Sphere Sets ‘Wizard of Oz’ Opening Date, Announces New Project

Posted on: April 4, 2025, 11:22h. 

Last updated on: April 4, 2025, 11:38h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.
  • The yellow brick road travels through the Sphere when a reworked “Wizard of Oz” premieres at the Sphere in August
  • The $80 million project will use all of the Sphere’s technical wizardry to present the classic film as its never been seen before
  • The Sphere will also debut a new documentary film, “From the Edge,” in 2026

The Sphere has finally confirmed what Vital Vegas first announced back in June 2024: It’s producing a digitally and sensorially enhanced, yet temporally truncated, version of “The Wizard of Oz.”

This photo was created by prompting an AI program to “render a photo of Dorothy following the yellow brick road off the Sphere’s screen and into the audience.” (Image: GROK2)

Until now, Sphere CEO James Dolan hasn’t even mentioned the reported $80 million movie redo as part of his globular venue’s future plans. But now, we have its opening date: Aug. 28, 2025.

The 1939 classic, starring Judy Garland as the wide-eyed Dorothy, will be presented as a “fully immersive” experience in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery, Google, and Magnopus.

As we told you in January, the Sphere will use all the cutting-edge hardware at its disposal — including spatial audio, climate control, scent integration, and haptic seating — to immerse its audiences. However, the Sphere insists that the production “will maintain the integrity of the original while pushing the boundaries of Sphere’s experiential medium.”

Alas, the running time will be chopped from 101 minutes to 80 to facilitate more showings per day.

Bringing Dorothy into the modern age will be producer Jane Rosenthal (“The Irishman”), visual effects specialist Ben Grossman (“Hugo”), editor Jennifer Lame (“Oppenheimer”) and creative director Zack Winokur (“Little Island”).

Two things the Sphere didn’t announce are ticket prices or an on-sale date. Considering that seats for “V-U2: An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas” are still around $100 despite its half-filled showings, don’t expect to see the spherical wizard cheaply.

New Film

The Sphere also announced a new documentary about extreme sports athletes, which will debut in 2026.

“From the Edge” — directed and produced by filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who co-directed the Oscar-winning 2018 doc “Free Solo” — will spotlight free diver Alenka Artnik, skier Markus Eder, rock climber Alex Honnold, BASE jumper Katie Hansen Lajeunesse and surfer Kai Lenny.

They have all been captured doing their thing by Big Sky, Sphere Entertainment’s proprietary motion picture camera system, in Jordan, Dubai, Switzerland, the Bahamas, Austin, Maui, and Las Vegas.

“Our goal for The Sphere Experience is a diverse slate that leverages Sphere’s power as an experiential medium,” Dolan said in a statement. “‘The Wizard of Oz at Sphere’ and ‘From the Edge’ will push that vision forward in different ways.”

The Sphere also reportedly filming a concert film of the Eagles’ residency, culled from its upcoming dates on September 5, 6, 12, and 13.