First Netflix House is now open, focusing on interactive entertainment
What's the story
Netflix has opened its first permanent physical location, called the Netflix House, at the King of Prussia Mall near Philadelphia. The site is a former Lord & Taylor department store transformed into an immersive experience for fans of the streaming service. Inside, visitors can find a mini-golf course, restaurants, and numerous selfie spots inspired by popular shows like Bridgerton and Stranger Things.
Concept evolution
Netflix's 1st physical manifestation
Marian Lee, Netflix's Chief Marketing Officer, described the Netflix House in a statement as "the first permanent physical manifestation of Netflix for our fans." She added that this concept is focused on immersive experiences rather than traditional movie theaters. The move comes as US movie theaters have seen a more than 20% decline since Netflix began streaming content in 2007, according to Cinema United.
Future plans
Immersive experiences inspired by popular shows
The first Netflix House features a spooky multimedia experience called Eve of the Outcasts, inspired by the show Wednesday. The second location, opening in Dallas, Texas, this December, will feature a virtual immersive Squid Game experience. Lee expressed her desire for these locations to be present in every major city worldwide. A third location is already being planned for Las Vegas.
Market strategy
Blurring the lines between content and experience
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, noted that Netflix aims to blur the line between its on-screen content and real-world immersive experiences. He added that this strategy allows fans to market the shows to each other through social media. The move into physical spaces follows numerous pop-up experiments in 350 cities worldwide.