Netflix Builds Detailed Apple Store Replica for 'iHostage' Movie

Netflix recreated an Apple Store from the ground up for its newly released thriller "iHostage," a dramatization of the real-life hostage crisis that took place at Apple's Leidseplein retail store in Amsterdam in 2022.


Since filming inside an actual ‌Apple Store‌ was not possible, Netflix and the production team behind "iHostage" reconstructed a full-scale replica of the Amsterdam location. The recreation was designed to match the original ‌Apple Store‌'s layout and architecture, using advanced virtual production techniques to replicate the store's surrounding environment.

To build the replica, the production team constructed the interior set on a soundstage, surrounded by a high-resolution LED wall. This display allowed the filmmakers to render a photorealistic virtual version of the Leidseplein area in real-time, simulating outdoor lighting, reflections, and movement visible through the store's large glass façade. This technique has been popularized by productions such as Disney's "The Mandalorian," enabling dynamic camera movement and lighting changes without requiring location shooting. Apple's store design and branding were faithfully recreated based on publicly available references, floorplans, and photographs.

The real-life incident occurred on February 22, 2022, when a 27-year-old armed man entered the Amsterdam ‌Apple Store‌ and took a customer hostage with a firearm, claiming he had explosives. The perpetrator demanded €200 million (approximately $227 million at the time) in cryptocurrency and a safe exit. Dutch authorities responded by cordoning off the area and deploying special police units. Over 70 people were evacuated from the building during the five-hour standoff, including customers and employees who had concealed themselves in storage spaces and other rooms. "iHostage" is available to watch on Netflix now.

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Top Rated Comments

goodcow Avatar
23 weeks ago
iHostage? Seriously?
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nt5672 Avatar
23 weeks ago

I watched the film over the weekend, I was really disappointed by it.
That seems to be a common theme for Netflix originals.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NMBob Avatar
23 weeks ago
Oh, I thought it was about the EU holding Apple hostage over its business practices.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BlairMALL Avatar
23 weeks ago
Someone should have taken the script to the Genius Bar!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
23 weeks ago
Dramatization of a hostage situation in an Apple Store

Who green lights this stuff?

My goodness
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cameront9 Avatar
23 weeks ago
iHostage might have been a good title in say, 2003.

Now it's just an embarrassment.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)