A simple yet effective method of increasing production of a thermo-stable virus, such as adenovirus and picornavirus, is presented. The method entails a temperature shift strategy whereby the culture of host cells are shifted to a sub-optimal temperature for a period of time prior to virus infection or cells are grown at a sub-optimal level for the entire cell expansion process including one or more than one passages of cell growth from cryopreserved cells, followed by a shift back to a more optimal temperature at or near the time of virus infection of the respective host cells. Adaptation of such a temperature shift strategy present a simple yet effective method to substantially increase recoverable virus within a respective host cell/virus production scheme without the need to further manipulate other culture and/or media conditions within an established host cell/virus production scheme.