Stage 1
1952 - The rise and rise of Poverty Rows Studios. 
Poverty Rows is a film-making company that has produced 35mm silent films since the 1920s. In the next two decades huge capital investments were made in the latest sound-on-film processes to synchronize motion pictures with spoken dialogues, sound effects and background music. This made Poverty Rows Studios renowned for their entrepreneurial film techniques.
However, with that heavy focus on expensive film techniques the remaining budget for filmmaking is horrifically low. With badly written stories, a cast with inexperienced newcomers, and cheap special effects, the films from Poverty Rows Studios typically belong to the B-movie category. Traditionally, B-movies are displayed in cinemas to warm up the audience for the high-quality A-Movies from big film-making companies. By displaying B-movies unknown actors have a platform to display their talents and many actors have been scouted and made their way into the big film blockbusters.
Ironically, Poverty Rows Studios became notorious for their B-movies and have gained their own cult status that has stolen the hearts of many fans around the world. Recently, the board has decided to create their own drive-in cinema on the car park of their studio lot to display their infamous B-movies to the public. The fans adore the unique storylines with their weird and sudden plot turns as well as the accompanied cringy acting skills, unbelievable special effects and unconventional theme mashups.
Poverty Rows Studios produces movies so bad that they are good!



Stage 2
1958 – The Giant Blob from outer space in 3D!
The last B-Movie from Poverty Rows Studios starred an environmental activist who joins the war. He suddenly put a highly endangered panda on the battlefield. This unexpected emergence of a dancing panda in the middle of no man’s land had startled both armies and all ceased fire. The sky cleared up and the armistice was signed.
This plot twist was so bizarre that people just had to visit the Drive-In at Poverty Rows Studios to see it with their own eyes. With the extra income the studio purchased stereo cameras. By looking at stereoscopic images with anaglyphic glasses, where one glass is blue and the other is red, three-dimensional images are rendered. This 3D filmmaking was the answer to keep the crowds coming to the cinemas after television was introduced into many households during the 1950s. The 3D movies can desynchronize rapidly and therefore Poverty Rows Studios has decided to build a new publicly accessible cinema and moved the hop farm. Additionally, a train station was built so guests without a car are able to access the cinema as well.
The first 3D B-Movie from Poverty Rows Studios shows the invasion of Earth by aliens. Unidentified flying objects were circulating around a field at night making crop circles. Meanwhile a Giant Blob from outer space came down from the sky to consume mankind. The close encounter had panicked everyone nearby although some ignorant bystander gave their new alien overlords a warm welcome. In the end, the police inspected the scene and fined the Giant Blob from outer space for wrongfully parking their vehicle and the UFOs were arrested for violating the speed limits. As aliens could not pay the fine nor provide a valid ID card, they all got arrested. In the upcoming trial the aliens were condemned to a lifetime imprisonment in a mysterious location known as Area 51. Another memorable B-Movie was born!



Stage 3
1967 – Mega Shark Bites Again!
The success of 3D cinema did not last forever. The 3D glasses were used as a gimmick in short movies as when guests wore 3D glasses during a longer film many complained about getting headaches. Luckily visitors did come to Poverty Rows Studios to combine watching a 3D ‘short’ with a longer movie at the drive-in Cinema. This lucrative 2-for-1 deal made some extra profit that was spent on an underwater film camera and new special effects.
With the new underwater camera a movie series is produced that features the large monster from the deep called Mega Shark. The latest B-Movie ‘Mega Shark Bites Again!’ is currently in production where a giant animatronic shark will attack boats and feed itself by devouring the crew.
The theatrical scenery of the first movie, “Mega Shark Bites!”, is still partly in place at Poverty Rows Studios. The board had the splendid idea to use part of the theatrical scenery for the première of “Mega Shark Bites Again!”. At the waterside items from the first movie were used to create an immersive “dive-in” cinema on the water. Along with the panoramic cinematic widescreen the visitors could fully enjoy this new B-Movie action horror.
The reception of the dive-in cinema was much greater than the board at Poverty Rows Studios had imagined. The enthusiasm by film fanatics was tremendous as they felt to have had a sneak peek backstage of the movie they just watched. This gave the board the idea to make their studio lots accessible for visitors in the future so movie lovers and the like can see what happens behind the screens. And so, the dream of a movie park was born!
In the near future a new low-budget movie collaboration is planned with Italian colleagues called project S.W. What the exact movie will be about is yet to be revealed. Stay tuned!



