The Sphere in Las Vegas Says U2 and Darren Aronofsky Have Brought in $75M Since Opening

Alex Weprin
·2 min read
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The Sphere in Las Vegas is already bringing in big bucks.

The company, controlled by Madison Square Garden owner James Dolan, has only been operating for a little over two months, but it says that its two marquee shows: The U2 residency “U2: UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere” and the original Darren Aronofsky film Postcards From Earth have combined to bring in more than $75 million for the company so far.

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The company delivered the update in a securities filing Tuesday morning, adding that it expects the Sphere to be profitable for the current quarter ending Dec. 31.

The Sphere says that the 17 U2 performances through Nov. 30 have brought in $30.7 million in revenue for the company, averaging $1.8 million per concert. Aronofsky’s Postcards From Earth has had 111 screenings through Nov. 30, and has brought in $44.5 million in revenue, averaging $400,000 per showing.

The company adds that Formula 1 took over the Sphere for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix last month, and that it also has a robust advertising business through its brand campaigns on the “exosphere,” or the globe that visitors to Las Vegas see just off the strip. The company says that NFL Sunday Ticket, PlayStation, Meta, Xbox and Coca-Cola have also signed on for campaigns.

U2 opened the $2.3 billion Sphere on Sep. 29 with their first performance, igniting social media as images from the venue spread across TikTok, Instagram, X and YouTube.

The building contains the world’s largest interior and exterior wraparound LED displays, and features 160,000 speakers and other tech to change the senses of attendees, as The Hollywood Reporter explained in a story teeing up the opening.

But while live events and concerts like U2 are at the core of the Sphere strategy, the company also wants to have original programming to run on days when there are no concerts. Hence Aronofsky’s Postcards, an immersive, narrative documentary.

“It really is a different medium because of the immersive nature of all the images that you create and how it translates to the viewer,” the director told THR.

The Sphere disclosed the numbers as it announced that it would be selling $225 million in private debt to an institutional buyer.

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