On August 29, 2025, the Las Vegas Sphere debuted a movie in its interior, a presentation of The Wizard of Oz.  More than a reshowing of the original 1939 motion picture, the Sphere created a new presentation, with new footage, computer-assisted new footage and content, and physical elements that were released on the audience, to fill the sphere's interior and create a new, immersive experience.

Was it kitschy?  Of course (hey, it's Vegas, baby)... dropping things like snow, ash and foam apples on the audience (not to mention the plastic Flying Monkeys swinging from the ceiling!) is akin to the old fifties horror movies displaying the first cheap 3D gags, or in-seat effects like the Tingler.  Was it seamless?  No... even in online posts, it was evident that scenes were stitched together with less precision than a Muppets blue-screen setup.  But it was a way to take a beloved old production and remake it for a new, sensation-starved audience... as the Sphere has already recreated the live concert venue, putting the audience at the center of show and spectacle on a 3D scale. 

And if it turns out to be popular enough, it could be the opening salvo in creating Spheres in other locations, and other productions augmented for surround-presentation.  I can imagine movies like Star Wars, Lawrence of Arabia or The Ten Commandments being digitally recreated for a Sphere experience; any number of popular old movies could be redone in this way.  

And if you're like me... you hate the idea of redoing all these classic movies just because we can; look at how much ire George Lucas suffered at his Star Wars re-edits, for instance.

So, no, I really don't want to see Sphere versions of old movies.  What I want to see are new movies that take advantage of the possibilities of immersive entertainment, surrounding you with the story, putting you in the center of the action.  The Sphere represents a new potential dynamic in storytelling and presentation, deserving of new stories, new visual ideas, and new (dare I say) gimmicks tailored to its audience and venue.  And much like the first movies specifically designed to take advantage of sound, then color, Panavision, Dolby stereo, 3D and IMAX, we could soon see incredible new productions that can only be seen on Spheres.

Unfortunately... there IS only one Sphere.  Not everyone can get to Vegas to experience it.  And the theater-going movie experience has been dying in the US for decades.  So, are we likely to see this brave new world of movie-making?  Maybe a few of us will see new Spheres being built around the country... perhaps in some other lucky locations around the world.  But productions designed to take advantage of those venues won't be cheap (not and look good, too), so they will be few and far between.  And I'd put good money down that they will never be anything but kitschy.  Bottom line, the Sphere experience will probably always be too expensive to be practical on any large scale.  (Maybe it just needs restructuring, the way Cirque De Soleil redefined the circus experience into something more theatrical.)

But you never know.  Somewhere out there, there may be an aspiring film-maker with a sackful of ideas and visual savvy, and the resources available to be able to stun the movie-goers of the future and revolutionize the movie industry with the biggest spectacle since God parted the Red Sea for Moses...