Netflix shuts down 'Stranger Things' pop-up bar in the nicest way possible
Aw, those nice Stranger Things kids -- so nice! So gracious! So accommodating!
We're not just talking about the likes of Emmy-nominated Millie Bobby Brown (who didn't trip when she lost a supporting award to Ann Dowd of Handmaid's Tale on Sunday night), but also the marketing and legal departments at Netflix, who were pretty cool about a Chicago pop-up bar totally copping their whole Stranger Things thing to sell some cocktails.
The unabashedly Stranger Things-themed "The Upside Down" bar opened last month in Logan Square, but apparently forgot to run that idea by Netflix, which sent a cease-and-desist letter to the temporary business, according to a local report.
But this wasn't your typical sternly worded C&D. Netflix was chill.
According to DNAinfo in Chicago, the letter reads:
Look, I don’t want you to think I’m a total wastoid, and I love how much you guys love the show. (Just wait until you see Season 2!) But unless I’m living in the Upside Down, I don’t think we did a deal with you for this pop-up ... You’re obviously creative types, so I’m sure you can appreciate that it’s important to us to have a say in how our fans encounter the worlds we build.
The letter simply requests that they not extend the pop-up beyond its scheduled end date, meaning they're free to serve drinks like the Demogorgon and Eleven's Eggos until then. (Netflix didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.)
The letter continues, "We’re not going to go full Dr. Brenner on you, but we ask that you please (1) not extend the pop-up beyond its 6 week run ending in September, and (2) reach out to us for permission if you plan to do something like this again."
Hey, they asked nicely.
Topics Netflix Stranger Things
Josh Dickey is Mashable's Entertainment Editor, leading Mashable's TV, music, gaming and sports reporters as well as writing movie features and reviews.Josh has been the Film Editor at Variety, Entertainment Editor at The Associated Press and Managing Editor at TheWrap.com.A finalist for the Los Angeles Press Club's Best Entertainment Feature in 2015 for "Everyone is Altered: The Secret Hollywood Procedure that Fooled Us for Years," Josh received his BA in Journalism from The University of Minnesota.In between screenings, he can be found skating longboards, shredding guitar and wandering the streets of his beloved downtown Los Angeles.