| Warner Bros. Studios Burbank | |
|---|---|
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 The Warner Bros. Studios lot with theWarner Bros. Water Tower in the middle | |
 Interactive map of Warner Bros. Studios Burbank | |
| General information | |
| Type | Film and television complex |
| Location | 4000 Warner Boulevard Burbank, California 91505 |
| Inaugurated | 1926; 99 years ago (1926) |
| Owner | Warner Bros. Studio Facilities (Warner Bros.) |
| Website | |
| studiooperations | |
Warner Bros. Studios Burbank, formerly known asFirst National Studio (1926–1929),Warner Bros.-Seven Arts Studios (1967–1970) andThe Burbank Studios (1972–1990), is a majorfilmmaking facility owned and run byWarner Bros. Entertainment Inc. inBurbank, California, United States.[1]First National Pictures built the 62-acre (25 ha)studio lot in 1926 as it expanded from a film distributor to film production.[2]
The financial successes ofThe Jazz Singer andThe Singing Fool enabled Warner Bros. to purchase a majority interest in First National in September 1928 and it began moving its productions into the Burbank lot. The First National studio, as it was then known, became the official home of Warner Bros.–First National Pictures with foursound stages.[3] Though Warner'sSunset Boulevard studios remained in active use during the 1930s both for motion picture filming and "phonograph recordings"[4] a fire in December 1934 destroyed 15 acres (6.1 ha) of the studios in Burbank, forcing the company to put its Sunset Boulevard studio back into full use.
In 1937, Stage 7 was raised 30 feet and renamed Stage 16 to become a 98-foot high stage with a 2-million-gallon water tank, one of the largest stages in the world,[3] and has been used to film scenes fromThe Goonies (1985),The Perfect Storm (2000) andDunkirk (2017) and is also whereRyan Gosling andEmma Stone's characters can be seen walking in the filmLa La Land (2016). Stage 22, built in 1937, was the last stage built on the studio lot for 60 years.[5] By 1937, Warner Bros. had all but closed the Sunset studio, making the Burbank lot its main headquarters – which it remains to this day. Eventually, Warner dissolved the First National company and the site has often been referred to as simplyWarner Bros. Studios since.
The backlot has various sets including New York Street; Hennessy Street; Midwest Street and The Jungle. New York Street was built in 1930 and can be used to represent other cities and has been used for films including42nd Street (1933),Blade Runner (1982) andThe Dark Knight (2008) and television series such asFriends (1994–2004). Hennessy Street was originally known as Tenement Street and was built in 1937. It was used forMy Fair Lady (1964),Annie (1982) andSpider-Man (2002). Midwest Street was built in 1939 forFour Wives and has since been used as River City inThe Music Man (1962) and forThe Dukes of Hazzard (1979-1985) andGremlins (1984). The Jungle set was built in 1955 for the filmSantiago (1956) and has later been used forCamelot (1967),The Blue Lagoon (1980),The Goonies (1985) andThe Waltons.[6] In 1955,Warner Bros. Television was created and TV productions on the lot increased with some of the stages subdivided into two or three smaller stages.[3] The Laramie Street set was built in 1957 and used for westerns includingBlazing Saddles (1974) and the TV seriesCheyenne andMaverick. In 2004 it was turned into Warner Village, a residential street, used in TV series includingTwo and a Half Men andThe Big Bang Theory.[6]
3701 Warner Boulevard was the original home ofWarner Bros. Records, now Warner Records, located directly above the studio's machine shop when that record label was founded on March 19, 1958.[7] For many years, since 1975, the label was based out of a "ski lodge" facility on 3300 Warner Boulevard, before moving into theLos Angeles Arts District on March 14, 2019, along with the rest ofWarner Music Group, most likely due to WMG's separation from the Warner Bros. film studio.
In a cost-cutting move in 1972, Warner Bros. entered into a joint venture withColumbia Pictures to create The Burbank Studios on the Warner lot and its auxiliary facility, The Burbank Studios Ranch, on Columbia's Columbia Ranch, located a mile north of the main lot. The Burbank Studios was often abbreviated as TBS, especially the ranch, i.e., TBS Ranch. During this period, whether a Columbia Pictures or a Warner Bros. property, a credit for The Burbank Studios being the production base was included within one of each productions' end title cards' credits. Additionally, the new independent supplierLorimar Productions was based at The Burbank Studios so within the end credits of its properties likeThe Waltons,The Blue Knight, andEight Is Enough, a "Filmed at The Burbank Studios" notation was included. The joint venture lasted until 1990 when the partnership was dissolved and Columbia Pictures and sister divisionTri-Star Pictures moved into and took over the formerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Lorimar (nowSony Pictures Studios) lot inCulver City, with the two studio lots in Burbank reverted to Warner Bros. Studios andWarner Bros. Studios Ranch Facilities, respectively.[8]
From 1992 to 1995, Columbia TriStar Home Video (nowSony Pictures Home Entertainment) was located on 3400 Riverside Drive at the Warner Bros. lot.