Stage 4
1975 – Poverty Rows Studio Tour and a Spaghetti Western stage!
Project S.W. was the code name for a collaborative Spaghetti Western B-movie. A traditional Old West town with a bank, some shops and the typical Italian ice cream shop and a pizzeria are the screen set. The music was written by Monnio Erricone and the movie was co-produced by director Leon Sergioni. The story was about a bandit robbing a bank and a sheriff that was going to arrest him. The climax of the movie involved at least 10 minutes of stares from both main characters in a man-to-man shooting duel. Ultimately, the bandit had won, took his gold and fled out of town. The town sheriff was given a proper funeral in the church and was buried at the graveyard on the top of the canyon.
The Spaghetti Western was one of the last movies completely shot at Poverty Rows Studios. Due to new inventions from the 1970s, the transportation of props, equipment and film materials were much easier accomplished and new films are just as easily shot on an external location. Therefore, new B-movies will be shot more often outside the studio lot.
As a result, a Studio Bus Tour opened at Poverty Rows Studios to showcase the many screen stages from the last 50 years of B-movies productions. Each bus is accompanied by a tour guide who informs the visitors along the way about the historic highlights of Poverty Rows Studios and provides juicy details about the iconic moments that happened at each screen stage. The visitors were pleased with the Studio Tour and the board realized they could make profit from these old stage sets and their long history. With some adjustments the board can accomplish their dream and create a true movie park that holds both educational displays and entertaining rides! To be continued…



Stage 5
1982 – Fire at the warehouse and the first steps towards a movie park! 

A fire broke out at the oldest warehouse of Poverty Rows Studios. This warehouse held some of the oldest B-Movie gems such as Extreme Time Machine, I Know What You Did Last Lockdown, and Never Hit Your Grandma With A Shovel. During the heatwave, nitrate film reels underwent spontaneous combustion and lightened the entire building. An enormous collection of films from the 1920s-1950s was lost forever. The saved nitrate movies were copied to polyester safety films and then preventively destroyed.

Meanwhile the board opened more spice for visitors in the now called Poverty Rows Studios Park. First, a small playground for children was created at the expense of half of the hop field. The old hop farm has been repurposed and now serves as a cafeteria where parents can enjoy themselves while their children play at the playground.

Additionally, one of the first film lots has been changed into a tracked ride attraction called Battlefield the Ride. At this ride people are on a military mission in a Jeep and are passing by settings that are reminiscent of the First World War. The riders’ mission is to persuade the commanders of both sides of the warzone to cease fire as an endangered panda is spotted in no-man's land and must be saved, just like in the movie. The on-ride Jeep navigates through the warzone that consists of trenches, landmines, and other dangerous obstacles to save the panda. Next to Battlefield the Ride a military themed scrambler called Reloader is installed which is the first thrill ride in the park.

Finally, an offer the park couldn’t refuse was made by someone who called himself The Don to make a gangster style Movie. The park accepted and said hello to their little friends to shoot this new blockbuster. The Gangster movie is all about guns, liquor, casinos and a cat. The Studio Tour route now goes through the gangster town and the warzone. See you in the next episode!



Stage 6
1985 – The House of Wax and the new Extraterrestrial Area!

In the last three years, the film studio has been transformed to the now officially named Poverty Rows Studios Park! As a park the board has recently focused on improving its guest services. The first addition was an extra restaurant at the fisher's village and a food truck.

Next, the old film production office buildings at the park entrance were repurposed to create the House of Wax. Here guests can find wax sculptures of hyped B-Movies characters, such as Plumber Mario, Taekwondo Panda, and many more! Nearby, an additional guest services building was created where the first park maps were sold!

The wooden warehouse had too much water damage after the 1982 fire and was beyond repair. It was entirely broken down and the park improved the area to create a plaza with First Aid, food stalls, and new rides. The plaza was themed after the extraterrestrial B-Movies that had included alien invasions, giant blobs, space traveling, and space shuttle launches.

