Well, here's an outcome you probably didn't see coming a few years ago. Netflix, which many observers would pin as the single biggest market force that brought down an empire of brick-and-mortar video stores, is embarking on a big new venture in the US featuring physical locations.
It has clearly looked at the sheer popularity of its many shows and franchises, and decided that it's not doing enough to monetise them in the real world, compared to the likes of Disney and its parks, for instance. So, it's launching what it calls Netflix House.
The plan is to open large-scale destinations for people to visit if they want to score merch, themed meals and immersive experiences built around the biggest Netflix shows of the day. There are two locations in the initial plan, both in the US. One's in Dallas, and the other's in Philadelphia, and they'll be completely different from each other.
Take the Dallas location. It'll open on 11 December this year, and feature large-scale immersive experiences from the world of Squid Game and Stranger Things, each taking place through a series of carefully-designed rooms that you'll move through as a team.
In Philly, meanwhile, Netflix House will open on 12 November, a month earlier, and will offer experiences for fans of Wednesday and One Piece. Both locations will also feature eateries and stores, and Netflix says that the immersive experiences will be ticketed, with an online booking system likely to follow soon.
This is fascinating stuff, for a variety of reasons. For one, it acts as an unofficial confirmation of the four shows that Netflix considers to be its biggest and most popular. More widely, though, it's a very expensive and high-profile new gamble from a company that's so far been almost entirely about the software.
It's not totally out of nowhere, though. Through Stranger Things, Netflix has been experimenting with real-world experiences, in the form of a team-up with Secret Cinema a few summers ago, and the more recent Stranger Things stage show, which has become really popular in both London and New York City.
Whether it works will be super interesting to see – there will doubtless be a big surge of interest when the locations first open, though. If you're in the area, maybe make a note of those dates to see about swinging by to check them out.
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