Museum of Illusions franchise
2025 filing · July 30, 2025GrowingShares sales figures
Museum of Illusions at a glance
An interactive museum of optical illusions, puzzles and photo rooms for families and tourists. At the end of 2024 there were 20 Museum of Illusions locations in the US, 11 franchised and 9 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Entertainment
- Franchisor
- RP Illusions, Corp
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2018
- 7 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Scottsdale, Arizona
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.94M–$6.55M
- Standard museum
- Franchise fee
- $100,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 15% of ticket sales
- 15% of ticket sales and event rentals plus 5% of merchandise sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- None now
- No brand fund
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 20
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 11
- Company-owned
- 9
- Change in 3 years
- +6
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 15
- Most in Texas, Missouri and Pennsylvania
From RP Illusions, Corp’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Museum of Illusions among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Museum of Illusions | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $4,244,000 | Costs more than 96% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $100,000 | Higher than 98% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 20 | Fewer than 50% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $3,044,818 | Higher than 95% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.7× | Lower than 91% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Museum of Illusions franchise costs
Opening standard museum costs an estimated $1,935,500 to $6,552,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($1,250,000 to $4,000,000) and security deposits ($20,000 to $1,000,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $100,000 | ||
| Initial Training and Opening Assistance Expenses | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Rent – 3 Months | $30,000 | $250,000 | |
| Security Deposits | $20,000 | $1,000,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $1,250,000 | $4,000,000 | |
| Exhibits | $200,000 | $450,000 | |
| Equipment, Furnishings and Fixtures | $25,000 | $70,000 | |
| Computer System | $2,000 | $15,000 | |
| Website Set-Up | $7,500 | ||
| Insurance – 3 Months | $1,000 | $15,000 | |
| Permits and Licenses | $5,000 | $50,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $35,000 | $70,000 | |
| Signage | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $50,000 | $100,000 | |
| Architect and Design Fees | $100,000 | $150,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $5,000 | $25,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $75,000 | $200,000 | |
| Total | $1,935,500 | $6,552,500 | |
Source: RP Illusions, Corp, 2025 filing, page 19
Museum of Illusions franchise fee
The franchise fee is $100,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: RP Illusions, Corp, 2025 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 15% of ticket sales and event rentals plus 5% of merchandise sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | No brand fund |
| Computer System Maintenance | Up to $2,000 |
| Transfer Fee | 50% of our then- current initial franchise fee, subject to state law |
| Local Advertising | 5% of Total Sales at a minimum, unless agreed otherwise |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: RP Illusions, Corp, 2025 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–17. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Museum of Illusions publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $3,044,818
- Median sales
- $3,334,394
Yearly figures for 2024, covering franchised museums open all of 2024 (corporate museums left out) (8 locations). The average and median are worked out from each location's sales as listed in the filing. The average is about 0.7 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: RP Illusions, Corp, 2025 filing, page 50
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2024 / 2022–2024. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Museum of Illusions | Typical entertainment brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +10% / +120% | +2.9% / +33% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 3.2% / 11% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 20% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical entertainment brand is the median of the 41 brands in entertainment franchises with three years of counts.
How Museum of Illusions compares
Of the 168 entertainment franchises on this site, Museum of Illusions is the 151st cheapest to open and the 48th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Museum of Illusions | Typical entertainment brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.94M | $286K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $6.55M | $598K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $100K | $45K | $40K |
| Sales per location | $3.04M | $756K | $794K |
| US locations | 20 | 8 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 113 of 168 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 168 brands in entertainment franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 7 (+2) | 1 | +2 | 0 |
| 2023 | 10 (+3) | 6 | +4 | −1 |
| 2024 | 11 (+1) | 9 | +1 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: RP Illusions, Corp, 2025 filing, page 52
Where Museum of Illusions locations are
At the end of 2024, Museum of Illusions had locations in 16 states and territories. The most are in Texas, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
- Texas3
- Missouri2
- Pennsylvania2
- Arizona1
- Colorado1
- District of Columbia1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Missouri | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Colorado | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Florida | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Georgia | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All 16 states
| Minnesota | 1 |
|---|---|
| Nevada | 1 |
| New York | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
| Washington | 1 |
Source: RP Illusions, Corp, 2025 filing, page 53
Who owns Museum of Illusions?
Museum of Illusions franchises are sold by RP Illusions, Corp.
From RP Illusions, Corp’s 2025 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: RP Illusions, Corp, 2025 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Museum of Illusions filings
The figures on this page come from RP Illusions, Corp’s 2025 filing, issued July 30, 2025, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | July 30, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
