{"id":185356,"date":"2025-09-10T18:09:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T22:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/09\/10\/the-wizard-of-oz-is-a-much-needed-home-run-for-sphere\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T18:09:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T22:09:00","slug":"the-wizard-of-oz-is-a-much-needed-home-run-for-sphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/2025\/09\/10\/the-wizard-of-oz-is-a-much-needed-home-run-for-sphere\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019 Is a Much-Needed Home Run for\u00a0Sphere"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- no image --><\/p>\n<div><!-- do not apply CSS styles to this element! --><\/p>\n<div class=\"pmc-paywall\">\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSphere\u2019s new version of <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em> could have a major impact on parent company Sphere Entertainment Co.\u2019s ability to turn a risky bet on a single $2.3 billion venue into a global profit machine.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ lrv-u-display-inline-block lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-margin-t-2 u-margin-t-26@mobile-max u-margin-b-0.875@mobile-max u-margin-b-150@tablet u-border-t-12 lrv-u-padding-t-025 u-padding-b-1.313 lrv-u-padding-b-125@mobile-max lrv-u-border-color-black\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-a-unstyle-link lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap u-font-weight-700 lrv-u-display-inline-block u-line-height-18px a-font-accent u-letter-spacing-0225 u-font-size-16 lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-article-badge-underline a-article-esp u-display-inline-flex lrv-u-margin-b-1@mobile-max u-margin-b-9@tablet\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story-wrapper lrv-u-flex lrv-u-justify-content-space-between lrv-u-padding-tb-050@desktop a-children-border-vertical a-children-border--grey a-children-border-width-050\">\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/sphere-entertainment-stock-rises-wizard-of-oz\/\" class=\"lrv-u-color-black:hover lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sphere-wizard-of-oz-2025-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/sphere-wizard-of-oz-2025-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Sphere\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"auto\" height=\"\" width=\"\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<p><span class=\"c-span  lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tSphere Entertainment Stock Jumps for Second Week on \u2018Wizard of Oz\u2019\u00a0Hype\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  \" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><\/p>\n<p><\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/business\/business-news\/tileyard-london-bmg-production-library-1236059700\/\" class=\"lrv-u-color-black:hover lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/tileyard-education-b2024-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/tileyard-education-b2024-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Tileyard Education\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"auto\" height=\"\" width=\"\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<p><span class=\"c-span  lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tTileyard Education and BMG Production Library Release Four New EPs Showcasing Emerging Songwriters\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  \" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><\/p>\n<p><\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/business\/touring\/miranda-lambert-headline-colorado-ford-amphitheater-1236055068\/\" class=\"lrv-u-color-black:hover lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ford-amphitheater-logo-2025-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/ford-amphitheater-logo-2025-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Ford Amphitheater\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"auto\" height=\"\" width=\"\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<p><span class=\"c-span  lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tMiranda Lambert Set to Headline Colorado&rsquo;s Ford Amphitheater on Sept. 28\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  \" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><\/p>\n<p><\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tThe AI-assisted remake of the 1939 classic film, which sold 215,000 tickets by the time of its Sphere debut on Aug. 28, is part of the Las Vegas venue\u2019s Sphere Experience, one aspect of its four-pronged business model that also includes concerts, corporate events and advertising on the venue\u2019s exoskeleton.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tSphere has already cemented its status as a groundbreaking music venue, but becoming a financial success requires squeezing as much content into the venue as possible. So, for example, in the afternoons before bands such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/eagles\/\">The Eagles<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/grateful-dead\/\">Dead &amp; Company<\/a> performed, Sphere showed <em>Postcards From Earth<\/em>, an original, hour-long film by director <strong>Darren Aronofsky.<\/strong> With <em>Postcards From Earth<\/em> having run its course, the venue turned to a remake of a Hollywood classic for its Sphere Experience programming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tWall Street has been paying close attention \u2014 and liking what it sees. Over the last week, numerous analysts have raised their forecasts for Sphere Entertainment Co. based on ticket sales and media attention generated by <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em>. On Wednesday (Sept. 10), Guggenheim upped its estimates for Q3 revenue by $5 million to $179 million and increased its price target to $76 from $75. <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em>, Guggenheim analysts wrote in a note to investors, is averaging an estimated $600,000 per show compared to $500,000 at the launch of <em>Postcards<\/em> and the film\u2019s more recent $320,000 per show average.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tLast week, Wolfe Research\u2019s <strong>Peter Supino<\/strong> raised his 2025 revenue estimate of Sphere Experience to $359 million from $336 million based on early sales data for <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em> and Sphere Entertainment\u2019s Sept. 3 repurchase of $27.5 million of common stock. Supino believes the movie will help send the Sphere segment\u2019s gross profit from an estimated $500 million in 2025 to $600 million in 2026. A gain of that size would put Sphere\u2019s AOI at approximately $200 million, \u201cmaking the underlying profits of the venue evidently clear and therefore [Sphere\u2019s stock] more investible,\u201d he wrote in a September 4 note to investors.