Wednesday’s dorm, an elaborate One Piece escape room, Stranger Things, Squid Game and the Rebel Moon VR play and Netflix-themed mini golf, burgers and merch now span 100,000-plus square feet at the new Netflix House, the giant streamer’s first permanent entertainment venue.
It occupies the site of a former Lord & Taylor department store in Philadelphia’s King of Prussia Mall, one of the nation’s largest. Built in 1963, it’s weathered slings and arrows as all malls have, been revived, and draws a wide swathe of shoppers from across Philadelphia and surrounding suburbs as well as New York and New Jersey. The region has a high concentration of Netflix subscribers, says the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee, speaking with Deadline on site at the new 229-seat TUDUM Theater ahead of the Netflix House grand opening Wednesday.
Lee said tickets, which went on sale October 20, are moving briskly (no stats provided) and the team is fielding “a lot of inbound inquiries on, like, ‘Hey, can we have a KPop Demon Hunters birthday party in your location?’” There are frequent nods to the massive streaming and theatrical blockbuster around the public space and merchandise in the store, but the movie exploded too late for an attraction of its own, yet.
Kat Kendon/Netflix Attractions
There is a Bridgerton throne strewn with roses. There an Emily In Paris food cart with baguettes. There’s also no entry fee to wander, shop or dine.
Nine holes of content-themed mini golf (Bridgerton, Wednesday, Is It Cake?, Stranger Things, WWE Raw, Squid Game, Love is Blind, One Piece and Floor is Lava) start at $15. Netflix says ticket prices will vary by experience and date and are subject to change, but generally it’s looking like Feature Experience tickets starting at $39 and Netflix Virtual tickets starting at $25.
The main set pieces, which require tickets, are elaborate experiences each over 15,000 square feet. At Wednesday: Eve of the Outcasts based on the popular Tim Burton series, Wednesday Addams reluctantly takes over the Eve of the Outcasts Festival from roommate Enid Sinclair and gives it her own twisted touch. Guests can wander through Wednesday and Enid’s dorm, Principal Weems’ office, the biology lab, festival grounds, the halls of Nevermore Academy and cursed carnival rides. They can play Piranha Pursuit and Wheel of Doom and text with Thing to uncover secrets hidden throughout the experience.
Kat Kendon/Netflix Attractions
One Piece: Quest for the Devil Fruit is a 60-minute interactive journey set in the East Blue. As per Netflix materials, “Rumor has it that a mysterious Devil Fruit has been hidden somewhere in this world, and it’s up to guests to assemble their own pirate crew and race to find it.” Players face off against notorious villains, solve puzzles and navigate through iconic locations brought to life from the live-action series, including the Marine base, Alvida’s hideout, Arlong Park and Buggy’s tent.
Netflix House builds on successful popups starting in 2020 with a Stranger Things drive-in the thick of Covid. The company has presented over 40 experiences globally reaching more than 10 million fans in 300 cities.
“We have a team that is both concepting the creative development and testing the gameplay [and] working with set designers from the shows and films to get all the details right,” says Lee. Experiences have ranged from a quick hit weekend or two, to a a full popup. “We had Squid Game in New York for months and months. Not permanently, but maybe it’s running six months.
“We’ve been talking about a permanent venue for a couple of years because the biggest logistical challenge is finding a space. We need a ton of square footage and a ton of ceiling clearance to get these attractions and build them out right, and that’s the biggest expense. And so imagine you have a permanent space and you are stationary, and you have the flexibility then to move things in and out and not bear the cost of just picking up and finding another place in the city.
“If you have multiple locations, you’ll be able to swap in and out. Or you might say, ‘This one’s not working as designed. Why?’ We can tweak it creatively. We can take it offline for a little bit.”
On a tour Monday, Netflix reps stressed the community element. The project employed more than 260 local tradespeople during construction and development and will create nearly 300 permanent jobs when it opens. It also includes partnerships with regional artists and vendors, including a large-scale mural by local Philadelphia artist Emily White that showcases a Netflix character mash-up on the exterior of the building.
Catering to its demographic, the gift shop has a large table of Eagles-green “Netphlix” merchandise only available to purchase in person.
At the Tudum Theater, fans can experience Netflix shows and movies on the big screen with special screenings including KPop Demon Hunters sing-alongs, In Your Dreams and more. The theater will also host screenings of live sports like WWE RAW and NFL games, as well as trivia nights, seasonal activities, and surprise fan events. It will screen Netflix films and host director talks much like the Paris in NYC.
A second Netflix House is set to open on the heels of the first at the Galleria Dallas mall in Texas on December 11. It will feature Stranger Things and Squid Game as the major immersive experiences and have an arcade instead of mini golf, otherwise it will largely look and feel similar to Philadelphia, Lee said.
Kat Kendon/Netflix Attractions
If they’re successful, more will follow. “It would be amazing to have one” close enough for every fan who lives near a major city to get to, she said.
Will Netflix brass mention the new venture on its next quarterly earnings call? Hard to say. “Revenue matters, but this isn’t our core business, right?” says Lee. “It’s us continuing to have a two-way conversation and the engagement with our fans and being ubiquitous. You have to kind of stand out and put yourself out there with your fans every day so they don’t forget you.”
