What Are The Big 5 Studios In Hollywood?
Which of Hollywood's big studios you can actually visit in Los Angeles: Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony and Universal, with tour prices, hours and how to see each lot.
The phrase "Big 5" has been attached to Hollywood's largest studios for generations, and the list behind it has shifted as studios merged, closed and renamed. What has not changed is the practical question behind it: which of these famous lots can a visitor actually walk onto? Four of them, Warner Bros. in Burbank, Paramount in Hollywood, Sony in Culver City and Universal in Universal City, sell a public lot tour or a ticketed experience today, and each one is bookable or documented on its official site. This guide sticks to the studio lots with bookable tours, so a Disney lot visit is not part of it.
The classic five of the studio-system era were Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Fox and RKO, and that grouping belongs to film history more than to the current map of Los Angeles. MGM's Culver City lot is now Sony Pictures, RKO's lot long ago passed to other owners, and Fox's historic Century City acreage is no longer a touring destination in the way it once was. When people ask the question now, they usually mean the handful of working major-studio lots a tourist can still visit, and that is the version this page answers with verified facts, prices and logistics.
Which Of The Big Studios Can You Actually Tour In Los Angeles?
Four of the major lots offer a public visit: the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank from $79 per person, the Paramount Pictures Studio Tour in Hollywood from $71, the Sony Pictures walking tour in Culver City at $55 on the official site, and Universal Studios Hollywood, where the backlot tram ride is included with park admission from $99.94. Each is a different kind of experience.
The distinction matters more than the studio names. Warner Bros., Paramount and Sony run genuine working-lot tours: a guide takes a small group through soundstages, backlot streets and prop departments while television shows and films are in production around them. Universal is a different animal, a full theme park built around a working backlot, where the roughly 60-minute World Famous Studio Tour tram ride is one attraction among many and is included with admission rather than sold on its own.
Here is the summary of the four lots a visitor can see, using each studio's own published details:
| Studio | Location | Visitor experience | Entry point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warner Bros. | 3400 Warner Blvd, Burbank | Guided cart tour plus self-guided Stage 48, about 3 hours | Studio Tour from $79 per person |
| Paramount | 5515 Melrose Ave, Hollywood | Cart-and-walking lot tour, 2 hours | Standard tour at $71, ages over 10 |
| Sony Pictures | Culver City | Guided walking tour, 2 hours, weekdays only | $55 per person on the official site, ages 12 and up |
| Universal | Universal City | Theme park; 60-minute backlot tram included | Park admission from $99.94 per person |
For depth on the biggest of these lots, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour guide covers tickets, tour types and what the backlot route includes, and the Los Angeles studio tours compared page puts all of the bookable options side by side.
How The Big 5 Name Changed Over Time
The original Big 5 of the classic studio system were Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Fox and RKO, studios that owned their own theaters and controlled production end to end. That exact lineup no longer exists as a touring map: MGM's lot is now Sony's, RKO is gone as a studio, and today's visitable list is led by Warner Bros., Paramount, Sony and Universal.
The antitrust decisions that broke the studio-owned theater chains loosened the system, and corporate consolidation did the rest across the following decades. What a visitor cares about is simpler: the lots that survived are still filming, and the surviving lots that admit the public are the four above. Universal's backlot has been open to paying visitors in some form for longer than any of the other major lots, and its studio history runs deep in the same era that produced the classic list.
One point worth fixing before the tour-by-tour detail: none of these studios is a museum piece. The official Warner Bros. FAQ notes that the tour route varies daily with production, and Paramount's own tour pages describe a lot with current series in active production. A visit is a look inside a working business, which is exactly why the rules around photo ID, bags and photography are strict on every lot.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour In Burbank
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour runs daily from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM with departures about every 30 minutes, lasts about 3 hours, and starts from $79 per person on the official site and on the bookable listing, which carries a 4.6 rating across 8,727 reviews, the deepest review pool of any tour covered here. The rest of the time is self-paced.
The guided portion is a cart ride through the 110-acre backlot and soundstages, about 45 to 60 minutes with a guide per the official FAQ, and the route genuinely changes with the production schedule, so no two days promise the same streets. The self-guided half is Stage 48: Script to Screen, which holds the Central Perk set from Friends, Big Bang Theory sets, the Friends Fountain, DC hero and villain costumes and recreated sets, and the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts exhibits. Recent additions include a Supergirl costume exhibit and the standalone Superman Experience: Defenders Unite, from $39 on its own or bundled with the Studio Tour from $99.
