The Wizard of Oz experience at the Sphere in Las Vegas has proven to be quite the success, grossing over $400 million in sales since its premiere last summer, and it has been announced that the next classic film to get the same treatment will be The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Sphere

Sphere Studios spent upwards of $100 million to bring The Wizard of Oz to life, but it’s unclear whether Rocky Horror will get the same budget.

“Through Sphere Studios, we are building a slate of original experiences that push the boundaries of technology and storytelling for this new medium, while always keeping the audience at the center of the experience,” said Sphere CEO Jim Dolan. “SinceThe Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in 1975, it redefined audience participation and became a cultural phenomenon. With Sphere, we have the opportunity to take that spirit of immersion to an entirely new level.“

The Rocky Horror Picture Show will premiere at the Sphere sometime in 2027.

Directed by Jim Sharman, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is based on the musical play by Richard O’Brien, who also penned the screenplay. With its rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack and cast of crazy characters led by Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the film has become a cult phenomenon fueled by midnight screenings and audience participation. The film holds the record for the longest-running theatrical release in history as it’s still screened in theaters across the globe.

Dolan has also teased that he’d like to bring the Sphere concept to other major cities. “We’d like to move as quickly as we can to building multiple Spheres,” he said.

The Wizard of Oz

Although The Wizard of Oz has clearly been a success, not everyone is pleased with how the film was altered for the Sphere. AI was used to upscale the film, as well as generate additional imagery to expand shots beyond what was originally in the frame.

Sphere president Jennifer Koester said, “We’ve gone and trained models alongside Google with archival footage about Wizard of Oz, footage from the Academy, the original film materials that represent the true life characters. And we’ve trained the models so that we can use AI to now give Dorothy legs in that image, because we know they were there, but we want them on the screen to fill the media plane.“

Live multisensory effects were also employed, including flashing lights, haptics, wind, and fog. Additionally, close to 30 minutes of the film were cut. I would imagine that Rocky Horror would receive a similar treatment.