“Artistic butchery.”
“The death of cinema.”
“You should all be ashamed.”
Those are some of the printable comments from a frenzied online conversation among cinephiles that started last month, when Ben Mankiewicz, the Turner Classic Movies host and “CBS News Sunday Morning” contributor, took an adulatory look at a coming Las Vegas attraction called “‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Sphere.” The orb-shaped arena, in partnership with Google, used various A.I. tools to create a new version of the beloved 1939 musical.
But what about the vacationing masses who make up the target audience for the show? Will they recoil in the same way?
We will soon find out. The premiere will take place on Thursday evening, with the arena offering as many as three showings a day after that.
Here is what you need to know.
What is all the criticism about?
It is easy to understand why movie purists — and anyone worried about the rise of artificial intelligence — would loathe the project, sight unseen. Artificially generated images were added to scenes to make the original movie big enough to fill the venue’s massive screen, which wraps up, over and around the audience.
Dorothy grew legs, for example, for a scene that was previously a close-up. The poppy field now goes on and on. Because of the camera’s narrow aspect ratio in the original film, Uncle Henry was often off-camera, even when he was logically in the room; he’s visible now. The Cowardly Lion was given similar treatment.
The Sphere also cut nearly 30 minutes from the film, which was licensed for the project by Warner Bros.
Cue the pitchforks and torches.
Who is behind this project?
The publicly traded Sphere Entertainment Company spent an estimated $80 million to modernize “The Wizard of Oz.”
“It could very well be that ‘The Wizard of Oz’ is doing so well that it nudges out one or two concerts,” James L. Dolan, Sphere’s chief executive, told analysts on an Aug. 11 conference call.
Mr. Dolan, who also owns Madison Square Garden and the Knicks, added that he expected “‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Sphere” to have sold roughly 200,000 tickets by opening night. (The venue seats about 18,000 people.) Tickets start at $109 and go up to $349 for something called the Witch Ultimate V.I.P. Experience, which includes beer and merch.
A TikTok promo for the project had generated 33,000 likes as of Thursday morning. Many of the 300 comments were positive. “I would give anything in the world to be able to go see this,” one woman wrote. “This is what A.I. should be used for!!” a man said. “Booking my tickets ASAP,” added another.
What does it mean for Hollywood?
“‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Sphere” is the first time people are going to see what A.I. can really do with a movie. Until now, studios have been reluctant to use the powerful technology, in part because of concerns about how the public might react.
So it amounts to a test: How much generative A.I. will the moviegoing masses tolerate? Strong ticket sales could prove there is a market — despite purist pushback — and help persuade studios to use the technology to make new movies and enhance old ones.
Are other classics getting this treatment?
Mr. Dolan mused on the earnings call about giving “Gone With the Wind” a whirl. But he stopped short of making any announcements. “We are in active discussions with lots of I.P. holders who are interested,” he said, referring to intellectual property. Generally speaking, studios have been desperate to find new ways to squeeze money from old films ever since the DVD boom went bust.
What does the Sphere say about pushback from cinephiles?
A publicist for “‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Sphere” declined to make anyone involved with the project available for an interview.
In marketing materials, the Sphere has emphasized the care it has taken. “The key for us is to maintain the integrity of the original filmmakers’ intent,” Jane Rosenthal, a producer, said in a TikTok video posted on the Sphere account.
In an Aug. 22 interview with Variety, a Hollywood trade magazine, Ms. Rosenthal sounded testy. “Anyone who is talking about this hasn’t seen it, so you’ve got the blind talking to the blind.”
Did they use A.I. to alter Judy Garland’s voice?
The companies have said they did not.
What else should I expect if I go?
To make the experience more immersive, producers added numerous real-world effects. When the tornado arrives onscreen, for instance, high-horsepower fans blast the arena with leaf-shaped confetti. Monkeys will fly through the space at the appropriate time. (They’re really helium-filled balloons steered by drone operators.) There are also pyrotechnical effects during the Wizard scenes in the Emerald City. Some seats vibrate.
“Hold onto your dentures,” Paul Freeman, a senior technician on the project, told Variety, speaking of the tornado effect. “It’s gnarly in a big way.”
Brooks Barnes covers all things Hollywood. He joined The Times in 2007 and previously worked at The Wall Street Journal.
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