The Short Answer
Los Angeles is the world's leading screen-tourism destination, the historic center of global film and TV production. Travelers visit Griffith Observatory from La La Land, the Bradbury Building from Blade Runner, and the Warner Bros. Studio backlot where Friends and The Big Bang Theory were shot. Productions including Pulp Fiction, Pretty Woman, and Kill Bill: Vol. 1 used locations across the city.
Los Angeles has served as the film industry's home since the early twentieth century, and the productions shot there have turned the city itself into a sprawling open-air set. FilmLA, the official film office for the City and County of Los Angeles, coordinates permits for the world's highest-volume production region, and the work continues: in the first quarter of 2026, on-location production in Greater Los Angeles totaled 5,121 shoot days, a 10.7% increase over the previous quarter, with feature films up 45.2%.
Screen tourism follows that output. The city held an 18.3% share of global scripted film and television productions in 2024 despite industry contraction, and visitors arrive year round to stand where Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone danced in La La Land (2016), where James Dean fought in Rebel Without a Cause (1955), or inside the Bradbury Building atrium that doubled for a dystopian future in Blade Runner (1982).
Several of the most famous sites are free and open to the public, while the studio backlots require tickets booked in advance. This guide covers the key locations, what filmed at each one, and the bookable tours that take the guesswork out of the visit.
What Was Filmed Here
The list of productions shot in and around Los Angeles reads like a history of American cinema. La La Land (2016) used Griffith Observatory for its planetarium dance and staged a number on a freeway interchange. Decades earlier, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) filmed its knife fight at the same observatory. Blade Runner (1982) shot interior scenes in the Bradbury Building and used the Ennis House. Pulp Fiction (1994) scattered diner and street scenes across the city, while Back to the Future (1985) used the Gamble House in Pasadena among other spots. More recent credits include Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003), Transformers (2007), 500 Days of Summer (2009), and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). Television history runs just as deep: Friends (1994-2004) and The Big Bang Theory (2007-2019) were both shot on Warner Bros. soundstages in Burbank.
| Title | Year | Type | What was filmed here |
|---|
| La La Land | 2016 | Film | Griffith Observatory planetarium dance, freeway dance sequence, various LA spots |
| Rebel Without a Cause | 1955 | Film | Griffith Observatory knife fight and exterior scenes |
| Blade Runner | 1982 | Film | Bradbury Building interior, Ennis House |
| Pulp Fiction | 1994 | Film | Multiple LA locations including diners and streets |
| Back to the Future | 1985 | Film | Various LA and Pasadena spots including Gamble House |
| Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | 2019 | Film | Multiple Hollywood and LA locations |
| Beverly Hills Cop | 1984 | Film | Beverly Hills and downtown LA spots |
| Pretty Woman | 1990 | Film | Beverly Wilshire Hotel and Rodeo Drive |
| The Big Lebowski | 1998 | Film | Various LA residences and locations |
| Jurassic Park | 1993 | Film | Griffith Observatory scenes |
| Friends | 1994-2004 | TV | Warner Bros. Studio sets |
| The Big Bang Theory | 2007-2019 | TV | Warner Bros. Studio sets |
| Kill Bill: Vol. 1 | 2003 | Film | LA churches, cafes, and medical centers |
| Transformers | 2007 | Film | Griffith Observatory and LA streets |
| 500 Days of Summer | 2009 | Film | Bradbury Building and LA locations |
