Netflix has announced its stores will open in two big cities next year.
The streaming company will open gigantic new in-person experience venues in 2025, located in King of Prussia, just outside Philadelphia, and in Dallas. The venues will feature a “wide array of shopping outlets, eateries as well as experiential activities“ tied to the streamer’s major franchises like Bridgeteron, Stranger Things and Squid Game.
According to Variety, the two cities will occupy former department store locations at the huge King of Prussia Mall (180 North Gulph Road) and the Galleria Dallas (13350 Dallas Parkway), and each place will have footprints of more than 100,000 square feet.
What will all of this look and feel like? The house locations will build on previous pop-up live experiences such as Bridgerton, Money Heist, Stranger Things, Squid Game and Netflix Bites. They are all designed to “create an unforgettable venue to explore your favorite Netflix and characters beyond the screen year-round,” Netflix said.
Right now, Netflix does not look at these places as permanent retail destinations. The goal, though, is to serve as marketing vehicles that invite fans, helping to support the core subscription-streaming business.
“At Netflix House, you can enjoy regularly updated immersive experiences, indulge in retail therapy, and get a taste — literally — of your favorite Netflix series and films through unique food and drink offerings,” Marian Lee, Netflix’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement. “We’ve launched more than 50 experiences in 25 cities, and Netflix House represents the next generation of our distinctive offerings. The venues will bring our beloved stories to life in new, ever-changing and unexpected ways.”
On the outside of each Netflix house, fans will see sculptures and a “mural mash-up of characters from popular Netflix titles, according to Netflix.
“Imagine waltzing with your partner to an orchestral cover of a Taylor Swift song on a replica of the ‘Bridgerton’ set –– and then walking around the corner to compete in the Glass Bridge challenge from ‘Squid Game.’” Visitors can then visit a restaurant “with food inspired by Netflix shows from around the world” and then browse a store with merch such as “that Hellfire Club T-shirt you’ve always wanted” from “Stranger Things.”
