LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Sphere marked its second anniversary by continuing to redefine entertainment through immersive experiences that transport audiences beyond traditional viewing.
The venue’s latest offering, “The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere,” sold more than a million tickets in just its first three months. The production places viewers inside the beloved film, allowing them to feel the tornado, experience the colors of Munchkin Land, and duck away from flying apples and winged monkeys.
“It is surpassing even our lofty expectations for what we thought we could deliver,” said Carolyn Blackwood, head of Sphere Studios.
Artist residencies bring unique challenges
The Sphere continues to host major artist residencies, including performances by U2, Phish, Dead and Company, the Eagles, and Backstreet Boys. Each artist brings their own creative vision to the spherical format.
“These artists that come and play, whether it’s U2 or Phish, or Dead and Company, or the Eagles, or Backstreet Boys, they are all very, very successful by definition, or you wouldn’t be playing at the Sphere,” Blackwood said.
The unique format requires adaptation from artists accustomed to traditional stages.
“There’s a trial and error that happens with respect to how to get things right. It’s spherical content,” she said. “So they have a long history of creating visuals that exist for them in terms of the way they entertain their audiences. But it’s never been done until now in this immersive way.”
New film project in development
The Sphere team is developing another film featuring five extreme sports athletes. “From the Edge” uses the venue’s proprietary Big Sky camera system with 16K resolution.
“We’re following five extreme sports athletes, filming around the globe with our Big Sky camera, which is our proprietary camera system with 16K resolution on for our screens, and really push the edge of what we visually see to put the audiences inside a giant wave with Kai Lenny surfing it,” Blackwood said.
The film will incorporate 4D and physical effects to enhance the immersive experience.
“So that, just like Wizard of Oz, you’re in it, you’re not just watching it,” she said.
Philosophy drives content creation
The Sphere’s approach centers on creating experiences unavailable elsewhere.
“For us, immersiveness and experiential, those aren’t just buzzwords for us, they’re religion, and so for us to do it, it has to be if you can see it somewhere else, then it’s not for Sphere,” Blackwood said.
Las Vegas provides the ideal setting for the venue’s innovative approach.
“Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world, right? I mean, people come globally, from all over, to come and be entertained. The expectations when you come to Las Vegas are high. People expect to be entertained, it’s a mecca for people to come and enjoy themselves and have different kinds of experiences,” she said.
The creative process emphasizes collaboration and pushing boundaries.
“There’s nothing cynical about anything we do. Everything we do is coming at it with a sense of wonder, and optimism, and enthusiasm, and yes to use your word passion,” Blackwood said. “There’s a lot of really fantastically talented people both inside and outside our studio’s team that help us push our own boundaries, we help each other push boundaries, and that is one of the best things about this creative process, that we’re all kind of doing together.”
And together the team will continue to defy expectations, ignore boundaries,
“Whether it’s the visuals on the screens and the stories they’re trying to tell, or the way that the venue sort of continues to evolve to make those experiences for that community, and the fans that come in, to be leveling up every time, that’s been great, great fun for all of us that have worked inside and outside the venue so far.”
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