Ironically, Rocky Horror will be the next classic to get the Sphere treatment

“Through Sphere Studios, we are building a slate of original experiences that push the boundaries of technology and storytelling for this new medium, while always keeping the audience at the center of the experience,” Dolan said in a statement. “Since The Rocky Horror Picture Show premiered in 1975, it redefined audience participation and became a cultural phenomenon. With Sphere, we have the opportunity to take that spirit of immersion to an entirely new level.” 

There is a lot of irony to go around here. First, if any movie doesn’t need a special effects upgrade, it’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which used the delightfully tacky ’50s aesthetic for spectacular camp. But that belies the uglier irony that everyone in The Rocky Horror Picture Show would likely be surveilled and thrown out of Dolan’s Madison Square Garden for not fitting into traditional gender binaries. Earlier this year, Wired released a massive exposé on MSG’s panopticon, designed to watch Dolan’s critics and trans people enjoying the games. The report found MSG security “obsessively tracked” a trans Knicks fan for two years, “monitoring her movements through the venue down to the second,” believing a trans woman enjoying basketball could “damage MSG’s reputation.” If they think that’s bad, wait until all the Dr. Frank-N-Furters show up for this monstrosity.