Streaming giant Netflix is taking another step in its push to open a variety of interactive venues around the country that promote its shows, launching in Dallas its second location, this one featuring an interactive game room as its first-of-its-kind experience.
The effort is gaining attention not only as an example of how entertainment companies could seek to engage with viewers in coming years but because it comes as Netflix is in the running to buy the production studio and streaming assets of Warner Bros. Discovery, another possible expansion with ties to real estate. While the potential purchase of Warner Bros. faces obstacles, if it does come together, executives are already thinking of potential ways it could help improve its new Netflix Houses.
"We love the idea of bringing those amazing legacy stories of Warner Brothers together with 'Stranger Things' and 'Squid Games,'" with it being a "great combination of our innovation, reach and scale" alongside "the history of that studio" but that it's "still very early," Greg Lombardo, vice president and head of live experiences of Los Gatos, California-based Netflix, said in an interview.
Netflix opened its first Netflix House in Philadelphia last month that features a virtual reality experience and a mini golf course, and each Netflix House is designed to be different and changeable. Netflix House Dallas is opening in the backyard of the home turf for both Dave & Buster’s and Chuck E. Cheese — two Dallas-area based concepts known for their arcade games and national footprint.
The new activity, debuting at Netflix House in Dallas, is called Replay, offering nods to hit movies and program on its streaming platform like "The Floor is Lava," "Bridgerton" and "KPop Demon Hunters."
Replay is a reimagination of the traditional game arcade with physical challenges and immersive story rooms. Its Sakamoto game is based on Netflix's popular Japanese action-comedy "Sakamoto Days" about a retired assassin has participants throwing ramen at assassins during a timed competition.
"In every Netflix House, we want to be able to afford fans the chance to experience the stories they love the most in new ways," Lombardo said.
Netflix House Dallas spans more than 100,000 square feet and is designed to be a permanent year-round attraction once it opens to the public Thursday. The space is part of a former Belk department store at Galleria Dallas, a regional mall about 12 miles north of downtown Dallas.
The Dallas location features Netflix Bites that serves food and drinks and Netflix Shop that sells branded merchandise, both exhibits that can also be found at Netflix House Philadelphia. Tickets for featured experiences that start at $39 in Dallas include "Stranger Things: Escape the Dark" coupled with "Squid Games."
In Philadelphia, featured experiences included Netflix an immersive show based on "Wednesday" paired with "Squid Games."
"We definitely want fans from all over to come experience Netflix Houses, and I think for us, the most important thing is being accessible," Lombardo said. That's why it's free to enter the two-story facility with direct access to the Galleria Dallas on the corner of the Dallas North Tollway and LBJ Freeway.
"We picked this spot because it's a well-visited mall," he added. "We want people to come back, not only year after year, but day after day and week after week, because Houses will change throughout the year and the offering inside will change to keep pace with what fans are watching."
Netflix House plans to open its next location in Las Vegas on the strip in 2027 in what will be its first location not in a mall. Lombardo said Netflix has plans to take Netflix Houses global at some point.