In early 1930s, Havel's brother, Václav, planned to build a luxurious residential complex on a hill on what were then the outskirts of Prague.

It was the best-equipped studio in Central Europe, and in its early years, foreign production companies such as UFA, MGM, and Paramount developed their own distribution systems in Czechoslovakia thanks to Barrandov.

Seeking to make Barrandov an equal to the major film studios in Berlin and Munich, the Nazis drew up plans for three large interconnecting stages.

During this time, Barrandov's new film laboratories were constructed, as was a special effects stage with a back projection tunnel and a water tank equipped for underwater shooting.

Czech film directors working at Barrandov at this time included Miloš Forman, Jiří Menzel, Vojtěch Jasný, Pavel Juráček, Věra Chytilová, Jan Němec, Ivan Passer, František Vláčil, Elmar Klos, and Ján Kadár.

In the 1980s, some major American productions were made in the studios, including Barbra Streisand's Yentl and Miloš Forman's Amadeus, winner of several Academy Awards.