Superman Experience opens in Burbank
Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios are opening a new Superman-themed attraction at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank on April 18. The experiential tie-in is another example of studios monetising IP through physical experiences as well as screen content. Attractions like this create local production needs for promo films, social assets and on-site content support. (prnewswire.com)
Warner Bros. is turning a soundstage in Burbank into a Superman mission on April 18, with a new attraction built around live gameplay, 3D video, real sets, sound effects, and audio-animatronic figures instead of a normal museum-style display. (dc.com(dc.com)) The attraction is called “Superman Experience: Defenders Unite,” and it opens at Stage 5 on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot on Superman Day, the annual April 18 date tied to the character’s comic-book debut. (dc.com(dc.com))) This is not a separate theme park in Orlando or Anaheim. It sits inside Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood in Burbank, where the company already sells access to working backlot streets, sets, and film history as a visitor business. (dc.com(dc.com)) (warnerbros.com(studiooperations.warnerbros.com)) Warner Bros. says visitors will be sent into Superman’s world to help defend Metropolis, and the experience adds photo spots, themed food, and a retail area modeled on the 2025 film. That turns one character into three revenue lines at once: tickets, merchandise, and food. (dc.com(dc.com))) The timing is not random. DC’s new Superman film, written and directed by James Gunn, reached theaters on July 11, 2025, and Warner Bros. is now extending that version of the character from cinemas into a permanent physical attraction. (dc.com(dc.com)) (warnerbros.com(warnerbros.com)) Warner Bros. tested the same calendar slot a year earlier with a one-day Superman Day event on April 18, 2025, that offered rare props, costumes, comics, artist appearances, and a screening of the 1978 film. This year’s version is bigger, built to stay, and tied directly to the current DC Studios era instead of a single-day celebration. (prnewswire.com(prnewswire.com)) (dc.com(dc.com))) That fits a wider Warner Bros. playbook. The company’s experiences division already sells Harry Potter retail and location-based attractions, and the Burbank studio tour gives it a place where film franchises can become year-round destinations without building a full new park. (warnerbros.com(warnerbros.com)) (dc.com(dc.com)) For Burbank, that means a studio lot is doing two jobs at once: production hub on weekdays and consumer attraction every day it can sell a ticket. Warner Bros. Studio Operations describes the site as a full production and post-production facility, which is exactly why these experiences also create work for local crews making promo videos, social clips, signage, and on-site media. (warnerbros.com(studiooperations.warnerbros.com)) (dc.com(dc.com)))
