28 May Sphere Studios Head Carolyn Blackwood On How They’re Repackaging IP For Their Unique Theaters: “It’s A Brand-New Medium” [Deadline]
By Dade Hayes
May 19, 2026| Carolyn Blackwood, the former longtime Warner Bros. executive who now heads Sphere Studios, lived through the boom-and-bust DVD era. Sphere’s approach to cinema, by comparison, has more staying power and potential, she says, because it involves much more than repackaging familiar images on shiny new discs.
“It’s not like we were remastering it for the Criterion Collection,” she says of last year’s release of a re-conceived, tech-fueled version of The Wizard of Oz. “Our goal and purpose is creating these unforgettable experiences. They’re intended to be their own thing.”
Especially after Sphere Entertainment revealed this year that the film has sold 2.2 million tickets and brought in $290 million in revenue at Sphere Las Vegas, owners of IP have taken note. Jennifer Koester, the company’s president and COO, says there have been “a lot of conversations” with studios, rights holders and filmmakers in recent months.
Read more on Deadline.