After Las Vegas, a small immersive sphere will soon see the light of day in Washington

The Americans will soon see a second high-tech sphere emerge from the ground; the announcement came three years after the inauguration of the first of its kind in Las Vegas. The new performance hall should be built on the banks of the Potomac, south of the federal capital, in Maryland. If it uses the principles of the animated surface outside and its LED screen enveloping the audience inside, the room will be much smaller, with 6,000 seats compared to 18,500 in Las Vegas.

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According to Sphere Entertainment CEO James Dolan, the project has “always been about creating a global Sphere network through forward-looking cities”. But the model is struggling to develop. A first project in London collapsed after local authorities became concerned about the impacts of light pollution. Discussions have been initiated with South Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, without success for the moment. Because the model of this theater struggles to convince… and to be profitable. The Las Vegas venue, which cost $2.3 billion (around 2 billion euros), has been very loss-making since its inauguration with a net loss of $460 million for the 2024 financial year.

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For their part, local authorities hope to create 2,500 jobs during the work and 4,750 more permanent jobs after its opening. “This will be one of the largest economic development projects in Prince George’s County history, proving once again that our state is the best place in the country to realize your dreams,” according to Maryland Governor Wes Moore.