Guests can take a gentle ride in Space Riders to travel around the solar system while thrill seekers could try Oxygen Drop or Space Shuttle Launch. Oxygen Drop is a drop tower where guests can catch up their breath after they had plummeted down from 30 meters (±100 feet). Space Shuttle Launch, a launched shuttle coaster, was a second hand purchase from a nearby park. The coaster train is launched via a bulky weight that is attached by a cable to a push car that launches the train forwards. The train goes through a loop and up a steep incline. Once it loses its momentum it does the same track backwards, passes backwards the station, goes up the backside incline and then finally breaks at the station. The station resides inside the old barn.

With the new space plaza the park really took flight! Come fly with us to see what happens next!



Stage 7
1987 – Poverty Rows TV Tower

Several fire incidents have occurred in many studio parks worldwide since the beginning of movie productions and many movie gems went into oblivion. Recently, production costs of movie tapes and transport had increased during the early 1980s worldwide financial crisis.

To come up with a permanent solution the board had invested in an eye-catching TV Tower that has been built in the middle of the Studios Park. The building is equipped with a large satellite dish, antennas, and other equipment to facilitate all kinds of telecommunication. The new investment reduces the logistical costs of movie transportation overseas by transmitting copies digitally and was a new way of reaching a wider audience. Now people can receive Poverty Rows B-Movies 24/7 via a paid satellite TV channel!

The tower can broadcast all digitalized Poverty Rows Movies and can receive the best radio stations, such as Radio DKMP 98.7. For the Studios Park visitors this building functions as an exhibition site with a restaurant at ground level, and a beautiful 360° panoramic view over the entire Studios Park using the incorporated elevator up the tower.

Another investment in the park was a cheap small dark ride that was installed near the entrance of the old post-production facility and is called the Film Editor Experience. Guests are directed past original furniture, film reels, posters, and post-production equipment on a tracked vehicle where they see the world of film editing from the pre-WWII period of Poverty Rows Studios!

See you in the next episode!



Stage 8
1990 – … but I didn’t shoot the deputy!

Howdy folks! For many years Western movies were shot at the old west town of Poverty Rows Studios and its typical cemetery, Boot Hill, where cowboys were buried after they ‘died with their boots on’. Many movie scenes had been recorded here and true Western fans will recognize the small western movie references from one movie in the other. After many takes, the board had decided to make this stage set accessible to guests in a similar way as was done at Almería, Spain, where small western-style theme parks such as Western Leone, Fort Bravo, and Oasys Mini Hollywood were formed.

Therefore, the Studio Tour was detoured and now goes through the warehouses to display set props instead of riding through the old west town. The old west buildings are now accessible and guests can go to the Golden Bullet Saloon, visit the old church to find a room to rest (or a restroom), panning gold (an idea stolen from BonBon-Land), and win prizes at the Horseshoe Toss or the Cowboy Shot Shooting gallery.

New attractions in the old west area are House of the Bull (dodgems), Bank Robbery (motion simulator), Gold Rush (kiddy tracked mine ride), Rodeo (scrambler), Gallopers (carousel), and Desert Eagle (condor ride). Lastly, in the Wild West Show guests can see many horses, Native Americans, a bank being blown up, and a new sheriff in town who doesn’t shy away from gun fights with outlaws! It’s a spectacular show that reminds people of the great movies that were once shot at this location!

Yeehaw! So long cowboys! We will meet again in Stage 9!

Side note: the Cowboy Shot is actually not a shooting technique, but a camera technique that made its appearance in iconic Western movies. The camera is placed at hip level to frame a person from between their mid-thigh to just over the top of their head. In this way the viewer sees a cowboy hero with both his emotions and vulnerability as well as his ability to draw his weapon when he needs to!



Stage 9
1993 – Gangster City and the Film Foundation

Film director Martin Scorsese had success with his 1990 film Goodfellas. A fun detail is that one take was shot in the Gangster City backlot of Poverty Rows Studios! That year Martin Scorsese founded the Film Foundation which aims to preserve movies for their cultural value and educate both the industry and the public about the art of filmmaking. Directors, actors and the B-movies from Poverty Rows had received awards like the Golden Turkey Awards (1970s) and the Razzies (1980s) for being the worst movie, worst actor, worst special effects, and so on. Even though the quality was mediocre at best, the storytelling of these B-Movies were always inspiring for large budget film studios to produce great blockbusters. The old fashioned camera techniques, special effects, and awkward scenes that are unheard of in today's context make that Poverty Rows’ B-movies are rightfully preserved in the Film Foundation!

