A classic movie is back on the big screen in a completely immersive format. The Wizard of Oz is now playing at the Sphere in Las Vegas and producers turned to AI to transform it for the giant dome.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t believe we are here \u2013 and there were certainly some times along the way I didn\u2019t think we were going to get here,\u201d said Jim Dolan CEO of Sphere Entertainment.<\/p>\n
The 86-year-old film, originally shown on a 24-foot screen, was expanded to fit the Sphere\u2019s 16K, 160,000-square-foot canvas.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will see Judy Garland as if you were back in 1939,\u201d said Dolan.<\/p>\n
To make it happen, producers turned to AI.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n \u201cWe knew it was going to be controversial and honestly, and this is just me speaking personally, that was one of the reasons why I was attracted to it,\u201d said Ben Grossmann, Producer of The Wizard of Oz at Sphere and CEO of Magnopus.<\/p>\n It cost nearly 100 million dollars (double their budget) to bring Dorothy and crew back to life inside the dome-shaped venue. The audio is excellent and tech effects make it feel like you\u2019re inside the tornado and there are lots of surprises including snow, fire, falling apples and more.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s really exciting is this is the first time I think in the history of the venue where we truly have pushed the boundaries of everything that this venue is capable of,\u201d said Jennifer Koester of Sphere Entertainment.<\/p>\n With help from Google Deepmind, AI was trained on the original film to restore details and even create new ones.<\/p>\n \u201cLiterally up until 6 months ago, we didn\u2019t know if we had a path towards getting the sphere experience at the level of quality that Sphere audiences expect,\u201d said Grossmann.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n Audiences are immersed from the moment they enter the Sphere \u2013 Kansas themed at the start, then the Emerald City with the wizard front and center.<\/p>\n As for the show itself, it\u2019s wildly entertaining from start to finish. Look closely and you\u2019ll notice the AI touches, but this isn\u2019t just a reimagining of the original \u2013 it\u2019s a completely new way to experience it.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/figure>\n The massive screen, extra detail, and booming audio turn a classic story into a tech-driven spectacle. The tornado pulls you in, and the other effects keep the audience wowed the entire 80-minute run time.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that\u2019s what these tools are enabling is a new wave of creativity, a new wave of expression and a new wave of things that we can give audiences to experience,\u201d concluded Grossmann.<\/p>\n Tickets start at $104, so is it worth it? If you see it as an experience versus just a movie, it\u2019s a fun way to see how technology and AI can breathe new life into a classic.<\/p>\n Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/i><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/ktla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2025\/09\/PXL_20250829_043334427.MP_.jpg\")