Billionaire Knicks owner James Dolan gave himself a cameo in the re-mastered version “The Wizard of Oz” that is being shown at his state-of-the-art music venue the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Eagle-eyed fans who shell out over $100 for a ticket to the Oscar-winning classic might spot two, new curious characters – featuring the faces of Dolan and Warner Bros. boss David Zaslav — that have been digitally superimposed into the film.
“I won’t tell you where, it’s only for like two seconds,” Dolan told the media of the Easter eggs during Thursday’s premiere at the Sphere. “[They] replaced the faces of two very short, two-second characters in the movie with mine and David. I challenge you to find it.”
Dolan – who also owns the Rangers and Madison Square Garden – even donned the green top hat worn by the Wizard of Oz and was decked out in green and gold as he turned Sin City into Emerald City.
When guests enter into the Sphere’s Las Vegas Atrium, they are immediately immersed into Dorothy’s world – with a Kansas-themed, sepia-tone space complete with a full-scale replica of Professor Marvel’s caravan.
After the show, the Atrium is transformed into the Emerald City – where guests can speak with the Wizard, who waits behind a tall curtain.
Moviegoers eager for a photo-op got an added surprise Thursday. Dolan, lounging on a green throne and holding a tall staff, greeted them.
Sphere Studios collaborated with Warner Bros. Discovery, Google and software firm Magnopus on the immersive project.
Other 4D special effects include high-powered fans and fog that create a tornado effect and audience members getting pelted with foam apples.
While Judy Garland’s voice is still in the film, the Sphere has re-recorded the instrumentals on the same soundstage used for the original 1939 movie.
Dolan admitted that using Google’s AI tech to fit the film on the Sphere’s 160 square-foot display “went way over budget.”
“We ended up almost two times what we were originally thinking. We’re getting up pretty close to that $100 million mark — it was worth it,” he said.