The events at the Film Foundation revealed missing features in the Studios Park and a new project was carried out to educate guests about the use of vehicles in movie making. Gangster City went open for the public where cars are displayed in the city, new restaurants and shops were opened and a bridge was made to connect it with the Old West. Garage Toni shows different cars to educate guests about the use of old-timers, fast cars, off-road cars, and more in movie making. The Poverty Rows Stunt Show shows guests how stunts are recorded, and Speed of the Streets is a simulator that takes guests on a thrilling cop chase.
Furthermore, the Gangster City Suspended Monorail and Cab Driver (scrambler) opened as additional rides in the area. With these additions, the Poverty Rows Studio Lot is completely revamped into a Studios Park.

The board has plans to incorporate the adjacent area next to the park and theme it to B-Movies that were shot elsewhere. To be continued… 




Stage 10
1996 – Spectacular rides and the Jungle Adventure area!

In the last years Poverty Rows Studios Park had difficulty to lure enough guests due to strong competition from new nearby parks. The vision on education and showing the art of movie making from the board needed to be loosened to please larger crowds by adding thrill rides to make sure the park remained profitable.

Therefore, a spectacular ride was added in the Gangster City area being the corkscrew coaster named The Don’s Great Escape. This is the first continuous circuit coaster of the park that zigzags its way around the cityscape and has no less than 3 inversions! In the same area Vinnie’s Flamboyant Cars opened for the youngest visitors of the park.

At the entrance area a park info shop opened and a meet and greet photoshoot spot with famous B-Movie characters was realized. A clapperboard as a park sign was added to the entrance roof to emphasize the director’s cut on the vision of the park to remain focused on being a movie studios park. Therefore, the board had decided to remove the 1978 playground at the Generic Movie Making area and on its location the Visual Special Effects Simulator was built. This ride shows the magic of VFX in movie making. Guests find themselves before a giant blue screen with decorations. On screen, guests see themselves in a mind-blowing world generated solely by computer images!

Based on the latest B-movie titled Jeremiah Brown and the Curse of the Tiger Temple a spectacular water splash ride was opened in the new area called Jungle Adventure. Guests need to enter the Tiger Temple with a pure soul to lift the curse of the silly dancing tigers. Once the curse is lifted the tombstones will shatter and guests rapidly escape via the large splash of the ride.

The spectacular additions had cost a fortune, but guest numbers were back up. The return on investment is currently not met and it is uncertain what the future will bring…

Find out in the final episode!



Stage 11
1999 - A Licensing Lawsuit and a fully converted Studio Lot!
Recent stakeholder management turned Poverty Rows Studios Park into a financially healthy enterprise. This did not go unnoticed and a licensing lawsuit was held to prosecute the design of the Tiger Temple as its statues looked too similar to the Statue of Liberty and no recreation license thereof was granted. The judge acknowledged the petitioner’s standpoint and Poverty Rows had to either pay a huge sum of money in licensing fees or had to remove these statues. The board had chosen the latter and renovated part of the temple.

At the same time the Jungle area was extended and made better accessible with a new bridge. The Banana Bar restaurant and three rides were added being Arachnophobia, a scrambler ride based on the Giant Spider horror movie, the thrilling suspended swinging coaster named Rage of the Silverback starring G. Rilla, and the madhouse called Botanicals Attack.

The latter was based on a drug movie where students developed new exotic plant breeds outside their college hours that possess ultra-strong hallucinating powers. Ultimately, the students smoked a powerful joint made with their latest plant breed extract and suddenly the greenhouse seemed to mock with gravity and reality. Also the botanicals came to life and started to creep against the walls and towards their creators. At the climax, when all hope seems lost, the drug trip ends and the students find themselves screaming while lying in a mix of dirt and trampled plants as the teacher enters the greenhouse the next morning and discovers the chaos. In analogy to the movie, the madhouse was built inside a greenhouse where guests enter a perfumed room before the optical and physical illusions of the ride take off.

With this the board finally managed to fully convert their backlot into a studio park! What a journey it was! They are proud of themselves and thankful to their ever supporting fans that visited their park!


The End
