Netflix's 'Secret Mall Apartment' Doc Earns Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

The documentary about a group of young Rhode Islanders who built a secret home inside a shopping mall has become a surprise hit on the streaming platform.

Feb. 3, 2026 at 10:39am

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One of the most popular movies on Netflix right now is a documentary called "Secret Mall Apartment" that puts the entire premise right in the title. The film centers on a group of young Rhode Island natives who built a secret apartment inside the Providence Place mall as a form of protest against the mall's controversial development that had encroached upon their neighborhood. The documentary has taken Netflix by storm, reaching as high as No. 4 on the site's most popular movies chart, and it has also been critically acclaimed, earning a near-perfect 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Why it matters

The surprise success of "Secret Mall Apartment" highlights that Netflix audiences don't just want the typical true crime documentaries that have become a staple of the platform's documentary library. The film's thoughtful exploration of the intentions behind the group's actions, as well as its examination of the importance of human connection and the need for spaces where art can exist, shows that viewers are hungry for more well-crafted, stimulating true stories that go beyond just shocking and awing them.

The details

In 2003, a group of young artists in Rhode Island, including Michael Townsend and Adriana Valdez-Young, created a hidden 750-square-foot apartment inside the Providence Place shopping mall. They lived there consistently for up to three weeks at a time over the course of more than four years before being caught in 2007. Townsend, the leader of the group, was initially charged with breaking and entering, but the charge was later reduced to trespassing. The documentary explores how the group's actions were a form of protest against the mall's controversial development and the gentrification of their neighborhood.

  • In 2003, the group of young artists built the secret apartment inside the Providence Place mall.
  • Over the course of more than four years, the group lived in the apartment consistently for up to three weeks at a time.
  • In 2007, the group was finally caught and Townsend was charged with trespassing.

The players

Michael Townsend

The leader of the group of young artists who built the secret apartment inside the Providence Place mall.

Adriana Valdez-Young

One of the young artists who was part of the group that built the secret apartment inside the Providence Place mall.

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What they’re saying

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee

The takeaway

The surprise success of "Secret Mall Apartment" on Netflix shows that audiences are hungry for more well-crafted, thoughtful documentaries that go beyond the typical true crime fare. The film's exploration of the group's intentions and the larger issues of gentrification and the need for spaces for art and community proves that viewers want stimulating stories that challenge and engage them, rather than just shocking them.