Copyright Business Insider
If you've ever wanted to hunt down the infamous Devil Fruit in Eiichirō Oda's odyssey-esque manga "One Piece," now's your chance. The first Netflix House is set to open this Wednesday at the King of Prussia Mall in Pennsylvania, where curious fans can take part in immersive experiences based on their favorite Netflix TV shows and movies. Although Netflix has hosted many immersive pop-up events, Netflix House will be the company's first permanent location. Greg Lombardo, Netflix's vice president of experiences, said hosting smaller events helped the company prepare for larger, permanent ventures. "By doing all these different experiences in many different places around the world, we've really been able to dial in the proper size, which has informed the size of the studios here," Lombardo told Business Insider. "We've been able to dial in the type of infrastructure we need to move them in and out more seamlessly. I think we've also been able to really refine how we work with the show creators." Lombardo said one key factor behind Netflix House is the company's desire to be accessible to audiences. "We wanted it to be a place that was super easy to come to and come back again and again," Lombardo said. If transforming popular IP into IRL experiences sounds familiar, you'd be right. Disney did something similar when it created year-round theme parks based on its characters and concepts. Disney's experiences division — which also includes signature experiences, games, a cruise line, and consumer products — made $9 billion in revenue during the most recent financial quarter. Disney's domestic parks and experiences' operating income increased to $1.7 billion during the same timeframe. Netflix plans to open a second Netflix House location this December at the Galleria Dallas in Texas, and a third in 2027 at BLVD Las Vegas. Members of the press got a sneak peek of the King of Prussia-based Netflix House, where shows like "One Piece" and "Wednesday" were reimagined into hands-on activities. Netflix House isn't a theme park, but it has a variety of engaging activities for visitors to choose from. While entering the Netflix House in Philadelphia is free, guests must pay for tickets to participate in certain activities. Fans of Netflix TV shows and movies won't be disappointed. Here's a look inside.
