If bingeing Netflix at home isn't enough, you'll soon be able to binge merch, live experiences, and themed food based on the stream service's most popular properties. Netflix says it plans to open a new line of retail shops it calls "Netflix House," where fans can immerse themselves in the worlds of Stranger Things, Squid Game, Bridgerton, and more of their favorite movies and TV shows.
Bloomberg reported on the streaming giant's retail venture on Thursday, which was born out of the company's experimentation with pop-up shops in the last few years. Josh Simon, Netflix's vice president of consumer products, said that Netflix House will allow fans to shop for clothing, eat food themed around the company's entertainment franchises, and participate in live experiences, such as an obstacle course straight out of Squid Game.
"We've seen how much fans love to immerse themselves in the world of our movies and TV shows, and we've been thinking a lot about how we take that to the next level," Simon told Bloomberg.
Netflix will open the first two Netflix House locations in the US in 2025, and then expand the stores globally thereafter. Each store will have rotating installations, including ticketed shows and restaurants with food ranging from fast casual to high-end dining, desserts, and spirits inspired by unscripted shows (like cooking shows) and popular series.
To give you an idea of the fan experiences Netflix House will offer, the company hosted The Queen's Ball: A Bridgerton Experience in 10 cities across North America, New York to Los Angeles to Montreal, where fans lived out their Bridgerton dreams for one night as they drank and danced to classical renditions of their favorite pop songs.
It also opened up a pop-up restaurant called Netflix Bites, where fans were treated to food and drinks created by chefs on the platform's cooking shows along with Stranger Things-branded frozen pizzas and ice cream.
More details about Netflix House and the locations of the stores will be announced at a later date.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
