A commitment to authentic storytelling, continuous innovation, and a strong partnership with GetYourGuide has helped the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood grow from humble beginnings to welcoming more than half a million guests a year.
When the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour was established in 1973, it had humble origins. A simple walking tour with behind-the-scenes glimpses of Warner Bros. shows on any given day of production.
Fast forward to 2026, and it has evolved into one of Southern California’s most immersive and unmissable attractions. Today, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood gives more than half a million TV and movie fans unprecedented access to the magic of filmmaking each year.
For Danny Kahn, vice president and general manager of the tour, it has been a lifelong passion. Since taking over the tour in 2000, he has spearheaded its massive expansion, introducing interactive exhibits, new themed experiences, and curated displays like the iconic “Friends” Central Perk set and the immersive Superman Experience.
“There’s no substitution for the excitement of being on an active production lot,” says Danny. “You never truly know what you’ll see. I remember George Clooney hamming it up for customers in full Batman regalia between takes, or Tom Cruise hopping onto a tour cart in costume to go along for the ride. Mind-blowing moments for our guests come out of nowhere.”
Through it all, maintaining an authentic connection with those fans remains at the heart of the operation.
Here, Danny shares standout moments from his time on the Warner Bros. backlot, the challenges of operating a public tour in a working studio, and how partnering with GetYourGuide has been essential in capturing a diverse international audience and fueling the tour’s ongoing success.
How did your journey with the Warner Bros. Studio Tour begin?
I’ve been with the company for 36 years, and it’s just been a dream to work here. It was kind of its own Hollywood story; I started out as a security guard. Then, I worked in our studio operations group for five years, supporting events and productions, and I was just enamored with this place.
It’s a living, 24-hour facility that has some of the most amazing craftspeople and artisans who come together to bring these movies and television shows to life. I fell in love with that.
I took the tour over in 2000 as director, and back then, it was a smaller operation with about 36,000 guests a year. We’ve since grown that to more than 500,000.
What makes the Warner Bros. Studio Tour unique in a crowded market like Los Angeles?
We want people to leave feeling that they visited an authentic studio, that nothing is really “put on.” The storytelling legacy we have here builds a pure, significant emotional connection with our fans. The backlot is constantly changing based on the needs of production.
On any given day, you might see Harrison Ford filming, or our backlot doubling as Continental Studios for Apple TV’s “The Studio.” That unpredictability makes it a highly repeatable event, as you never know what might happen from one tour to the next.
What made you partner with GetYourGuide?
Our thinking was focused on expanding our international reach, capturing in-trip bookers, and filling our off-peak demand. International travelers start planning their journeys earlier, and we wanted to be a consideration for them at that stage.
GetYourGuide helps us better capture them while they’re planning their Los Angeles itinerary, and create demand from markets we weren’t reaching effectively before. It makes all the sense to be on a big OTA platform alongside other best-in-breed attractions in Southern California, so that when guests are considering a destination, we are right there in front of them.
Has your partnership with GetYourGuide driven noticeable growth for the business?
There’s no doubt about it. It didn’t cannibalize our direct bookings, either. Instead, one thing that stood out was how quickly we could see incremental growth from markets we were underperforming in previously. During off-peak periods, we are consistently booking through our OTAs, especially GetYourGuide.
Our travel trade business has become a bigger percentage of our business through the years, and much of this is attributed to GetYourGuide.
With over half a million visitors, how do you maintain an authentic, personalized feel?
That is a challenge to balance, but we kept it special by not scaling up the tour carts too much. They hold 14 people, so it’s not like you’re on a tram with 150 others. It’s still one guide who can take you into the stages and behind-the-scenes areas for personalized storytelling.
We also have repeatable “payoff” events. In our Stage 48: Script to Screen exhibit, guests can sit on the Central Perk sofa from “Friends” or sneak a seat in Sheldon’s spot from “The Big Bang Theory.” That’s on top of one-off experiences and seasonal events.
You must have some incredible memories from being on the lot. What are your standout moments?
The level of access and connectivity with celebrities here is amazing. I remember when George Clooney was starring in “Batman & Robin” while also working on “ER.” Tour guides would go right by him between takes, and he’d be playing basketball outside his trailer, just hamming it up for customers in full costume.
Then there was Tom Cruise hopping onto a tour cart in full costume during production of “The Last Samurai.” Martin Sheen once lent his jacket to a customer on a cold day between takes on “The West Wing,” and Iain Armitage (Young Sheldon) was always breaking away from set to sign autographs and take selfies with fans.
