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THE WIZARD OF OZ could keep spinning at Las Vegas’ Sphere for another decade, according to Sphere Entertainment founder James Dolan, Deadline reports.
Speaking Thursday on the company’s secondquarter earnings call, Dolan said the reimagined 1939 film – which opened at the venue on August 28 and is now approaching its first anniversary – has the staying power to run for years to come as additional Sphere venues come online.
“There’s always going to be an audience for that product,” Dolan said. “That’s one of the reasons we picked it, because it’s so universally loved and it has tremendous legs.”
The retooled OZ, adapted for Sphere’s wraparound screen by a team from Google DeepMind alongside film, tech, and live event specialists, has grossed more than $400 million and sold more than three million tickets as of June, according to company figures. The adaptation required roughly two years end to end and involved Warner Bros., producer Jane Rosenthal, and the estate of Judy Garland, among other stakeholders.
A 2.0 version of the production premieres in September, bringing what Dolan called “some fun modifications and additions.” Audiences, he said, are “going to go for a ride with a witch” and encounter “new kinds of flying monkeys.”
“I think you’re going to see that the product remains robust in its demand,” Dolan added. “If I could make more Wizards of Oz, I definitely would.”
Drawing a comparison to Cirque du Soleil’s O, which has played the Bellagio for more than 30 years, Dolan noted, “It doesn’t seem like the appetite for that show has diminished at all.”
Sphere previously announced a new version of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, slated to bow in March 2027. “That will give us the ability to service families in the daytime and then a more adult audience in the evening,” Dolan said, estimating that ROCKY HORROR will take about a year to produce as the team systematizes the process. He expects three to four shows to be playing at Sphere by the end of 2027.
Some critics and cinephiles have objected to the 25 minutes of running time and musical numbers cut from OZ for the Las Vegas engagement, though the shorter length allows for additional daily showtimes. Two additional venues, a fullsize Sphere in Abu Dhabi and a smallerscale site near Washington, D.C., are projected to open within four years.
