As the roof of the Las Vegas Sphere slowly opened, Danielle Renee—a mortgage specialist from Washington state—looked up in awe; millions of virtual stars unfolded before her eyes, stirring a profound sense of wonder within her. She was about to embark on a "journey through space," guided by none other than the Backstreet Boys.

"Oh my gosh, it was absolutely amazing," she said. "I don't know if any other show could possibly top it."

A die-hard fan of the Backstreet Boys for decades, Renee traveled to the Las Vegas Sphere in early February to attend a performance. She was deeply moved not only by the band's spectacular show but also by the visual effects projected onto the venue's massive 15,000-square-meter concave interior screen. The night sky, the spaceship carrying the band—every scene was rendered using computer-generated imagery, creating an unparalleled sense of immersion.

Renee had seen the Backstreet Boys perform many times before, but she declared that this new show was "unrivaled." "Everyone was dancing; everyone was singing along."

Today, spherical entertainment spaces are rapidly emerging as a hot trend within the industry, garnering increasing attention. For instance, the Las Vegas Sphere's competitor, Cosm, is planning to open dome-style venues in several U.S. cities. These venues will allow audiences to watch live sporting events or films—including *The Matrix*—enhanced by visual effects displayed across wraparound screens. Proponents argue that this immersive, high-impact format represents the very future of the entertainment industry.

However, audiences are hardly strangers to such rhetoric; for years, 3D cinema was repeatedly touted as the next big thing, yet it ultimately failed to achieve significant, lasting success. Today, the core challenge facing dome theaters is proving that—thanks to their immense visual impact—they can escape the pitfalls that plagued 3D movies and achieve long-term viability.

Costing a staggering $2.3 billion (£1.72 billion) to construct, the Las Vegas Sphere has hosted a diverse array of events since its official opening in September 2023—ranging from a new version of *The Wizard of Oz* featuring cutting-edge visual effects to a residency by the Irish rock band U2. Ticket prices for the venue typically start at no less than $100, and can sometimes run even higher.

For years, commentators have questioned the economic viability of such dome-based entertainment venues: Are they truly a dazzling new form of entertainment, or merely an unprofitable money pit?

In early 2025, several observers highlighted the persistent profitability struggles facing the Sphere; following a visit, one critic remarked that he felt "confused and slightly disappointed."

Nevertheless, as more shows were introduced, the Sphere finally turned a profit. In February of this year, Sphere Entertainment reported a net profit of $57.6 million for the 2025 fiscal year.

"For me, watching a movie is, in itself, a sufficient experience," says Manel González-Piñero, a researcher in creativity and innovation at the University of Barcelona, who attended a screening of *The Wizard of Oz* at the Las Vegas Sphere. "I don't need anything new or extra to supplement that experience."

That said, he acknowledges that the Sphere serves as a "prototype"—and, from the perspective of delivering content to audiences in a unique format, it appears to be functioning well.

Last year, Sphere Entertainment announced plans to launch "mini-Spheres"—smaller venues with a capacity of 5,000 people—in other cities. However, González-Piñero expressed skepticism regarding this, suggesting that such facilities might not necessarily be suitable for cities like Milan or Amsterdam; perhaps it would be more reasonable to position the Sphere as a unique attraction exclusive to Las Vegas.

In contrast, Ben Wood—chief analyst at market research firm CCS Insight (formerly FDM/CCS Insight)—was left "gobsmacked" during his visit to the Sphere. He also expressed deep disappointment that plans to construct a sister Sphere venue in East London had met with such fierce opposition.

In 2024, the construction plans for the East London Sphere venue were ultimately withdrawn after London Mayor Sadiq Khan refused to grant planning permission for the project.

Wood added that venues featuring massive concave screens can give audiences the sensation of being immersed in augmented reality, or of wearing a virtual reality headset: "It serves as a stunning, futuristic metaphor for the way people consume content."

However, Wood also acknowledged that he could understand why some people might find such extreme visual effects off-putting. His hotel room happened to face the "Sphere"—a structure featuring an even larger exterior screen that displays various content, such as animations, and occasionally features an image of a human eye. "It’s winking at you," Wood remarked.

As a competitor to the Sphere, Cosm offers a different type of dome-based venue. The company was formed following the merger of Evans & Sutherland—a firm that pioneered the digital projection technology widely used in planetariums and science centers.

Today, leveraging its extensive expertise in display software technology, Cosm presents live sporting events and visually enhanced cinematic experiences on LED screens—technology that has now largely supplanted traditional projection systems.

"We are, at our core, a software company," stated Devin Poolman, Cosm’s Chief Product and Technology Officer. However, he added, "The LED panels themselves were designed by our team, making them uniquely suited for these curved, dome-like display surfaces."

Currently, Cosm operates venues in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta, and has plans to open two additional locations in Cleveland and Detroit. Pullman stated that the company aims to open "more than 100 locations" globally, though he did not disclose whether the locations already in operation have achieved profitability. "We have great confidence in the strength of our company."

Notably, the concept of utilizing a dome structure to create an entertainment venue is not a recent innovation. As early as the 1960s, the American film company Cinerama constructed dome-shaped theaters; in the years that followed, IMAX also adopted a similar design philosophy.

James Lanier, founder and president of Absolute Hollywood, noted that more fully illuminating the interior of a dome holds particular significance in enhancing the overall experience. Since the late 1990s, his company has specialized in constructing temporary and semi-permanent inflatable domes designed to host immersive projection-based shows.

He emphasized that, unlike the spherical dome venue in Las Vegas, visitors inside the inflatable domes his company constructs are typically free to move around—and can even lie down—to gaze directly up at the exhibits displayed above them.

Lanier recalled an art installation performance at a royal wedding in the Middle East: singers and dancers were filmed performing in nearby tents, and their images were subsequently projected onto a central dome for the guests to enjoy. "It was truly a surreal experience," Lanier remarked.

While dome-based entertainment may not appeal to everyone, it clearly possesses a unique allure that captivates a specific segment of the audience. Danielle Renee, for instance, is already planning a return trip to the spherical venue in Las Vegas to catch a performance by the Backstreet Boys.

"I just received an email this morning regarding the final shows of their summer run," she said. "I’m currently trying to figure out how I can make another trip out there."