'The Wizard of Oz' at The Las Vegas Sphere is a Big Hit

The Sphere’s 4D, AI-enhanced, 70-minute version of 1939’s The Wizard of Oz is shaping up to be the most successful repertory theatrical run in history.

View of 'Wizard of Oz at The Sphere' | Shere Entertainment

The Sphere in Las Vegas is the world's largest spherical building, designed as a new form of immersive entertainment with its massive high-definition LED screen and sensory effects, including sound, fog, and haptic seating. The $2.3 billion venue opened in September 2023 and features concerts, sporting events and immersive films, aiming to redefine live experiences through cutting-edge technology.

The narrative around The Sphere has quickly shifted from a big gamble to a runaway hit, attracting millions of visitors to its state-of-the-art concerts. But it may ultimately be movies that drive long-term revenue as the company expands its footprint worldwide - especially with demand for immersive and premium large format screenings continuing to skyrocket.

Wolfe Research has compiled data on just how successful The Wizard of Oz has been at the world’s most cutting-edge theater. The numbers are ming-boggling. The movie is generating about $2 million a day from three screenings, each drawing 4,000 to 5,000 moviegoers paying almost $200 per ticket. Sphere had already sold a total of 120,000 tickets before the movie even opened.

Executives expect the film will bring in $1 billion in ticket sales before it finishes its preliminary run, says Bloomberg. But Sphere’s deal with Warner Bros. allows the company to program the movie indefinitely, ensuring it can always return to the venue to make even more money. Warners gets a licensing fee and a small cut of ticket sales.

Credit: Neon

According to Hollywood Reporter, Sphere spent nearly $100 million retrofitting The Wizard of Oz for its venue - including a pair of Ruby slippers as tall as a house poking out from underneath - so the investment seems like money very well spent, particularly as Sphere reportedly keeps about 70 percent of movie revenue. In other words, while concerts may be the marquee headliners, movies could be what truly makes the Sphere wildly successful.

Meanwhile, the Library of Congress recently splashed out on numerous items from the original film. The new treasures include 35 musical manuscripts from composer Harold Arlen and lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg's creative output, including the first handwritten drafts of music and lyrics from some of the most well-known The Wizard of Oz songs, draft song lists and correspondence from the director of the film, Mervyn LeRoy. Among the artifacts is the only lyric sketch for Over the Rainbow known to exist.