Goldberg said, “Why did it take so long? “Why was he the first to get it? Now he’s the man who makes the decisions, chooses the movies, and he doesn’t have to ask anybody for shit. There’s nothing better than that. He’s never on his knees. He gets what he needs because he provided it.”
It’s also worth noting that Tyler Perry Studios has no proprietary partners or corporate backing. The grand opening also comes as Perry was recently awarded his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
View this post on InstagramOk, let me explain this photo. So I got a star today on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Thank you chamber!! I’m so grateful, but onto this photo. @only1crystalfox spoke and moved me. @kerrywashington spoke, and we both were in tears. Then @idriselba came up to speak, and they all were so powerful. I was so moved. To look out and see all the cast from all the shows that I have created made my heart so full. To be able to give opportunities to so many was just so humbling to me. Anyway, the photogs were asking for photos so at that moment the BEAUTIFUL KERRY WASHINGTON was leaving, and they all started snapping pictures of her!! Look at my face. We had such a good laugh about this. Thank you everyone for your support and love all these years. My Mamma would be so proud.
