Jump to content

Universal Studios Lot

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Universal Studios Lot
View over the backlot soundstages of Universal Studios Lot
Map
Interactive map of the Universal Studios Lot area
General information
TypeFilm and television complex
LocationUniversal City, California, 100 Universal City Plaza
InauguratedMarch 15, 1915; 111 years ago (March 15, 1915)
OwnerUniversal Filmed Entertainment Group
(NBCUniversal/Comcast)
Website
https://www.universalstudioslot.com

Universal Studios Lot is a television and film studio complex located at 100 Universal City Plaza in Universal City, California, United States. It is part of the entire Universal Studios complex, which includes the adjacent Universal Studios Hollywood theme park. It is the production site of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and is owned by Comcast through its subsidiary NBCUniversal.[1] The lot officially opened the gates of Universal City on March 15, 1915.[2] The lot began offering its modern studio tour in 1964, which evolved into the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park.[3] The Universal Studios Lot is made up of 400 acres (160 ha), which includes more than 30 sound stages, the Brokaw News Center which houses television broadcasting and production facilities for KNBC and KVEA along with serving as a bureau for NBC News, and 165 other separate structures.[4]

Background

[edit]

On March 15, 1915, Carl Laemmle opened Universal City Studios on a 230-acre ranch (93 ha) in the San Fernando Valley and called it Universal City. The site 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 (160 ha) 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, the modern 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-blown theme park now known as Universal Studios Hollywood.[3]

Over the next decades, numerous television shows and movies were filmed in Universal Studios Lot, notably at the Courthouse Square and Colonial Street sets. This includes Psycho (Paramount Pictures), Back to the Future (Universal Pictures), The Perfect Storm (Warner Bros.), War of the Worlds (Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks), Desperate Housewives (ABC), and The 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]

In October 2007, NBC announced plans to move most of its operations from its Burbank studio.[8] It retained offices at the Burbank site until May 2013, though the Burbank studio complex was sold to Catalina/Worthe Real Estate Group in 2008,[9] with NBCUniversal leasing space until 2013. The former Technicolor building on the Universal lot now serves as the home of NBC's West Coast operations.[10] By 2014, NBC had relocated their west coast production operations to the Universal lot including their NBC News and Noticias Telemundo bureaus and local production operations for KNBC and KVEA. Their newly-constructed news center was also named the Brokaw News Center in honor of former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw.[11]

Since 2016, the NBC show American Ninja Warrior has filmed their Los Angeles city qualifiers and finals courses on the lot.[12] The Universal Studios Lot is planned to be the venue for squash at the 2028 Summer Olympics.[13][14]

Gate 2, Universal Studios
Aerial view of soundstages

Studio Tour

[edit]

The Studio Tour is a public attraction both as a VIP and at the adjacent Universal Studios Hollywood theme park that offers visitors a behind-the-scenes look at the historic studio lot.[15] 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.[16]

Tenants

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Johnson, Madeleine. "Your Complete Guide to Everything Owned by Comcast". Nasdaq. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Strauss, Bob. "Universal City turns 100 years old". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Chronology & History of Universal Studios Hollywood". The Studio Tour. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Universal Studios Lot - Facility Operations". UniversalStudiosLot.com. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Universal Studios Lot - About". UniversalStudiosLot.com. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  6. ↑ "The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, MCA and the Hidden History of Hollywood". Dennis McDougal. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ Johnson, Ted (June 22, 2016). "Universal to Build New Soundstage Complex, Expand Theme Park in 5-Year Plan (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  8. ↑ Schneider, Michael (October 10, 2007). "NBC moving from Burbank to L.A." Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  9. ↑ Press, Paul Bond, The Associated (April 24, 2008). "Developer buys NBC's Burbank site". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 19, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Miller, Daniel (January 4, 2012). "NBCUniversal to Build New Broadcast Center". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  11. ↑ "'Surreal': NBC News Names West Coast Facility for Tom Brokaw". NBC News. April 28, 2014.
  12. ↑ Lee, Nikki (February 15, 2019). "Ninja Warrior returns to the Universal Studios backlot for the fourth year". American Ninja Warrior Nation. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  13. ↑ "LA28 announces Dodger Stadium among new 2028 Olympic venues, lineup nearly complete". Los Angeles Times. April 15, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  14. ↑ "The Universal Studios Lot Will Be the Olympic Venue for *This* Sport". NBC. April 16, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Universal Studios Tour". UniversalStudiosHollywood.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Universal Studio's New Tram Host Jimmy Fallon Celebrates Debut". IBT. June 2, 2011. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Universal_Studios_Lot&oldid=1374203458"