Netflix House will fill the voids left by dead department stores

Today, Netflix revealed more details about its upcoming permanent retail destinations that were first announced eight months ago, including where the first two Netflix House venues will open in 2025: Dallas, Texas, and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania — a city located 15 miles outside of Philadelphia.

The initial Netflix House locations will open in “two of the most popular shopping centers in America,” according to Netflix, the Galleria Dallas and the King of Prussia Mall, and will take over the sites of former department stores, providing each venue with over 100,000 square feet of space.

The decision to open the first locations in shopping centers should resonate with Stranger Things fans, given season 3 of the series prominently featured the ’80s-themed Starcourt Mall, which was recreated inside a real shopping center that has since been torn down. Although the mall was not open to the public during filming, Netflix has previously opened other themed pop-up experiences, whose popularity has seemingly convinced the company it needs permanent locations.

Details on what exactly will fill all that space and draw fans to the streaming giant’s first two permanent venues remain thin, but they will include “regularly updated immersive experiences” and “unique food and drink offerings,” according to Marian Lee, Netflix’s chief marketing officer.

Netflix also hasn’t shared what either of these venues will look like aside from conceptual drawings, but today’s announcement did reveal that, on the outside, “fans will be treated to some eye-popping sculptures and a mural mash-up of characters from their favorite Netflix titles.” If there’s one thing that can save the nation’s dying shopping malls, it’s statues of terrifying demogorgons out front.