LETTER: The Sphere is wonderful, but …
I read with interest your article about continuing losses at the Sphere (Friday Review-Journal). I attended the Postcard movie recently. The venue is spectacular and the sound system is amazing and unequaled. The Sphere is simply breathtaking. That said, two major rants:
The film started at 5 p.m. as advertised. After the film began, latecomers straggled in. Not just a handful — perhaps 25 to 35 people continued to ruin the film for those of us who arrived on time. This continued until 5:20 p.m. when 40 percent of the film was over. Why does staff allow this?
Then at least seven to 10 people around me pulled out their phones and started to record the screen, holding up their phones and blocking my view. Some in the audience loudly asked them to stop, but they did not. Signs at the entrance read “no videotaping.” But dozens did anyway. Sphere staff were nowhere to be found. Perhaps the Strip venues that take phones away from visitors before the show begins are the way to go.
The venue is thrilling, with nothing like it anywhere. But your enjoyment is greatly impacted by the lack of security and management support. Many people talked about this on the way out, stating they are not going back, as the lack of monitoring is sad. No wonder the Sphere is losing money.
