Sony vs Warner Brothers Studio Tour

[Mmk1997]

We are heading to LA in August 2022 to celebrate our 50th birthdays and our 25th wedding anniversary this year. We are a bit of film and TV buffs and we were wondering which tour is best to really see behind the sets. We already have a full day planned for Universal Studios Hollywood.

We are a party of 6 (dad 50, mom 50, daughter 22, daughter's boyfriend 22, Son 20, Son 18)

I have read that Warner brothers is more polished but does not do tours on Tuesdays or Wednesdays; the price is $69.

On Sony, the tour is $50, but as of right now the tours are postponed due to covid.

Any words of advice about either one?

Are there any discounts such as citypass or the LA Go card that would include both tours?

 

[DLgal]

I wouldn't expect Sony to resume tours this year.

The only discount offered on the WB tour is a So Cal resident discount.

The WB tour is AMAZING. I did it last August and it far exceeded my expectations. It takes about 4 hours total. There is a LOT to see. Only about 1/3 is the guided tour. The rest is walk through exhibits.

This tour combined with the Universal Hollywood Tarm Tour is a great "movie/TV buff" combo.

 

[Ross Kratter]

The WB tour is absolutely awesome, especially because the guide will tailor it to your group’s likes.
Sony has a great tour, too, but as others are saying, it’s unlikely to resume anytime soon.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I have done both tours before Covid, actually I have done all 3 studio tours, Sony, WB, and Paramount.

The WB tour is my number 1, Sony second and Paramount 3rd.

The Sony tour was a walking tour, around the various backlot buildings. The main highlights for me were The Jeopardy set, the Goldbergs set, the prop room and the foly recording room.

The Paramount tour I would only recommend to people who are big fans of old Hollywood. You don't go into any buildings but are driven around the backlot on a golf cart. The tour guide has an iPad and parks outside various buildings and soundstages and gives an overview of what was filmed there. The main highlights were the famous Paramount Archway, the original studio street entrance., which is now inside the studio property and the buildings Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez owned and set up their studio. These buildings were once a separate property but Paramount bought them out and they are now part of the Paramount property.

As PP have said, the studio tours are still closed, but this might help people in the future trying to decide which ones to visit.

 

[pigletliz]

Another vote for the Warner Brothers tour!

 

[Steven G]

I did the Sony tour in December 2021, it was open for like a week or two, before it closed down again. The tour was run by a manager, and it did feel kind of rushed together, but it was still fun. We got to spend more time inside sets than on the WB tour. Obviously, there was a lot of talk about Spiderman, since the movie had just come out (note that we didn't see anything spiderman specific, beyond some costumes and props).

The WB tour is by far more polished, but it felt more artificial than the Sony tour (by that, it just felt that everything was designed to the second, to make sure we didn't interfere with other tour groups, etc.). The WB tour guide should ask you at the beginning what you like to watch, and will focus on that stuff during the tour if they can, so don't be afraid to speak up.

I've done the VIP tour a few years ago for both WB and Paramount. They both were worth the extra, if you really want to see inside the buildings, as long as can spend the extra few hours. the vip tours, to my knowledge, are not yet being offered.

Even with the above caveats, I would still rate them:

1) WB
2) Sony
3) Paramount

Where universal studios goes? If you take the regular studio tour there, it's last, it's barely a real tour other than driving past sets. If you take the Universal Studio VIP tour, I'd say it's as good or even better than WB.