Extended Reality Technologies in Museums
An Attractive Market with Great Growth Potential

published October 2025
by Björn Jensen

Extended Reality (XR) technologies such as Virtual- and Augmented Reality offer museums new ways to make their content immersive, interactive, and emotionally engaging. They open up opportunities to increase visitor numbers and to develop new business models - especially in cooperation with the documentary film industry. However, technical and structural hurdles still need to be overcome, and above all, the industry needs an event that brings together key stakeholders.

The Initial Situation

In the 21st century, museums face the challenge of maintaining their attractiveness and relevance to an increasingly digitally-savvy audience. Visitor expectations regarding educational concepts and emotional experiences are changing. To remain appealing, innovative mediation strategies are required - strategies that go beyond traditional exhibition concepts.

Extended Reality (XR) technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have experienced significant growth in recent years, as they offer innovative ways to present historical, artistic, and cultural content immersively. According to the platform Museumnext, this technology gives museums the opportunity to make their exhibitions more interactive and immersive, leading to improved visitor experiences and increased attendance. (Link)

At the same time, traditional documentary film production is undergoing a structural crisis: budget cuts by broadcasters, oversaturation of the international market, and the fragmentation of distribution channels are placing heavy pressure on the industry.

This is precisely where an opportunity arises: documentary film producers possess a high level of expertise in conveying educational content. This skillset can play a key role in new media contexts - particularly in the field of immersive technologies - and can support museums in their digital transformation.

The Relevance of XR

Immersion is considered the central mediation concept of the future. Immersive technologies allow visitors to experience content in a direct and interactive way. Virtual realities transcend geographical, physical, and temporal barriers: whether it be Egyptian tombs, prehistoric caves, a walk with dinosaurs, or hard-to-reach natural sites - XR makes places accessible that are otherwise difficult or impossible to experience physically.

Furthermore, immersive media contribute to more sustainable cultural consumption, as they can reduce travel with a high CO₂ footprint. Thus, XR experiences align with the various "Going Green" initiatives of the EU and the funding institutions of its member states.

XR also opens up economic perspectives for museums. In addition to enhancing the appeal of existing exhibitions, additional revenue streams can be generated by selling VR experiences. Beyond the fun factor, XR experiences offer scientifically proven advantages in knowledge transfer and retention, as learning content is linked to emotions. Classical exhibition formats can thus be complemented in engaging ways, encouraging greater interest in museum visits.

Attractive Application Fields for Museums

Production Reality

Economically, XR technologies are currently successful in industry and, in the B2C sector, as location-based entertainment (LBE) formats. These often allow several players to enter virtual worlds simultaneously to solve tasks together. Many major cities now offer VR experiences primarily aimed at tourists. By contrast, venues such as Area 15 in Las Vegas and Centre Phi in Montreal offer a broader range of immersive experiences. The market leader is likely the U.S. company SandboxVR, which operates around 50 locations worldwide.

Despite these potentials, the market for VR and AR applications in museums is still in its early stages. Possible development and production costs in the mid-six-figure range often exceed museum acquisition budgets. The international financing models established in documentary filmmaking - based on cooperation between production companies, international co-producers, funding institutions, license buyers, and distributors - are largely unfamiliar to most museums. Yet co-productions could significantly reduce costs for individual partners. If several museums - for example from Stockholm, Seville, and Montreal - joined forces, costs could be shared and substantially lowered for all. Funding applications submitted by production companies could further reduce investment costs. Such a model would represent a decisive step toward making immersive productions economically viable for the museum sector - but it requires a market event that facilitates networking among stakeholders.

In addition, most XR providers are currently start-ups or come from industrial film, gaming, or art sectors rather than from classical documentary filmmaking. Yet the XR market offers documentary producers a real chance to reposition themselves in a challenging economic environment. Documentary producers already possess the experience of conveying knowledge effectively to specific audiences. However, most lack both experience with immersive technologies and international networking within this field.

Festivals and Markets for Immersive Formats

International festivals and markets play a key role in developing and promoting productions and in facilitating networking among stakeholders.

