Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is a guided walk-through tour of Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank located in Los Angeles. It offers visitors the chance to glimpse behind the scenes of one of the oldest film studios in the world over a two-to-three-hour period.

The studio tour has been open in some form for several decades, but it was renamed Warner Bros. Studio Tours to provide a more uniform identity following the success of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of ''Harry Potter'' at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden. Previously, it was known as the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour. There are three type of tour Warner Bros. Studio offer (1) first tour - in the early days they used to show the studio to a friend and special guest and their employees used to give a tour to guest (2) public tour - in 1972 Warner Bros. to face financial problem then they provide a tour to public to visit (3) VIP studio tour - they used to give this tour to well-known people.

History

First tours

In the early days of Warner Bros., Jack Warner would welcome friends and special guests to the studio for tours. If Warner could not provide the tour himself, Mail Room employees were entrusted to show guests around the lot. These tours were not offered to the public and could only be arranged through employees; however, they still proved popular. Consequently, Warner sought to limit requests as he thought studio tours could cause a "slow-up" of the company's operations.

One Mail Room employee, Dick Mason, was noted for giving very informative tours and was frequently the requested guide for studio executives' guests. Mason's knowledge led him to be assigned to Jack Warner's office to assist the Vice President of Worldwide Production.

Public tours

In 1972, Warner Bros. faced financial hardships and signed a deal with Columbia Pictures, which was also struggling. They combined to create The Burbank Studios, a joint venture where they would share studio space. In 1973, the new company opened a public-facing Tour Department. Dick Mason was assigned to manage the new operation. All tours required an advanced reservation and cost $3.

Mason's department included seven tour guides, and tours were limited to twelve people at a time. Tours were unscripted but included the back lots, sound stages, and prop house depending on availability. Without a budget for advertising, news spread by word-of-mouth. The tour proved popular due to its unscripted nature and saw 15,000 guests a year.

As compared to the Universal tour, Dick Mason was interested in educating the public about filmmaking: "The entire tour is practical. There are no demonstrations or simulations. We're catering to families and kids. We just want to give insight to a business most people have misunderstandings about." The tours departed about four times a day and were around three hours.

In 1990, The Burbank Studios dissolved, and Warner Bros. reclaimed the rest of the studio from Columbia Pictures when Columbia moved to the former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer lot in Culver City. The Tour Department was relocated into a building next to the studio's Gate 4 on Hollywood Way which allowed the public to inquire about the tour without needing a pass. It shared the space with a Studio Store.

VIP Studio Tours

Dick Mason retired from Warner Bros. in 2000 and Danny Kahn assumed leadership of the Tour Department. Kahn moved the location of the tour to an office building previously occupied by Columbia Pictures across the street from Gate 5. He successfully pushed to increase the frequency of the tours but kept the size of the tour groups small and unscripted nature. The tour became more streamlined and began more aggressive advertising.

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

In 2015, the tour rebranded itself with the launch of Stage 48: Script to Screen. The expanded tour uses a new name, a new logo, and newer tour carts.

Current Experience

There are four tours currently available. The standard Studio Tour and Classics Tour, both last 3 hours (1 hour guided and 2 hours self-guided), the Studio Tour Plus which lasts 4 hours (2 hours guided), and the Deluxe Tour which lasts 6 hours (3 hours guided, 1-hour fine dining lunch, and 2 hours self-guided). The tours are a mixture of guided and self-guided. The Warner Bros. lot is an active filming location, and each tour is different due to filming in certain areas. Photographs are allowed in certain areas, and tour guides are available to let you know when you can't take any photography.

Stops

The following are stops are included in every Studio Tour: The Studio Tour Plus includes more time at all of the below with a few additions: a continental breakfast, lunch at Central Perk Cafe, and a visit to the Property Department. The Deluxe Tour includes even more time at all of the below with a few additions: a continental breakfast, lunch at Warner Bros. Fine Dining, a stop at the Property Department, and a stop at the Costume Department.

*Soundstage - All tours try to include a visit inside at least one stage of the current production that is not actively filming.
*The Backlot - A series of outdoor sets representing various locations such as New York, a mid-western town, and a jungle.
*Stage 48: Script to Screen - An interactive soundstage that takes guests through the production process. The soundstage opened on July 16, 2015. Stage 48 is self-guided and includes the original set of Central Perk from the television show ''Friends'' where guests can take pictures on the couch. There is also a green screen video opportunity where guests can fly on a broomstick from Harry Potter or ride on a Batpod as seen in '' The Dark Knight''. The couch from The Big Bang Theory is also available to sit on and take a photo. In addition to the attraction, the building includes a café and coffee shop themed "Central Perk" from Friends as well as a Friends-themed gift shop.
*The new grand finale that opened in July 2021, “Action and Magic Made Here,” allows guests to step into the movies and interact with iconic props, costumes, and recreated sets from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts as well as the D.C. Universe. In a specially recreated Great Hall set, visitors can wear the Sorting Hat and hear the hat shout out the Hogwarts house where you truly belong.

Former Special exhibits

*Batman 75th Anniversary - A special display that opened on June 26, 2014, in both the Archive and the Picture Car Vault. In the Archive, there were displays of props and costumes from every Warner Bros. Batman movie. Batmobiles and other Batman vehicles were put on display in the Picture Car Vault. Beginning in September 2015, the Batmobile from the movie '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' joined the display when not used for filming.
*Horror Made Here - Opened for Halloween in Stage 48, the temporary exhibit included assets from ''The Exorcist'', '' Interview with the Vampire'', '' Annabelle'', and other horror movies.
*"Mad Max: Fury Road" Costumes - Added to Stage 48 on February 24, 2016.
*DC Universe: The Exhibit - Located in The Archive, this exhibit replaced portions of the Batman 75th Anniversary display. It includes the first issues of comic books such as ''Superman'', ''Batman'', and ''Wonder Woman'' as well as props and costumes from the films ''Batman vs. Superman'' and '' Suicide Squad''.
*DC Universe: The Exhibit was updated to include the latest costumes and props from Wonder Woman 2017
*The Cafe that Mia worked in from the Oscar Winning film '' La La Land'' has been dressed as seen in the production as part of a stop on the tour.
*Stage 48 has been updated to include a look at props and costumes from all 7 years of the TV series '' Pretty Little Liars''.

Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights

In 2018, this special event featured dark mazes and attractions based on films and video games:
* It Knows What Scares You; A dark maze based on New Line Cinema’s 2017 film, '' It''.
* Joker's Arkham Asylum; A dark maze based on WB Games' '' Batman: Arkham Asylum''.
* The Conjuring Universe; A dark maze based on New Line Cinema's The Conjuring franchise.
* Nightmare on Camp Crystal Lake; A dark maze based on New Line Cinema's ''Friday the 13th'' and '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchises.
* ''The Exorcist'': Forbidden Screening; A 4D theater attraction based on the 1973 film, ''The Exorcist''.

See also

* Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank
* Warner Bros. Studio Tours
* Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter
* Warner Bros.

References

Footnotes

Works cited

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External links

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood website

{{Warner Bros.

Tourist attractions in Los Angeles County, California
Hollywood