James L. Dolan Has Big Balls

Sphere Entertainment, the organization that plopped down a massive ball just off the Las Vegas Strip in 2023 has just announced the location of the second Sphere in the US: National Harbor in Maryland.

Where and what is National Harbor? It is a 350-acre resort community just 15 minutes downstream of Washington DC on the Potomac that also features The Capitol Wheel, a 180-foot Ferris wheel, the MGM National Harbor Hotel & Casino, and “The Awakening,” a 72-foot sculpture of a tormented giant trying to emerge from the beach along the river.

The National Harbor Sphere will be smaller than the original. The Las Vegas Sphere is the largest spherical structure in the world (at 366 tall and 516 feet in diameter; it is actually a “truncated sphere,” which doesn’t quite roll off the tongue) with seating for 18,600. The Maryland Sphere will only have seating for 6,000 and, presumably, it will be about a third the size of the original.

According to various media reports, including the Washingtonian (the Sphere will be located about 15 miles south of the White House, where another massive building project is underway), it will cost an estimated $1-billion to build (the original: $2.3 billion). While there is no firm opening date, given that it took five years to build the Vegas Sphere, it is likely to open by about 2030. Like a new sports stadium there will be some $200-million in funding, most of which will come from your tax dollars (about $185 million) with the remainder from private sources.

Maryland is actually the third Sphere to be announced. The second will be on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, an artificial island that is the site of Ferrari World, Yas Waterworld, and Warner Bros. World ‑ like an upscale, hotter National Harbor. This Abu Dhabi Sphere, which is expected to open by 2030, will be a clone of the original.

According to James L. Dolan, executive chair and CEO of Sphere Entertainment, “Our focus has always been on creating a global network of Spheres across forward-looking cities.”

Why? you may wonder.

Well, money.

Two days after the National Harbor Sphere was announced, Sphere Entertainment released figures for The Wizard of Oz at Sphere. Sphere Entertainment spent some $80million in transforming the 1939 movie into an “immersive experience.” But, since August 28, when it opened, there have been more than two-million tickets sold, which translates into $260 million.

That’s the kind of money that U2 generated during its 40-show Sphere residency, but the major difference here is that while the band may be back in Dublin with their share of the cash, Dorothy, Toto, et al will continue to play salary-free on the 160,000-square foot wraparound LED screen night after night, raking in the greens. At present tickets, costing upwards from about $100, are on sale through December 2026.

When Victor Fleming, George Cukor and King Vidor (it’s a long story) shot The Wizard of Oz it was for display on a flat, rectangular surface, not one that is 360-degrees, wrapping around the audience. So it was necessary to make some adjustments to make it viewable in the round, and not just directly ahead. For example, Uncle Henry is shown outside a room before entering it in the Vegas version, not in the original.

And the producers added an array of special effects to the presentation at the Sphere — wind and fog and blowing leaves and mechanical flying monkeys and shaking seats, etc. But another huge difference is that where the original The Wizard of Oz ran 102 minutes, the Sphere is cut to a lean, wide 75.

Back in 1986 Ted Turner bought MGM. This meant he owned a trove of classic films including Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon. Turner, who created outlets including TBS and TCM (Trumpian in his naming regime), figured he needed to juice his IP to make it more appealing to a broader TV audience, so he had those classic black-and-white movies colorized.

Directors protested: from Woody Allen to Steven Spielberg, Frank Capra to Orson Welles. To no avail.

But what of this “reimagining” of The Wizard of Oz?

On the American Film Institute’s original list of “The 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time” The Wizard of Oz comes in at number six. Casablanca is number two and The Maltese Falcon is way down the list, at 23.

So is it culturally acceptable for the remix at the Sphere?

Arguably, $260 million says yes.

Hollywood hasn’t recovered from COVID. Box office in 2019 was about $11.4 billion. In 2025 it was an estimated $9.05 billion, which is better than it was in 2024, $8.74 billion.

However, while the revenue was higher in 2025 than in 2024 (not by much, but still higher), it should be noted that ticket sales were down 5% from 2024. Fewer people went to the movies. They just paid more — including those paying for $100 tickets to the Sphere.

Clearly The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere is bringing them in, and with the run expected to last at least another year, management clearly believe that they will continue to come for months.

But, though we cinephiles have been yearning to get people back into the cinemas (e.g., see “The Case for Sitting in the Dark with Strangers”) is this what we meant? Can modifying these classics into something more appealing to a wider audience be acceptable or is it just heretical?

While the immediate reaction might be “How dare they!,” recognize that a spectacle like The Wizard of Oz at the Sphere is adding to the audience, which is a net gain for Hollywood.

Prior to the Oz film the Sphere ran Postcard from Earth, a 50-minute film specifically made for the venue by Darren Aronofsky. Because it is venue-specific, it didn’t get conventional critical reviews no more than “Soarin’” or “Reflections of China” did at Epcot, but that might have to change if there are a series of Spheres around the country (and not necessarily in a bad way).

It is likely that the success of Oz could lead to the creation of more movies like Postcard. Although there is no public information about the cost of producing Postcard, presumably making venue-specific films could be more cost-effective, although there are still advantages in using existing product that has proven to be popular over the years — just think of, say, the Star Wars canon redone for 360-degree viewing.

The most immediate competition that Hollywood faces today is not from AI. It is from people’s couches. If they can sit there and can watch what they want without even moving a finger (“Alexa, play. . .”), somehow dragging themselves to a nearby multiplex might seem to be too much of an ask.

But if the Sphere turns movie going into an experience in the way that it was when movies started replacing stage plays, then there could be a brighter future for Hollywood.