Khaberni - In the style of the famous "Disneyland" owned by "Disney," "Netflix" now presents its own version: "Netflix House" (Netflix House), which has become the first amusement park signed by the streaming giant, offering an immersive experience blending real entertainment with the worlds famous through the platform globally.
"Netflix" has officially opened its first entertainment center in the United States, in the King of Prussia suburb near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The center spans two floors inside a building that was previously a large store, offering a mix of interactive experiences including escape rooms, mini-golf courses, a souvenir shop, a cinema hall, and a restaurant inspired by the platform’s most popular series.
The concept is based on the idea of transforming Netflix's fictional worlds into real experiences that the audience can live up close.
The "escape rooms" are inspired by the anime world of "One Piece," while each mini-golf course represents a different famous series, from the romantic "Bridgerton" to the mysterious "Stranger Things."
The largest space in "Netflix House" is entirely dedicated to the series "Wednesday" derived from "The Addams Family," coinciding with the preparation for its second season. Visitors enter a gloomy environment filled with games and puzzles, starting from Wednesday Addams’ bedroom at "Nevermore" school, accurately redesigned to match the series.
For more excitement, virtual reality (VR) experiences have been added, allowing visitors - through helmets and interactive devices - to embark on adventures in the worlds of "Squid Game" and "Stranger Things," making them feel as if they were actually inside the scenes.
"Netflix" Enters the Race to Reality
Netflix's Head of Marketing, Marianne Lee, says that the platform, nearing a billion viewers globally, is continuously competing for "time and attention" with platforms like "YouTube," "TikTok," and video games.
She adds that the purpose of creating "Netflix House" is to connect viewers with the real world, allowing fans of the series to experience them firsthand, while curious visitors might turn into new viewers after visiting the place.
Lee says, "We are not just competing over the hours people spend in front of the screen, but also in how present we are in their daily culture."
To achieve this, Netflix has already announced two additional entertainment centers under development in the United States, as part of a broader expansion plan to make "Netflix House" a bridge between the screen and reality.
Lessons from Disneyland
Netflix draws its strategy from Disney's experience, which has proven the feasibility of merging entertainment and commercial revenues.
Disney's theme parks and cruises have generated over 27 billion dollars in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, with operating profits reaching 8 billion dollars, making them the company's largest source of income.
By comparison, Netflix starts its project with more modest steps, as a small center in a distant suburb, within a shopping complex, not in the heart of a major city. But the idea, as Lee says, is not the size, but the innovation and experience.
No General Admission Tickets
Unlike traditional amusement parks, "Netflix" does not offer a general admission ticket; instead, experiences are sold separately; the mini-golf experience costs $15 per round, while virtual reality experiences cost $25.
On her part, Lee explains that the selection of series on which the experiences are based depends on the popularity of the content and viewer ratings in each region, with the possibility of modifying the spaces and redesigning them if they do not achieve the desired interaction.
International Expansion "Soon"
So far, "Netflix" has not announced new international locations, but Marianne Lee hinted that global expansion is "only a matter of time. If the first centers succeed, we will take the experience to other cities around the world. There is an eager audience to experience Netflix worlds directly."
While "Netflix House" represents a modest first step compared to the "Disney" empire, it opens a new chapter in the concept of contemporary entertainment; where the boundaries between screen and reality disappear, and the viewer becomes part of the story they were just watching yesterday.
