Netflix House and Barbie’s mansion put immersive experience on the map
Commercial property operators are pitching immersive experiences – from living in Barbie’s home to lounging inside a “Netflix House” – as the next big thing to companies looking for more ways to interact with their clients.
The latest move in the trend of giving viewers a real life experience comes from global streaming giant Netflix, which plans to open its first two Netflix Houses in the United States next year. The properties would offer merchandising, food and show-related activities, including sets from hit shows on the platform such as Bridgerton.
Last year Netflix tested the market with its Netflix Bites, which was an elevated dining experience from several of its most well-known chefs. Australia’s own Curtis Stone was involved in the pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles.
Based on that success, the brand seems convinced there is a lot of potential with in-person events. “Netflix is already a destination for beloved food programming, from documentaries to competition shows,” said Netflix’s vice president of consumer products Josh Simon.
In Australia, Sydney’s Luna Park is also sprucing up its immersive offerings with the upgrade of its Big Top space to an experience-based attraction called the Dream Circus.
According to Bloomberg, Netflix House will have rotating installations with ticketed shows and restaurants serving food from popular shows. Options will range from fast casual to high-end dining, desserts and spirits included.
“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 said.
Luna Park chief executive John Hughes has said the $15 million of the 3000 square metre fully accessible multipurpose entertainment venue features “Barco projection technology, a spatially mapped audio system, hologram technology, motion-activated LED screens and the latest in lighting technology”.
There is also the global active entertainment giant BOUNCE, which opened its first Northern Beaches venue in Cromer in February. Using former industrial property space, the venues provide adventure experiences.
It covers 2300 square metres and is the second one in Sydney following the Homebush venue that opened last year spanning 3200 square metres in an industrial property area at 201 Parramatta Road, Homebush West.
Theme-houses have been popular over many years, as evidenced by numerous so-called Barbie homes that have had renewed spurt following the 2023 Barbie movie.
The hotel sector has also embraced the full immersive experience with themed offerings and being run by well-known brands such as Versace and Disney.
Disney transformed the Paradise Pier Hotel at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California to Pixar Place Hotel, the first fully Pixar-themed hotel in the US. It offers a Finding Nemo-themed poolside areas and a Nemo’s Cove splash pad.
Luna Park’s Hughes said at a Business Sydney event on Thursday that customers want a fully immersive experience and that theme parks are responding with a large array of interactive attractions.
He told the audience that, post the global pandemic, there is this “innate need again to escape, somewhere to go have fun and somewhere to go socialise”. “We know globally that all generations are craving these highly social and immersive experiences,” Hughes said.