Let’s take a look at some relevant European festivals and markets active in this area:

The leading international market for the development and distribution of XR productions, bringing together museums, production companies, funding bodies, and distributors in a targeted way, does not yet exist. This makes establishing stable cooperation and financing structures considerably more difficult. As the world’s most significant documentary event with over 2,000 attendees, Sunny Side of the Doc would likely be the most suitable venue at present to establish such networking.

Opportunities for Museums and Producers

Unfortunately, there are still no comprehensive, publicly accessible studies providing precise data on the financial success of VR experiences in museums for each individual project. Most museums do not publish these figures. Moreover, increased visitor numbers are usually attributable to multiple factors, not solely VR experiences. It is also difficult to directly compare museums with and without VR offerings.

Nevertheless, published data suggests that the economic potential of immersive media in museums is considerable. Studies and initial case examples show that museums offering VR experiences can attract additional visitors and generate 6 to 7 digit revenues. Outstanding VR experiences that align with the museum’s concept or a particular exhibition can lead to a significant increase in attendance: for example, the Musée d’Orsay recorded a visitor record of 793,000 in 2024 with its Vincent van Gough exhibition and the VR Experience "Monsieur Vincent". (Link) Currently the museum shows the VR Experience "Un soir avec les impressionnistes, Paris 1874" with additional tickets selling for € 25.

Other successful implementations can be found at the Louvre, Victoria and Albert Museum, Germanischen Nationalmuseum, American Museum of Natural History and Museum für Kommunikation.

The successful VR experience Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glas (2019) at the Louvre in Paris allowed visitors to discover detailed information about the famous Mona Lisa. (Link)

The exhibition Curious Alice (2021) at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, invited visitors to immerse themselves in the imaginative world of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. (Link)

The exhibition hall featuring the XR experience Museum INSIDE/OUT at the Germanisches Nationalmuseum in Nuremberg was seen by almost 30% of the museums visitors. (Link)

The American Museum of Natural History, New York, began experimenting with VR experiences early on. One of its recent highlights was the LED Cave immersive experience Invisible Worlds.(Link)

At the Museum für Kommunikation, Frankfurt, visitors could immerse themselves in a painting by Hieronymus Bosch through the VR experience DelightfulGardenVR. (Link)

Immersive offerings still possess an element of novelty, providing excellent opportunities for viral marketing and increasing museum visibility. In addition to boosting visitor numbers, VR experiences also extend the duration of visits, enhance donation willingness, and promote sustainable learning.

Moreover, production companies bring with them networks of established educational institutions and technological partners, as well as potential collaborations with tech firms or universities - all attractive criteria for museums.

From the perspective of documentary film producers, interesting synergies emerge: research conducted for traditional documentaries can also serve as the foundation for immersive productions. This opens up new business models that connect classical and innovative media formats.

Challenges and Strategies

Despite these opportunities, several major challenges remain. On the technological side, the low compatibility among headsets is problematic. Projects are developed for specific environments, which museums must then also possess.

Furthermore, delivering outstanding quality still typically requires tethering headsets to a computer - an expensive setup. In practice, especially when several headsets are to be used simultaneously, compromises are often necessary. At present, the Meta Quest 3 appears most suitable for museum use. It not only offers an acceptable price-performance ratio but also offers features that support interactivity in applications.

Another challenge is the high staffing requirement on-site in museums, additional staff training, and hygiene standards.

New financing concepts for museums must also be communicated and integrated into institutional routines. Moreover, the lack of data on the profitability of XR offerings complicates investment decisions. Comparative studies between museums with and without VR are scarce.

Conclusion and Outlook

Developments in the XR field are progressing rapidly. Distribution companies such as Astrea Immersive, Diversion Cinema, and Unframed Collection are now facilitating distribution. Interestingly, all three are based in France - distribution companies in other countries still need to explore this new technology and its associated opportunities. More and more markets and festivals are offering platforms for immersive content. International networking between the media industry and immersive experts is increasing, and production quality continues to rise.

The XR market within the museum context thus offers immense opportunities - for both museums and producers. However, this requires strategic cooperation, sustainable financing models, and a willingness to use pilot projects as testing grounds. If this succeeds, museums and producers can jointly assume a leadership role in innovation and redefine the role of museums in the digital age.