| Universal Studios Lot | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) View over the backlot soundstages of Universal Studios Lot | |
| General information | |
| Type | Film and television complex |
| Location | Universal City, California |
| Address | 100 Universal City Plaza |
| Inaugurated | 1915 |
| Owner | Universal Studios (NBCUniversal/Comcast) |
| Website | |
| https://www.universalstudioslot.com | |
Universal Studios Lot is a television andfilm studio complex located at 100 Universal City Plaza inUniversal City, California and is part of the entire Universal Studios complex, which also includes the adjacentUniversal Studios Hollywood theme park. It is the production site ofUniversal Studios and is owned by Comcast through its subsidiaryNBCUniversal.[1] Thelot officially opened the gates of Universal City on March 15, 1915.[2] The lot began offering itsmodern studio tour in 1964, which eventually evolved into the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.[3] Today the Universal Studios Lot is made up of 400 acres, which includes more than 30 sound stages, theBrokaw News Center and 165 other separate structures.[4]
On March 15, 1915,Carl Laemmle openedUniversal City Studios on a 230-acre ranch in theSan Fernando Valley and called it"Universal City". The site later became known as Universal Studios Lot and Universal City was considered the first self-contained community dedicated to making films.[5]
In 1950, Universal Studios Lot increased its overall size to 400 acres after Universal acquired additional land at the southern border of the studio. Music Corporation of America (MCA) bought the Universal Studios Lot in 1958. Universal then leased back its property from MCA until MCA and Universal merged in 1962.[6]
Shortly after the MCA–Universal Pictures merger, accountants suggested that a new tour in the studio commissary would increase profits. On July 15, 1964, themodern Universal Studios tour was established to include a series of dressing room walk-throughs, peeks at actual production, and later, staged events. This grew over the years into a full-blowntheme park now known asUniversal Studios Hollywood.[3]
Over the next decades, numerous television shows and movies were filmed in Universal Studios Lot, notably at theCourthouse Square andColonial Street sets. This includesPsycho (Paramount Pictures),Back to the Future (Universal Pictures),The Perfect Storm (Warner Bros.),War of the Worlds (Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks),Desperate Housewives (ABC), andThe Good Place (NBC). Today, Universal Studios Lot is one of the largest full-service production facilities. It has continued to modernize and grow with plans to expand by adding additional soundstages and building facilities.[7]
Since 2016, the NBC showAmerican Ninja Warrior has filmed theirLos Angeles city qualifiers and finals courses on thelot.
| Studio | Production | Notes | Area[8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | The Jack Benny Show,The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien,Chelsea Lately,The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon LA Shows,Steve,The Kelly Clarkson Show[9] among many others[10] | 10,635 sq ft (988.0 m2) | |
| Stage 3 | Desperate Housewives,Heartbeat[11] | 12,237 sq ft (1,136.9 m2) | |
| Stage 4 | The Incredible Hulk,2 Fast 2 Furious,Desperate Housewives[12] | 10,534 sq ft (978.6 m2) | |
| Stage 5 | Dragnet,Desperate Housewives,Ghost Whisperer[13] | 8,919 sq ft (828.6 m2) | |
| Stage 12 |
| Production stopped in 2020 due to redevelopment of area.[14] | 29,070 sq ft (2,701 m2) |
| Stage 16 |
| 11,553 sq ft (1,073.3 m2) | |
| Stage 17 | Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein,Leave It To Beaver[16] | 10,090 sq ft (937 m2) | |
| Stage 18 | 10,669 sq ft (991.2 m2) | ||
| Stage 19 | 10,032 sq ft (932.0 m2) | ||
| Stage 20 | 10,640 sq ft (988 m2) | ||
| Stage 21 | 19,701 sq ft (1,830.3 m2) | ||
| Stage 22 | Hairspray Live!,Will & Grace reboot, | 17,582 sq ft (1,633.4 m2) | |
| Stage 23 | Hairspray Live!,America's Got Talent Judge Cuts and 2020 Live Shows,Will & Grace reboot, | 18,170 sq ft (1,688 m2) | |
| Stage 24 | 17,452 sq ft (1,621.3 m2) | ||
| Stage 25 | Quincy, M.E. | 17,469 sq ft (1,622.9 m2) | |
| Stage 26 | 17,523 sq ft (1,627.9 m2) | ||
| Stage 27 | Die Hard 2,Jurassic Park,Apollo 13[17] | 17,515 sq ft (1,627.2 m2) | |
| Stage 30 | 17,452 sq ft (1,621.3 m2) | ||
| Stage 31 | 34,921 sq ft (3,244.3 m2) | ||
| Stage 32 | 17,523 sq ft (1,627.9 m2) | ||
| Stage 33 | 7,200 sq ft (670 m2) | ||
| Stage 34 | 7,181 sq ft (667.1 m2) | ||
| Stage 35 | 7,208 sq ft (669.6 m2) | ||
| Stage 36 | 7,181 sq ft (667.1 m2) | ||
| Stage 37 | 13,763 sq ft (1,278.6 m2) | ||
| Stage 41 | 14,246 sq ft (1,323.5 m2) | ||
| Stage 42 | 14,252 sq ft (1,324.1 m2) | ||
| Stage 43 | 14,253 sq ft (1,324.1 m2) | ||
| Stage 44 | McMillan & Wife (1971-1977) | 14,253 sq ft (1,324.1 m2) | |
| Stage 747 | Die Hard 2[18] | Formerly an interior mockups of aBoeing 707 and a747[18] | 8,201 sq ft (761.9 m2) |
| 1220 Studio | 5,800 sq ft (540 m2) | ||
| Studio K Digital Studio | 1,000 sq ft (93 m2) |
| Studio | Production | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 2 | Studio Tour | |
| Stage 6 | ||
| Stage 7 | renamed to Stage 747 | |
| Stage 8 | renamed to 1220 Studio | |
| Stage 9 | renamed to Studio K Digital Studio | |
| Stage 10 | dubbing stage; ADR facility[19] | |
| Stage 11 | dubbing stage[19] | |
| Stage 13 | Universal's House of Horrors | |
| Stage 14 | Airwolf[20] | no longer exists |
| Stage 15 | Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein | no longer exists[21] |
| Stage 28 | The Phantom of the Opera | Also known asThe Phantom Stage (1925 – 2014); demolished[22] |
| Stage 29 | ||
| Stage 30 | NowTransformers: The Ride attraction[23] | |
| Stage 31 | ||
| Stage 32 | Demolished in 2010 to buildTransformers: The Ride attraction[24] | |
| Stage 50 | ||
| Stage 52 | ||
| Stage 55 |
TheStudio Tour is a public attraction both as a VIP and at the adjacentUniversal Studios Hollywood theme park that offers visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the historic studio lot.[25] The tour first opened in 1915 when Carl Laemmle invited visitors to see the studio in action. The Universal Tour was halted in the late 1920s and revived in 1964.[2] Since then, it has evolved through countless iterations, including new tour hosts, movie sets, and experiences.[26]
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