Confirmed: The Sphere Will Spend $80 Million for “Wizard of Oz” Experience

By Scott Roeben, on August 06 2024
2 min read 7 comments
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Back in June, we shared a sourced rumor the Sphere (its friends just call it “Sphere”) is working on a new collaboration with Warner Bros. to bring “The Wizard of Oz” to the venue’s eye-popping screen.

No, really, a number of eyes have popped. It’s gross, and really annoying for the janitorial staff.

Anyway, the New York Post confirmed our scoop and added some details of interest, including the fact the Sphere is paying $80 million for this high-tech version of the nearly century-old classic.

A.I. seems to get Las Vegas.

The Post says the “a one-of-a-kind immersive experience” will be 80 minutes long (the original film is 102 minutes long, just to bug our fellow OCD sufferers).

The original movie cost $2.7 million, $25 million in today’s dollars or 1,052,312,500,000 Iranian Rials. We tricked you into learning something again! We love when that happens!

The New York Post was correct in saying the Sphere is making more from its movie, “Postcard from Earth,” than its concerts.

Warner Bros. Discovery will get about 5% of the gross revenue, according to the Post.

Unlike certain Las Vegas news outlets (all of them, but especially Johnny Kleptometes and the Las Vegas Review-Journal), the New York Post was professional enough to include a reference to our original reporting.

We’ll stop ridiculing when they stop being shitheads.

Anyhoo, Sphere at Venetian Resort has a history of big financial risks. The venue cost $2.3 billion to build. An $80 million investment in “The Wizard of Oz” seems a smidge insane, but the film has legions of fans around the world, many of whom apparently don’t realize several great movies have been made since 1939.

The truth is Sphere is the star of the show at Sphere. The venue makes IMAX theaters seem like showing a movie on a bed sheet tacked to the wall.

Also in the works is a U2 feature-slash-experience. Also not officially announced, but give it a minute.