One of the hottest attractions in Las Vegas landed an impressive honor.
Sphere, a state-of-the-art entertainment auditorium that opened in Sept. 2023, reportedly grossed $420.5 million in concert revenue in 2024, the most ever on Billboard’s annual Top Venues list, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The music and entertainment magazine has been tracking concert venue boxscores for 50 years. Sphere is the first to record more than $300 million in gross revenue, the Review-Journal reported.
The attraction also sold 1.3 million tickets in 2024.
Artists that performed at the Sphere in 2024 include U2, Phish, Eagles, and Dead and Company.
Not included
Billboard’s stats only count music concerts, not sporting events.
Sphere hosted UFC 306 in September. It was the highest-grossing event with a gate of $22 million that the Las Vegas venue and the MMA promotion company have ever seen. More than 16,000 fans attended the fight and spectacle.
Banner year
It’s been quite the first full year for the Sphere. The $2.3 billion venue made headlines in February when social activist Maison DesChamps climbed the outside, causing a local stir, to raise awareness and money for a homeless, pregnant woman.
The NHL held its annual draft at the Las Vegas spectacle, and the Formula One racing event was prominently featured on the Sphere’s 1.2 million outside LED lights on a screen with stunning visuals that can seen all over Las Vegas.
The venue’s company also announced plans in October to build another Sphere in Abu Dhabi that will mirror the one in Sin City.
Costly venue
Sphere Las Vegas is a 360-foot, 500-foot auditorium with a capacity of 20,000. The interior holds a 16K, 250-foot-tall, 410-foot-wide state-of-the-art curved screen.
As popular and impressive as the venue is, the Sphere is also incredibly expensive to operate. The Sphere reported a Q3 revenue decline and an operating loss of $125.1 million on revenue of $127.1 million.
The Review-Journal reported that Sphere Exec Chair and CEO James Dolan set a goal for the venue to present daily entertainment, including multiple events on the same day, heading into 2025.
