Want a photo of your head on a platter? Or walking on the ceiling? Those optical tricks and many more are offered at the Museum of Illusions in Chicago, part of an expansion into the United States by the Croatian-born experience franchise.
Started in 2015 by Roko Zivkovic and Tomislav Pamukovic, two friends in Zagreb, Croatia, the Museum of Illusions has spread to 36 locations in 22 countries around the world, including Paris, Dubai, Toronto, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur, Berlin and Vienna.
Jason Mitchell, the franchisee in Chicago, calls the exhibits “simple” and “analog,” not to mention immersive and nostalgic for some. He and his business partners, including childhood friend Rob Cooper, opened in Chicago in November 2020 and in Philadelphia in March 2022. On a visit to Chicago in June, they were set to sign a least for Scottsdale, Arizona, and next will look at Boston.
Jonathan Benjamin is the newly appointed CEO of Metamorphosis, the parent company of Museum of Illusions. Formerly with Altitude Trampoline Parks as well as Wyndham, Hyatt and Tony Roma’s, he was hired after the founders sold a majority stake to a private equity group last summer, Invera Equity Partners based in Zagreb.
“It’s a broad demographic that loves this. It’s very hands on, it’s Instagrammable, it’s TikTok-ish. People go there on dates,” Benjamin said. “It’s a little mind-boggling but fun.”