The Wizard of Oz Sphere

Photo Credit: The Wizard of Oz at Sphere

The Wizard of Oz at Sphere sells more than 1 million total tickets, raking in over $130 million in sales and surpassing residencies like the Eagles and U2.

Sphere Entertainment, the company behind the Las Vegas Sphere, has announced that The Wizard of Oz, the venue-specific immersive experience, has sold over a million total tickets. Further, this unique version of the classic film has generated over $130 million in ticket sales as of October 17.

Back in September, DMN reported that The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere had already outsold U2’s Achtung Baby Live at Sphere residency. The film had already generated over $65 million in ticket sales at that time and was bringing in an estimated $2 million a day.

As a result, shares of Sphere stock (NYSE: SPHR) were already trading at around $56 in early September. Now, shares are up to around $64.

Before the immense success of the Sphere’s Wizard of Oz experience, the venue’s most lucrative show was U2’s residency, which was rapidly followed up by the Eagles. Other bands that have played or planned performances at the Las Vegas venue include Phish, Dead & Company, Kenny Chesney, No Doubt, Backstreet Boys, Zac Brown Band, Darren Aronofsky, Carín León, Illennium, and Anyma.

And while lots of bands (particularly legacy acts who don’t necessarily want to tour anymore) see performing at the Sphere as a smart career move, others aren’t convinced. Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash has indicated he doesn’t think the venue is “rock and roll friendly, the way it’s set up,” and thus not the right place for Guns N’ Roses.

“It’s just one of those things where it seems like a really cool thing and conceptually there’s probably a lot of cool things that you could do, but I don’t think it would be the right environment for a proper rock and roll show,” Slash told Trunk Nation.

“Everything that I’ve seen, or most everything that I’ve seen of it, looks amazing,” he admitted. “I’m real trepidatious about playing there, because it’s a great visual show. I think that in almost every case for a band, it becomes a visual show as opposed to seeing a rock and roll show.”

The Sphere opened its doors in 2023, with U2 being the first band to play there with a run of 40 shows. Since then, Phish, Dead & Company, Kenny Chesney, and Backstreet Boys have completed residencies there.

Known for its state-of-the-art audio and visual technology, featuring 15,000m2 of LED screens and 164,000 speakers, the Sphere cost an incredible $2.3 billion to build. Though it’s struggled to become profitable, the success of experiences like The Wizard of Oz could see it well on its way to becoming a must-stop location on the Las Vegas Strip.