Museum of Illusions Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Museum of Illusions is a recreation franchise operating interactive museums full of optical illusions and hands-on exhibits. Franchisees run the venues, managing ticketing, exhibits, staffing, and events.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Museum of Illusions franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.9M – $6.6M, including a $100K franchise fee and an ongoing 15.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.9M – $6.6M
- 49th pct Recreation & …
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 15.0%
- 44th pct Recreation & …
- Units
- 20
- 29th pct Recreation & …
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Recreation & Entertainment · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Recreation & Entertainment avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $1.9M – $6.6M including a $100K franchise fee, 15.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSMean of the eight FRANCHISED locations' 2024 Total Sales, from the per-location table on printed p.43. The FDD publishes no average of its own. The six corporate locations average $5,303,200, so pooling all fourteen would overstate franchisee performance by roughly a third.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 71/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports Total Sales by location and EBITDA for franchised locations rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- RP Illusions, Corp.
- Parent company
- Metamorfoza d.o.o.
- Ultimate parent
- Invera Investments Cooperatief
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Kim Schaefer
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 7975 N. Hayden Road, Suite D-280, Scottsdale, Arizona 85258
- Auditor
- Anthony J. Cucciniello, CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $42.8M
- vs $18.6M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Kim Schaefer
- Headquarters
- AZ
- Founded
- 2017
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 16
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 219% above the typical recreation & entertainment franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $100K | $100K | |
| Initial Training and Opening Assistance Expensesnot refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| Rent - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $30K | $250K | |
| Security Deposits | $20K | $1.0M | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $1.3M | $4.0M | |
| Exhibitsnot refundable | $200K | $450K | |
| Equipment, Furnishings and Fixturesnot refundable | $25K | $70K | |
| Computer Systemnot refundable | $2K | $15K | |
| Website Set-Upnot refundable | $8K | $8K | |
| Insurance - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $1K | $15K | |
| Permits and Licensesnot refundable | $5K | $50K | |
| Initial Inventory | $35K | $70K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $15K | $30K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $50K | $100K | |
| Architect and Design Feesnot refundable | $100K | $150K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $5K | $25K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 monthsnot refundable | $75K | $200K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.9M | $6.6M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.9M – $6.6M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $75K – $200K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $100K – $100K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 15.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 15.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 5.4 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 15.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $50K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $35K – $70K |
| Total fee load | 15.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings vs. model
The FDD reports $1.4M as EBITDA.
Museum of Illusions did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Museum of Illusions unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
1%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Mean of the eight FRANCHISED locations' 2024 Total Sales, from the per-location table on printed p.43. The FDD publishes no average of its own. The six corporate locations average $5,303,200, so pooling all fourteen would overstate franchisee performance by roughly a third.
- Item 19 type
- Total Sales by location and EBITDA for franchised locations
- Sample size
- 8
- vs category median 5
- Range (low → high)
- $352K→$4.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 166 Recreation & Entertainment brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 15.0% — above the Recreation & Entertainment average of 8.8%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Total Sales by location and EBITDA for franchised locations rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 57.1% CAGR over 3 years across 20 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Recreation & Entertainment averages
How Museum of Illusions Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 20
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 9
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 55%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +57.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +57.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Moderate-to-caution risk profile: emerging brand with unproven system maturity, opaque financial disclosures, aggressive multi-tiered royalties, and slow unit growth despite attractive unit-level returns.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Largest disclosed settlement: $150,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Anthony J. Cucciniello, CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 71 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORHigh royalty burden: 15% + 15% + 5% creates complex multi-tier fee structure that could exceed 35% of total revenue in high-event locations
- 02MINORWide investment range ($1.9M–$6.5M) suggests inconsistent unit economics or significant geographic/format variability with unclear ROI drivers
- 03MEDModest unit growth of only 10% YoY with just 20 total units indicates slow franchise expansion and limited proven scalability
- 04MINORHigh initial franchise fee ($100K) combined with $1.9M+ startup cost creates significant downside risk if unit underperforms
- 05MINORExperiential venue model is location-dependent and vulnerable to post-pandemic traffic volatility, economic downturns, and tourism cycles
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 15.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 100 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Maricopa County, Arizona |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | AZ |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 49 hrs
- Training location
- Franchised Business (on-site) and Remote
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 18 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee, subject to franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Eden and Roller softwares
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Eden and Roller softwares
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
5 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Museum of Illusions · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Museum of Illusions franchise?
The total investment to open a Museum of Illusions franchise ranges from $1.9M – $6.6M, with an initial franchise fee of $100K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Museum of Illusions franchise owners earn?
Museum of Illusions does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Museum of Illusions FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Museum of Illusions FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Museum of Illusions's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Museum of Illusions (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Museum of Illusions franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Museum of Illusions has 20 total units in the United States, including 11 franchised units and 9 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Museum of Illusions a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Museum of Illusions as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 71 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.