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tLikewise, J.P. Morgan analysts raised their Q3 and long-term forecasts for the Sphere segment based on its observations of Ticketmaster inventory for <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em>. Ticket buyers\u2019 enthusiasm, J.P. Morgan analysts wrote in a Sept. 8 note to investors, eliminated doubts that Sphere could find another attraction after the success of <em>Postcards from Earth <\/em>and <em>V-U2 <\/em>\u2014 a film about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/u2\/\">U2<\/a>\u2019s Sphere residency \u2014 had \u201cdisappointed relative to expectations roughly a year ago.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tLanding a hit with <em>The Wizard of Oz <\/em>is a key piece of Sphere\u2019s goal to expand to other markets. The high cost of producing Sphere Experience content \u2014 CEO <strong>James Dolan<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/business\/digital\/james-dolan-david-zaslav-characters-sphere-wizard-of-oz-1236356200\/\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em> cost up to $100 million to produce \u2014 and concerts will eventually be spread out over additional Sphere venues. One such Sphere is coming: In July, Sphere Entertainment Co. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/sphere-abu-dhabi-deal-more-locations-middle-east-africa\/\">secured a franchise agreement<\/a> with Abu Dhabi\u2019s Department of Culture and Tourism for a Sphere venue in the United Arab Emirates capital which also allows for additional Spheres to be built in the Middle East and North Africa. Wolfe Research\u2019s Supino values venue expansion at $1.4 billion, more than his $1.2 billion valuation for the Las Vegas Sphere.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story \/\/ lrv-u-display-inline-block lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-margin-t-2 u-margin-t-26@mobile-max u-margin-b-0.875@mobile-max u-margin-b-150@tablet u-border-t-12 lrv-u-padding-t-025 u-padding-b-1.313 lrv-u-padding-b-125@mobile-max lrv-u-border-color-black injected-single-story lrv-u-border-b-1\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  lrv-a-unstyle-link lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap u-font-weight-700 lrv-u-display-inline-block u-line-height-18px a-font-accent u-letter-spacing-0225 u-font-size-16 lrv-u-color-black lrv-u-text-transform-uppercase u-article-badge-underline a-article-esp u-display-inline-flex lrv-u-margin-b-1@mobile-max u-margin-b-075\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tRelated\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<div class=\"injected-related-story-wrapper lrv-u-flex lrv-u-justify-content-space-between lrv-u-padding-tb-050@desktop a-children-border-vertical a-children-border--grey a-children-border-width-050\">\n<div class=\"o-card \">\n<p>\t\t\t<a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/sphere-abu-dhabi-deal-more-locations-middle-east-africa\/\" class=\"lrv-u-color-black:hover lrv-u-flex u-flex-direction-column@desktop\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  lrv-u-margin-b-075 lrv-u-margin-b-00@mobile-max u-width-130px@mobile-max\">\n<div class=\"a-crop-6x4 a-crop-3x2@mobile-max\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/las-vegas-sphere-2024-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/las-vegas-sphere-2024-billboard-1800.jpg?w=237&amp;h=147&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Sphere lights up on December 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.\" data-lazy-srcset=\"\" data-lazy-sizes=\"auto\" height=\"\" width=\"\"><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"o-card__content \">\n<p><span class=\"c-span  lrv-u-whitespace-nowrap\"><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"o_category \">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"c_title \">\n<h3 id=\"title-of-a-story\" class=\"c-title  a-font-basic-fancy u-font-size-15 u-font-size-15.5@mobile-max u-line-height-22px u-padding-r-0.188@desktop u-word-spacing-0013 u-line-height-22.5px@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-4line@mobile-max a-truncate-ellipsis-3line\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\tSphere\u2019s Deal With Abu Dhabi Opens Door to Additional Locations in MENA\u00a0Region\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<p><time class=\"c-timestamp  \" datetime=\"00:00-YY-DD-MM\"><\/p>\n<p><\/time><\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tBut <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em> may be so successful that Sphere opts for fewer concerts. Supino lowered his estimate for the number of concerts in 2026 to 96 from 113 on the belief that Sphere would opt to replace lower-margin music events with more profitable showings of <em>Oz<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto  lrv-a-font-body-m   \">\n\tFans can\u2019t get enough of Sphere\u2019s music events, though. Last month, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/backstreet-boys\/\">Backstreet Boys<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/culture\/product-recommendations\/backstreet-boys-sphere-tickets-buy-online-1236017907\/\">added 14 new dates<\/a> that will extend its residency through February 2026. This week, The Eagles <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/concerts\/eagles-add-dates-sphere-residency-1236061936\/\">added four dates<\/a> in January 2026. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/concerts\/tomorrowland-insomniac-unity-sphere-1235931477\/\">UNITY<\/a>, created by concert promoter Insomniac and the Tomorrowland festival, has a nine-date run through October 18. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/artist\/zac-brown-band\/\">Zac Brown Band<\/a> begins a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/concerts\/zac-brown-on-his-bands-sphere-run-and-new-album-exclusive-1236021496\/\">six-date residency<\/a> in December.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/pro\/wizard-of-oz-sphere-much-needed-home-run\/\">Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sphere\u2019s new version of The Wizard of Oz could have a major impact on parent company Sphere Entertainment Co.\u2019s ability to turn a risky bet on a single $2.3 billion venue into a global profit machine.\u00a0\u00a0 Related Sphere Entertainment Stock Jumps for Second Week on \u2018Wizard of Oz\u2019\u00a0Hype Tileyard Education and BMG Production Library Release [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-185356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=185356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/185356\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=185356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=185356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=185356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}