Netflix House is the company’s newest gamble in the game of media thrones
The streaming monarch plans to grow its entertainment kingdom through the might of mini-theme parks
Netflix's plan to open Netflix House in 2025, brick-and-mortar locations that act as mini-theme parks, is an initiative both ironic and out of the streaming giant's league. (Unsplash/Venti Views)
As the king of streaming services, it’s not surprising that Netflix remains a staple in entertainment news. The company scheduled a 2025 initial opening of two brick-and-mortar locations in the United States called Netflix House, hoping to expand their brand along various channels to other countries and cities. This idea, although still far off in the future, isn’t going to last long because Netflix just wasn’t designed to compete this way.
It’s absurd and ironic that a corporation whose streaming service put DVD stores out of business is now aiming for physical locations. This story hasn’t escaped the quips of former video rental brands Blockbuster and Redbox who poked fun at this odd decision on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Despite the humour behind this news, Canadian media outlets like Global News have more serious doubts about Netflix House. The streaming company experienced mass layoffs last year in addition to this year’s highlights from password-sharing crackdowns to premium hikes. A theme park seems more like a weird shenanigan overlooking events eroding Netflix’s reputation.
Netflix also pales in comparison to pre-established media giants like Disney or Universal Studios, who are pioneers in the theme park game. However, a lack of experience in that arena hasn’t stopped Netflix from trying to stay competitive.
Netflix House will act as mini-theme parks consisting of merchandise, installations, and restaurants based on the streaming service’s popular TV shows. Beyond global expansion, Netflix aims to engage fans while promoting their content with these sites.
One could argue that Netflix House could work, since this isn’t the first time Netflix included their business in other sectors. They pursued the restaurant business with their pop-up restaurant Netflix Bites and interactive gaming with a Squid Game immersive experience in Los Angeles. There’s even a stage play in London this November that will be a prequel to Stranger Things.
That Stranger Things play sounds cool, but personally, Netflix should’ve been simple and stuck to being a streaming service without the Disney mindset. Becoming an umbrella for different assets defeats the purpose of being a streaming giant in the first place.
While it may seem counterintuitive to how commercialism works, Netflix doesn’t need to be a theme park or anything else to compete. All it needs to be is a binge-worthy platform for movies and shows, period.
In an interview with National Public Radio, TV critic Eric Deggans said that Disney has been in this game for a long time, and the amount of money Netflix would have to spend to compete with them doesn’t make sense. He also said he thinks of it as an experiment that won’t last long.
Deggans’ view emphasizes how news like Netflix House are just fun announcements to read about online. In the end, though, this plan is not feasible in the world of business and entertainment, especially with Netflix invested in so many initiatives already. It’s another case of biting off more than you can chew.
While we shouldn’t expect Netflix stores to be at every corner in Canadian cities immediately, Netflix might pull a miracle for all we know and do well with their installations. It’s obviously too soon to be that optimistic, so I’ll believe it when I see it. For now, I guess we can binge watch our favourite shows until three in the morning, again.