Ages 5 and up are welcome, under-5s are not permitted on any tour, and everyone 18 and older must show government-issued photo ID, since the backlot cannot be entered without it. Parking is $20 per vehicle at the Tour Center, and the official directions page recommends arriving 30 minutes early for metal detector and bag screening. The tour operates rain or shine, and walking is part of the visit.
The standard listing is the featured product for a reason, but it is not the only way in. The official site also sells a Studio Tour Plus from $160 with lunch at the Central Perk Cafe, and a Deluxe Tour from $330 spanning 6 hours with a gourmet lunch in the Commissary; both are official-site-only and not sold elsewhere. The TCM Classic Films Tour, from $99 as a bookable listing, caps the group at 13 travellers and adds 30 extra guided minutes plus Property Department access.
Paramount Pictures Studio Tour In Hollywood
Paramount's standard tour is a 2-hour cart-and-walking visit, daily, departing every 15 to 30 minutes, at $71 per person, the same price on the official site and on the bookable listing, which shows a 4.3 rating from 91 reviews. It covers the Tour Center and Prop Warehouse, the New York Backlot of more than 5 acres, the Bronson Gate and soundstages, and children over 10 are welcome.
Paramount is the only one of the classic Big 5 still operating on its original Hollywood lot, which gives the visit a particular weight: the Bronson Gate is one of the most photographed studio entrances in the world. The New York Backlot is the highlight for most visitors, a stand-in for east coast streets used across decades of production, and the Prop Warehouse is exactly what it sounds like, rows of set dressing from a century of filmmaking. An adult must accompany all minors under 18, and guests 18 and older need photo ID.
Planning A Paramount Visit
Parking is $20 per vehicle at Visitor Lot A, 643 N Windsor Blvd, across from the Tour Center, and rideshares drop at the Melrose Gate at 5555 Melrose Ave through security. Arrive 30 minutes early, bring photo ID if you are 18 or older, and expect still photos to be allowed while video is not. The official site also lists a 3-hour Premier Tour on weekdays at about $160 and a 4.5-hour VIP Tour on weekdays at about $230 with a private meal and complimentary parking, both official-site bookings. One cancellation nuance: the studio's own terms call reservations non-refundable, while the bookable listing states free cancellation, and the platform terms govern a platform booking. For a closer look at that contrast, see is the Paramount studio tour worth it.
Sony Pictures Studio Tour In Culver City
Sony's standard tour is a 2-hour guided walking tour, Monday to Friday at 9:30, 10:30, 1:30 and 2:30, at $55 per person on the official site, with reservations required, ages 12 and up, and under-18s accompanied by an adult. Parking is free in the Overland structure at 3990 Overland Ave, and the lot's stages once housed The Wizard of Oz, Men in Black and Spider-Man.
This is the lot the studio system built as MGM's home, which is the historical thread that connects today's Big 5 question to the classic one: the most famous MGM backlot in movie history is now Sony Pictures, and it is walkable five days a week. The tour passes soundstages with that lineage plus the Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune sets, visited when taping allows, per the official tour description. There is no bookable listing for it on the major booking pages; reservations go through the tour's own ticketing, per the official site, and the site lists a Premium Studio Tour at $150, a VIP Lunch Tour at $200 and a Thursday Twilight Tour from 6 to 8 PM.
The practical contrast with the other lots is price and pace: $55 makes it the cheapest studio-lot tour among the majors, it is on foot rather than by cart, and it keeps to weekday business hours because it moves through an active production campus. For visitors weighing it against a bigger name, how much does the Sony Pictures studio tour cost breaks the full ticket picture down.
Universal Studios Hollywood In Universal City
Universal is the one big lot where the visit is a theme park: the World Famous Studio Tour is a roughly 60-minute tram ride through the backlot, included with park admission, which starts from $99.94 per person as a bookable general admission listing rated 4.5 across 4,285 reviews. There is no standalone tour-only ticket.
That last point is worth stating plainly because it is the most common confusion in this whole topic: the Universal Studio Tour is not a separate product you can buy, it is a ride inside the park. The tram passes sets and effects like King Kong 360 3-D, Jaws, the flash flood, the earthquake and the Hollywood Sign replica. The park day itself starts from $99.94 on the bookable general admission listing, while Express access starts from $194.33 and the VIP Experience, which adds a guide, backlot locations closed to the general public, unlimited express access, a gourmet meal and valet parking, starts from $359.96. The park's own store lists General Admission from $99.95 and VIP from $359.95, a reminder that official and listing prices can differ by cents.
