If I was still living in West Hollywood I would have definitely have driven to Las Vegas by now to see the Las Vegas Sphere presentation of The Wizard Of Oz. It began showing about a month ago. Ticket prices are punishing ($140 or $150 for one decent seat — close to $300 for two people without popcorn, and closer to $400 if you’re buying through a greedy broker).
They’re not even showing the whole, original 102-minute 1939 film — the Sphere version runs only about 70 minutes. But it’s reportedly worth it.
Sphere Oz began showing on 8.28.25, and has earned $55 million so far…in one theatre. The cost of transforming the original 35mm Oz into Sphere’s stunning 16K dimensions took about $100 million. Although the arena seats over 17000 when full, Oz showings only offer the middle section, or roughly a third of its capacity. Two to three shows a day (why not four or five?), nearly every day, through the end of March 2026, with a ticket price that starts at $114 for shitty seats.
Sphere theatres should obviously be built all over the country, but which films should be Sphere-icized? Please, please don’t suggest the fucking Harry Potter films…no!
In HE’s realm the obvious calls would be the classic big-screen spectacles — Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back (but not the prequels!), Apocalypse Now, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Titanic, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the original 1933 King Kong…which others?
I would particularly love to see North by Northwest in this format. Image the crop-dusting sequence with all the directional sound and dust and the aroma of dirt and corn crops and a slight whiff of pesticides, and that magnificent blue sky above.
