The Las Vegas Sphere is looking to Hollywood to push profits

The Sphere in Las Vegas has turned The Wizard of Oz movie into a $200-per-ticket blockbuster, more than 85 years after its release.

Hundreds of thousands of tickets have already been sold since its August 28 release. Analysts project the film run could help push the venue’s gross profit above $500 million in 2026.

Sphere spent about $100 million reimagining the 1939 classic with Warner Bros., cutting around 20 minutes, upscaling visuals with AI, and adding immersive effects like tornadoes, flying monkeys, and falling apples.

CEO James Dolan and Warner Bros. Discovery chief David Zaslav even appear briefly in the film.

Dolan is reportedly in talks with Disney about Star Wars and Warner Bros. about Harry Potter, aiming to replicate the Oz magic at the venue.