One current closure matters for planning: Jurassic World The Ride is closed until November 21, 2026 per the official calendar. Parking runs $40 per vehicle before 5 PM and $10 after for general, with Preferred from $60 and Front Gate from $70, and transit works well here: the Metro B Line to Universal City/Studio City Station connects to a free shuttle running every 10 to 15 minutes to the park entrance.
| Ticket | From price | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| General admission listing | $99.94 pp | Park entry, Studio Tour tram included |
| Express ticket listing | $194.33 pp | One-time express access per ride, reserved show seating |
| VIP Experience listing | $359.96 pp | Guide, private backlot areas, unlimited express, gourmet meal, valet |
| Official store General Admission | $99.95 pp | Park entry bought direct |
What About The Fifth Studio?
The fifth name in any modern Big 5 conversation is Disney, whose Burbank lot sits a short drive from Warner Bros., and no source here covers a public lot tour of it, so this page asserts nothing about whether one exists or how it works. Visitors who want a working-lot experience in that part of the valley are well served by the Warner Bros. tour in Burbank instead.
This is a deliberate stopping point rather than an omission. Disney's own channels are the place to check for anything the company itself offers, and the can you tour Disney studios in Burbank post on this site takes the same position in more depth.
If the goal is simply to see as many studio gates as possible in one day, a different product shape exists: private day tours by van, such as the TMZ private day tour from $699.30 per group with hotel pickup within a 12-mile radius of Hollywood, drive past the gates of Universal, Paramount, Sony and Fox with photo stops. It is a drive-by, not a lot tour, but it is the only single product on this site that touches several studio addresses at once.
Which Big Studio Tour Should You Pick?
For a first working-lot visit, the standard Warner Bros. tour at from $79 per person offers the deepest review pool at 8,727 reviews and the widest exhibit floor; Paramount at $71 is the cheapest bookable lot tour and the most intact classic Hollywood address; Sony at $55 suits weekday travelers; Universal wraps the backlot inside a full park day from $99.94.
Ages are a real filter. Warner Bros. admits 5 and up, Paramount requires children over 10, Sony requires 12 and up, and Universal's official pages state no minimum age for the park or the tram, though the VIP listing states minimum age 5. Weekday-only availability rules Sony out for weekend trips entirely. And cancellation terms differ sharply: the Warner Bros. and Paramount listings allow free cancellation, while Universal's general admission listing is non-refundable and Sony tours are bookable only through the studio's own site, so the date matters before you commit to a park day. Budget and day of the week decide the rest.
For help choosing between the two classic lots specifically, Paramount studio tour or Warner Bros. studio tour compares them head to head, and this site, Hollywood Studio Tours, keeps a full guide for each lot. The official studio pages also carry the final word on any given day: the Warner Bros. FAQ for Burbank questions, the Paramount tour FAQ for the Hollywood lot, and the Universal calendar for park hours, which post about four weeks ahead.
Common Questions About The Big 5 Studios
What Are The Big 5 Studios In Hollywood?
The classic studio-system five were Paramount, Warner Bros., MGM, Fox and RKO. Today the practical answer for visitors is the four major lots you can tour: Warner Bros. in Burbank, Paramount in Hollywood, Sony Pictures in Culver City and Universal in Universal City. The fifth studio's lot tour is not covered by any source here.
Can you visit all of the big studios in Los Angeles?
Four of them, yes: Warner Bros. (from $79 per person), Paramount (at $71), Sony ($55 on the official site, weekdays only) and Universal (park admission from $99.94 with the backlot tram included). Each is a separate booking, and Sony requires reservations with no walk-ups.
Which studio tour is the cheapest in Los Angeles?
The Sony Pictures walking tour at $55 per person on the official site is the cheapest major-lot tour, followed by Paramount at $71 and Warner Bros. at $79. The cheapest bookable listing of any kind covered here is a movie-location van tour at $49.99 per person, but it does not enter a studio lot.
Is the Universal Studio Tour a separate ticket?
No. The World Famous Studio Tour is a roughly 60-minute tram ride included with park admission; there is no standalone tour-only ticket. Park admission starts from $99.94 per person on the bookable listing.
What are the age limits for the studio tours?
Warner Bros. welcomes guests 5 and older, with under-5s not permitted and ages 5 to 17 accompanied by an adult. Paramount requires children over 10. Sony requires ages 12 and up, with under-18s accompanied by an adult. Universal states no official minimum age for the park or the tram, though the VIP listing states minimum age 5.
Do any studio tours offer hotel pickup?
None of the standard lot tours do. Only the private products include pickup: the private Warner Bros. day with Hollywood highlights at from $1,198.98 per group of up to 5, the TMZ private day at from $699.30 per group, and the Movie Guys private locations tour at from $350 per group.
