Netflix revamps movie theater culture with permanent locations in Philly and Dallas malls

Imagine a place where you can watch movies, buy food and drinks, and play games. It's not a movie theater, it's Netflix House.

The streaming giant is kind of reinventing the movie theater, except with Netflix "experiences." Netflix announced the upcoming opening of two Netflix Houses at popular malls: one in Philadelphia at King of Prussia on Nov. 12 and another in Dallas at the Galleria Dallas on Dec. 11. Netflix will open another brick-and-mortar site in Las Vegas in 2027.

Entry to Netflix House is free and there's a combination of free and paid experiences inside. This includes immersive interactive experiences with popular Netflix shows, VR and arcade games, mini golf, and a restaurant with food and drinks inspired by various Netflix shows.

The streaming platform has created live pop-up experiences in the past for shows like Bridgerton, Money Heist, Stranger Things, and Squid Game. But these are permanent sites reminiscent of classic mall hangouts from the days of yore — with the Netflix brand. The long-awaited final season of Stranger Things debuts on Nov. 26, so it will interesting so see how the Upside Down fandom plays out in real life, with a meta callback to peak 80s mall culture.

Each Netflix House has slightly different offerings. In November, the King of Prussia Netflix house will showcase immersive Wednesday and ONE PIECE experiences, nine-hole mini golf, and a theater with special screenings. In December, the Galleria Dallas location will have immersive games for Stranger Things and Squid Game and a game room for Netflix-themed physical challenges and retro-style games. Netflix will update the various experiences based on what's debuting on the platform.

Fans can buy tickets for upcoming events starting on Oct. 17 for the Philly location and Nov. 18 for the Dallas location. Or they can sign up for the waitlist now on netflixhouse.com.