Universal Studios Hollywood

The story

Universal Studios Hollywood is a film studio and theme park in Universal City, California, near Hollywood, Los Angeles.¹ Owned by NBCUniversal and run by Universal Destinations & Experiences, it began as a way to let visitors tour the real Universal Studios sets.¹ Its official marketing headline calls it the entertainment capital of LA.¹

For a visitor staying in the San Gabriel Valley, this is a chance to step onto a working studio lot and into the theme park that grew up around it.¹ The narrated tram tour still rolls through the active backlot, though rides and staged events now share the spotlight with production.¹ In 2024, the park welcomed 8.7 million guests.¹

History

Carl Laemmle, a Jewish immigrant from Germany who settled in America, purchased the Taylor Ranch in the San Fernando Valley in 1914.¹ There he founded Universal City as a gigantic studio with its own zoo, police and mayor.¹ He opened Universal Studios in 1915 with a two-day celebration that drew 10,000 attendees.¹ Later, he invited the public in to watch the action, with a boxed lunch included.¹ That original tour ended around 1930, when sound films arrived and the stages were not soundproofed well enough.¹

Fire has struck the backlot nine times over the years.¹ Embers from a nearby brush fire destroyed four movie sets in 1932.¹ In 1957, an arson fire took out the New York street set.¹ According to Wikipedia, the most damage came in 2008, when a three-alarm blaze broke out on the backlot.¹ It started when a worker used a blowtorch to warm shingles for a facade.¹ Between 40,000 and 50,000 archived video and film copies of Universal's screen history were lost.¹ Universal president Ron Meyer said nothing irreplaceable was lost, since duplicates existed.¹ Reporting in 2019 revealed that the fire had also destroyed a warehouse holding a vast archive of analog audio master tapes from Universal's former music division.¹

After MCA took over Universal Pictures in 1962, accountants suggested a new studio tour would boost profits.¹ The modern tour launched in 1964 with dressing room walk-throughs and peeks at actual production.¹ Over the decades, it grew into a full theme park.¹

What to see and do

The park layers rides, shows and staged events over a working studio backlot.¹ - **Studio Tour:** The narrated tram tour still carries visitors through the studio's active backlot.¹ - **Springfield:** A dining complex opened around the Simpsons Ride, with eateries from Krusty Burger to Moe's Tavern.¹ - **Super Nintendo World:** Universal confirmed that this area, themed on Mario and other Nintendo characters, would come to the Hollywood park.¹ - **Jurassic World:** Jurassic Park: The Ride was refurbished into Jurassic World: The Ride.¹ - **Minion Mayhem:** Despicable Me Minion Mayhem opened after T2-3D: Battle Across Time closed.¹

Why it matters

Wikipedia places Universal Studios Hollywood among the oldest and most famous Hollywood studios that are still operating.¹ It also calls the park the first of the many full Universal Studios theme park resorts around the world.¹ What began as a working studio with a public tour is now a place where visitors can glimpse an active backlot while enjoying the rides and shows built around it.¹

Getting there

The park sits in Universal City, near Hollywood, Los Angeles.¹ The surrounding Universal City area includes CityWalk, with shops, restaurants, an 18-screen cinema and a seven-story IMAX theater.¹