The Hertfordshire studio where all eight Harry Potter films were shot tripled its profits to £32m last year with the bulk of the increase generated by its behind the scenes boy wizard tour.

The tour, at Leavesden studios, showcases costumes, props and sets from the Harry Potter series including a recreation of Hogwarts' Great Hall.

Last year was the first full year of trading for the tour, which accounted for £57m of £83.4m in revenue, up 68% on 2012.

Leavesden was originally an aircraft factory that built planes including Mosquitos and Halifax bombers during the second world war. The first feature film be shot there was GoldenEye, the 17th in the James Bond series that was released in 1995. Other films to be shot at Leavesden include the first Star Wars prequel and the second in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight.

In November 2010 the facility was taken over by the US studio Warner Bros, the distributor of the Harry Potter films. Warner Bros has since invested more than £100m in the site, including the creation of the two sound stages, which are home to the tour. The US studio also refurbished eight of the other sound stages. They now feature the latest production equipment.

The upgrade was well timed as the UK is becoming an increasingly popular filming location for Hollywood studios. They are attracted by a tax break which allows films with budgets of more than £20m to claim back up to 20% of their production costs.

Since it reopened, three movies have been filmed at Leavesden including this year's Tom Cruise blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow.

Last month the studio unveiled plans for three more sound stages. They will be home to the Harry Potter spinoff trilogy, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the first of which is due for release in last 2016.

Rival Pinewood studios had also tripled its profits last year and now plans to double its Buckinghamshire site with a £200m expansion across a 40.5-hectare (100-acre) former landfill.