The Wizard of Oz at Sphere Debuts in Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Sphere Entertainment Co.’s long-anticipated immersive adaptation of The Wizard of Oz officially opened today, August 28, 2025, transforming the 1939 film into a multi-sensory spectacle that “feels like reality,” according to the project’s visual effects supervisor.

Audiences entering the 22-story, 160,000-square-foot LED dome were greeted by life-size installations of the Wicked Witch of the East’s legs and 22-foot-tall ruby slippers outside the venue. Inside, Dorothy’s tornado sequence was brought to life with 750-horsepower wind machines, haptic-feedback seats, synchronized environmental effects and 167,000 speakers enveloping spectators in sound.

Visual effects teams unpacked and inflated animatronic winged monkeys and other practical elements in the early morning hours, rigging them on wires to fly above the venue’s 17,600 seats. Brown tissue-paper “leaves” swirled through the audience as flames erupted around the stage, seamlessly blending practical and digital effects to immerse guests in Munchkinland, the poppy fields and the Emerald City.

Jim Dolan, Executive Chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment and MSG Entertainment, described the production as “an experiential medium, not a passive one,” highlighting collaborations with Warner Bros. Discovery, Google Cloud and immersive-content studio Magnopus. Over 2,000 artists, engineers and technologists re-mastered the film’s original Technicolor visuals with generative AI, outpainting scenes to fill the wraparound screen without altering Judy Garland’s performance.

Bill Walshe, Sphere’s Executive Vice President of Venue Operations, emphasized that visitors should feel they are in Oz, not merely watching it. Following the 75-minute experience, guests may explore post-show exhibits recreating iconic props-such as the hot-air balloon and Professor Marvel’s caravan-to extend the adventure beyond the film.

Tickets for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere begin at $104 and remain available for multiple daily showtimes at thesphere.com. Hotel and ticket packages, including stays at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, are also sold through partner sites.