‘Wizard of Oz at Sphere’ tickets on sale, to run multiple times daily

If the Wizard were around today, he’d be pushing the buttons and pulling the levers at Sphere. It’s time to pay attention to what’s been happening behind the curtain.

“When you think about the experience that people have when they leave the doors, it’s like nothing they’ve ever experienced,” Sphere President and COO Jennifer Koester says in a phone chat.”I think that’s what’s so excited about, and what we’re about to put on with the ‘Wizard of Oz’ in August.”

The film classic that lives forever, in the venue where you are the content. “Wizard of Oz” opens Aug. 28 and will run multiple times per day, with tickets on sale at thesphere.com. Tickets start at $104, with prices varying through the run. The show will play to a similar seating configuration as Darren Aronofsky’s “Postcard from Earth” and U2’s concert film, the middle of the 200, 300 and 400 sections, though slightly expanded in those sections for “WOZ.”

As if guided by destiny, the on-sale date is on Judy Garland’s birthday (June 10, 1922).

To promote the ticket on-sale, Sphere has produced an activation that shows the scene where the Wicked Witch of the East is deactivated while wearing the famous ruby-red slippers. It appears the entire Sphere has dropped on the Wicked Witch, showing her 50-foot-long legs and 22-foot-tall slippers. (Spoiler alert, this is the scene where Dorothy’s farmhouse actually falls on the witch).

“We are emulating, with the Exosphere and these larger-than-life legs, a whirling twister with flying cows and Dorothy’s farmhouse, all of that,” Koester says.

This is the most ambitious exterior effect at Sphere yet, giving a sense of the extra-sensory elements inside.

“This is not watching a movie. You’re going to be feeling and living as though you are in Oz,” Koester says.”You’re walking down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Toto, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion. You’re in the tornado with Dorothy.”

We are counting on flying-monkey drones, which Koester nearly but not specifically confirms. “I think you might be on to something there,” the exec says. But certainly the haptic (meaning “shaky”) seats vibrate according to the elements. You will smell the film’s botanical trappings (though maybe not the barnyard’s equine fragrances).

“You will have sound through your seats, and vibration through your seats. You’ve got wind, you’ve got scent, you’ve got flying at you,” Koester says. “Your hair is going wild as though you are with Dorothy in that tornado. And that’s just one aspect of what you will feel in those moments throughout this this experience, where you are effectively next to Dorothy during this journey.

Koester declined to specify the cost, which has been reported at about $80 million, or $1 million per minute of content. The film has been condensed to 75 minutes, one of the most notable editing decisions, to fit the daily schedule.

Many scenes have been expanded to adhere to the original script, where characters were written into the visual display but were cut out during filming because they couldn’t fit the 4;3 format. AI technologies have made those wrap-around elements possible, developed through a partnership of Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, Sphere Studios, Magnopus and Warner Bros. worked on the production.

“Wizard” is a quintessential family experience, but Sphere is launching the theatrical project at the end of the family summer-vacation season. What’s behind the timing?

“Production timelines often dictate when we’re about to launch, so that had a lot to do with it,” Koester says. “I also think Labor Day Weekend is a great time where people are looking for new experiences and things to do in-market. So it seemed like a great time to kick off their premiere for us.”

There will likely be other films given the Sphere evolutionary treatment, long-term.

“It’s still to be determined, but nothing’s off the table,” Koester says. “What we’re learning and where we’re headed with the use of AI to effectively bring this new tool to the entertainment industry. We want to push the boundaries of creativity, and open up a whole host of other content we can produce.”

To borrow a phrase, Sphere is now Dorothy’s home, and there’s no place like it.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.