The Las Vegas Sphere has announced its next residency. A Sphere adapted version of The Rocky Horror Show will replace The Wizard of Oz in the 17,600-seat venue. The iconic show will be shown on the 16k-resolution wrap-around screen from next year.
Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world. One of the most popular activities is casino gaming, accounting for the majority of Sin City’s 38.5 million annual visitors. However, casino tourism has slowed down in recent years, largely due to the popularity of online casino gaming. Popular games like the Betfair Even Bigger Bananas 2 game mean players no longer feel the need to travel to the iconic entertainment city.
Developments like the Las Vegas Sphere, with new shows such as the Rocky Horror Show, have been acting to increase Las Vegas tourism once again, showing how the city is changing in times of development and change.
The Las Vegas Sphere
The Las Vegas Sphere opened in 2023 and has quickly become one of the city’s most appealing attractions. The building itself, which is 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, is the largest spherical structure in the world. And it houses a 16k resolution wraparound screen. The display incorporates more than a million LEDs.
Sound is provided by 160,000 beam-forming speakers. The venue has seen headline acts including Eagles, Backstreet Boys, and Kenny Chesney. The Sphere also offers 4D features, which were put to great effect during the latest residency.
The Wizard of Oz at The Sphere is an AI-enhanced version of the 1939 classic movie. It has 360° visuals, but it also uses haptic feedback as well as wind and snow-generating machines to replicate weather.
More than 500 apples are dropped from the ceiling, and other props descend into the crowd. Oz’s screening has been a huge success, with estimates suggesting it will have sold over $1bn of tickets by the end of its run.
Enter The Rocky Horror Picture Show
While Dorothy’s ruby slippers are big shoes to fill, MSG Entertainment, the group behind the venue’s scheduling, may have managed it. When Oz finishes, The Sphere will show a 4D, custom-made version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The original musical stage production, The Rocky Horror Show, was created by Richard O’Brien and aired in 1973. In 1975, O’Brien turned the musical stage show into a film, titled The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
It is widely considered one of the most successful cult films of all time, despite bombing at the box office upon release. Having grossed more than $170m to date, that figure is likely to increase significantly in the coming years.
The Future Of The Sphere
While The Sphere uses headline acts like U2 and Metallica to draw in crowds, these concerts cost a lot of money and take a lot of time to prepare. The artists themselves also keep a large portion of the ticket sales. They attract attention, but they are unlikely to yield huge profits.
In contrast, the 4D movie runs are more profitable. In the case of The Wizard of Oz, The Sphere retains the vast majority of the money made from the $150 to $200 tickets. However, there are costs associated with putting on shows like these – The Sphere paid $100m to adapt the venue for The Wizard of Oz.