Friends was filmed on the studio lot for ten years. The first season was shot on Stage 5[9] but at the beginning of the second season, production moved to the larger Stage 24. Stage 24 was renamed "The Friends Stage" after the series finale in 2004.[10] Other shows shot on Stage 24 includedFull House andMike & Molly.[11]The Big Bang Theory was filmed on Stage 25 and Stage 1 which is one of 3 stages where they tapedThe Ellen DeGeneres Show.[12] By 2015, the studio had 35 sound stages.[3][13]
The Second Century project, announced in 2019, was completed in 2023. This added 850,000 square feet of office space and over 1 million square feet dedicated to parking, and is located just south ofThe Burbank Studios. The Frank Gehry designed project includes a sloping, twisting exterior, made to resemble icebergs.[14][15]
Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is a public attraction in Warner Bros. Studios Burbank that offers visitors the chance to glimpse behind the scenes of one of the oldest film studios in the world.[16]
The public tour started in 1973 and was renamed after the success ofWarner Bros. Studio Tour London inLeavesden. Previously, it was known as theWarner Bros. Studios VIP Tour.[17][18]
| Studio | Production | Notes | Area[19] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 |
| Known as "The Ellen Stage" | 10,791 sq ft (1,002.5 m2) |
| Stage 2 |
| 10,682 sq ft (992.4 m2) | |
| Stage 3 |
| Built in 1935/1936[20] | 10,791 sq ft (1,002.5 m2) |
| Stage 4 |
| 16,875 sq ft (1,567.7 m2) | |
| Stage 5 |
| Switched to Stage 24 from season 2 ofFriends on | 14,850 sq ft (1,380 m2) |
| Stage 6 | 14,985 sq ft (1,392.2 m2) | ||
| Stage 7 | 14,715 sq ft (1,367.1 m2) | ||
| Stage 8 |
| 16,740 sq ft (1,555 m2) | |
| Stage 9 |
| 16,740 sq ft (1,555 m2) | |
| Stage 10 |
| 16,875 sq ft (1,567.7 m2) | |
| Stage 11 | Known as "The ER Stage" | 14,715 sq ft (1,367.1 m2) | |
| Stage 12 |
| 16,875 sq ft (1,567.7 m2) | |
| Stage 14 |
| 14,850 sq ft (1,380 m2) | |
| Stage 15 |
| 22,660 sq ft (2,105 m2) | |
| Stage 16 |
| 32,130 sq ft (2,985 m2) | |
| Stage 17 |
| 16,875 sq ft (1,567.7 m2) | |
| Stage 18 |
| 14,715 sq ft (1,367.1 m2) | |
| Stage 19 |
| 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) | |
| Stage 20 |
| 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) | |
| Stage 21 |
| 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) | |
| Stage 22 |
| 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) | |
| Stage 23 |
| 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) | |
| Stage 24 |
| Known as "The Friends Stage" | 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) |
| Stage 25 |
| Known as "The Big Bang Theory Stage" | 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) |
| Stage 26 |
| Known as "The Two and a Half Men Stage" | 21,600 sq ft (2,010 m2) |
| Stage 27 |
| 10,665 sq ft (990.8 m2) | |
| Stage 27A | 10,665 sq ft (990.8 m2) | ||
| Stage 28 | 10,665 sq ft (990.8 m2) | ||
| Stage 28A | 10,665 sq ft (990.8 m2) | ||
| Stage 29 |
| Formerly known as Stage 23 until renamed Stage 29 in 2009 | 17,282 sq ft (1,605.6 m2) |
| Stage 30 |
| 25,116 sq ft (2,333.4 m2) | |
| Stage 31 | 10,575 sq ft (982.4 m2) |
| Studio | Production | Notes | Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 31R | Formerly known as Stage 29R | 13,938 sq ft (1,294.9 m2) | |
| Stage 32R | Formerly known as Stage 30R and served as the original home ofThe WB Television Network | 12,324 sq ft (1,144.9 m2) | |
| Stage 33R | Formerly known as Stage 31R | 9,594 sq ft (891.3 m2) | |
| Stage 34R | Formerly known as Stage 32R | 6,084 sq ft (565.2 m2) | |
| Stage 35R | Formerly known as Stage 33R | 7,644 sq ft (710.2 m2) |
TheEastwood Scoring Stage, also known as theClint Eastwood Scoring Stage, is a motion picture scoring studio located at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, featuring a 96 Channel AMS Neve 88RS-SP mixing console.[22] It is named after actorClint Eastwood.[23]
TheWarner Bros. Museum opened at the studio in 1996.
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34°08′56″N118°20′15″W / 34.14889°N 118.33750°W /34.14889; -118.33750
