Sphere ‘s $420 Million in Box Office Receipts Smashes Record

Sphere in Las Vegas is a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art entertainment venue that has broken a 50-year Billboard record with a staggering $420.5 million in gate receipts for 2024. 

Global Appeal 

There is no place quite like Las Vegas, and there is no more captivating entertainment venue in Sin City than Sphere. The giant orb seats up to 20,000 people, depending on the event, and took five years to build at a cost of $2.3 billion and opened in September 2023. 

Naturally, the public’s curiosity was piqued, and those lofty expectations have been met and then some. The world’s most unique entertainment venue has a steady diet of concert films and live musical artists. Last year there were 1.3 million tickets sold, equaling a record-setting $420.5 million in sales to acts including U2, Phish, Eagles, and Dead and Company. 

This is the first time a single venue has sold over $300 million, and the final tally of $420.5 million does not include UFC 306, which was held at Sphere and generated a $22 million box office handle. Billboard includes only musical and theatrical acts. 

U2’s Concert Film

However, the biggest box office draw, and the one that sold 663,000 tickets throughout 40 shows and reported a $244.5 million gross, was the highly acclaimed concert film, “U2: UV Achtung Baby.”. 

Sphere Executive Chairman and CEO James Dolan described the viewing experience of the U2 film at Sphere, saying, “You feel like you’re at the concert.  So, you know, we have some great bands that are coming in over the next year. And so, I think we will continue to capture their concerts using our Big Sky technology. How we then bring it to the public and market it, I think we’re still trying to figure out what’s the best way.” 

Modern Day Marvel 

The Sphere is 366 feet high by 516 feet wide, with a total footprint of 875,000 square feet, replete with 167,000 amplified loudspeakers and 1.2 million LED lights. The interior boasts an LED screen the size of four football fields, but the outside, also referred to as the exosphere, has 1.2 million “hockey pucks” that encase 24 diodes each and is completely programmable, which means it can be a big yellow smiley face one day and a lunar landscape the next. 

The popularity of Sphere has already attracted the interest of investors in Abu Dhabi. A second Sphere is already in the works and will allow people from the UAE and surrounding areas to see for themselves what the hubbub is all about. 

“The vision for Sphere has always included a global network of venues, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that goal,” said Dolan. “Sphere is redefining live entertainment and extending the reach of its transformative impact.”  It would surprise no one if Dolan’s vision manifests sooner than later, as Spheres may be dotting the landscape of major cities throughout the world. Which US city will be next? We will have to wait and see before betting on it at a top-rated sportsbook.