Those surprise interactions even blow me away, let alone our guests.
Have GetYourGuide's platform data and features helped optimize operations?
Because we rely on OTAs so much for our international reach, the data is incredibly beneficial. Being able to see exactly where our GetYourGuide customers are coming from helps us align our strategy and adjust our business operations based on international demand.
We consistently offer Spanish-language tours, but we’ve also offered tours in Portuguese, Italian, and French when the demand is there. We listen to the data and evolve accordingly.
[Editor’s note: Top international demographics through GetYourGuide include France (25%), Germany (19%), and the UK (12%), contributing to a 21% year-over-year revenue growth.]
Why did you launch the TCM Classic Films Tour, and how does it differ from the standard tour?
We listen to our fans, and there’s such a wide variety of interests when it comes to what they want to see and learn about. That was the catalyst for the TCM Classic Films Tour. This company has such a history. The lot has been around for over 100 years now. Being able to tap into those classic stories and visit the areas of the lot that really speak to that history has been incredibly popular.
It attracts guests who love the history of cinema, but it also acts as a ladder for our visitors. People will do the standard Studio Tour, and then they want to come back and try the TCM Classic Films Tour or the Deluxe Tour to spend more time with a guide. Having that variety has served us really well, and it gives guests a great reason to keep returning to the lot.
What are the biggest challenges facing the attraction industry right now?
There is so much competition in LA. The beaches, the big theme parks. I think we have about 100 free museums. Standing out and providing a strong value proposition is always a challenge.
We are also dealing with broader economic factors, like high travel prices and lower consumer confidence, which means we have to work harder to maximize revenue while managing costs for a very labor-intensive tour.
The industry is seeing a shift in film and TV production, too. Coyote Studios recently curtailed a large portion of its operations and closed down studios in Los Angeles, New Mexico, and Atlanta. We are incredibly fortunate that we still have active production happening here on the Warner Bros. lot.
It’s a double-edged sword because we have to plan our tours and events around the filming carefully, but having that active production is exactly what makes our experience so special.
How crucial is brand protection to Warner Bros., and how does GetYourGuide help with that?
I’ve been at Warner Bros. long enough to know firsthand that your reputation is everything. It’s important that we partner with the best in the industry. People are entrepreneurial, including fraudsters and unauthorized resellers, so there are issues that can be disruptive.
We are very careful about how we manage the Warner Bros. and DC Studios reputations, and we find a lot of comfort and confidence in working with GetYourGuide to ensure a secure, high-quality booking experience for our guests. They know it well, and they trust it.
How does working with GetYourGuide stand out from other platforms?
I’ve always been super thankful that GetYourGuide is so proactive. They realize we have a very unique product offering, and they are very active in helping us achieve our goals. They’ve been helpful in every regard, from having boots on the ground and paying us visits here on the tour to making sure we have the best representation on their platform.
The backend is also phenomenal and incredibly user-friendly. It makes it super easy to navigate and resolve any issues on our end. Like our customers, we find a lot of comfort and confidence in working with GetYourGuide.
What do you love most about leading Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood?
Ultimately, what makes me most proud is that my business sits at the intersection of travel and entertainment.
Nothing brings people closer together quite like those two industries, and I just love building that connection between fans and a big brand like Warner Bros.
Key takeaways
• Use data to capture international markets. By looking at GetYourGuide’s demographic insights, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood identifies key international audiences and adapts its offerings, such as providing multi-language tours. Revenue year-to-date is up 21% (more than $500,000 through GetYourGuide).
• Fill off-peak gaps with strategic OTA reach. The partnership with GetYourGuide allows the tour to maintain consistent booking volumes during off-peak periods. It also captures both in-trip bookers who are comparing top Southern California attractions and those in the early planning stage.
• Protect the brand with trusted partners. For a globally recognized IP like Warner Bros., combating ticketing fraud and unauthorized resellers is critical. Partnering with a secure, trusted OTA ensures that the brand’s reputation and the customer’s experience remain solid from booking to the backlot.
• Balance scale with intimacy. Despite growing from 36,000 to over 500,000 annual visitors, the tour has maintained its personalized touch by keeping tour cart capacities small and ensuring guides can still access exclusive areas.
• Innovate the core experience. The tour continuously evolves its offerings, from preserving iconic sets like Central Perk to launching the active, immersive Superman Experience, ensuring repeat visits and giving locals and tourists alike a reason to return.
