WHEN THE CIRCUS STOPS PRINTING MONEY

Part 2 : Cirque Isn’t Dead. The Residency Model Is

WHEN THE CIRCUS STOPS PRINTING MONEY

Wow, part one sure did get some people’s attention. The die-hard Cirque followers let their voice be heard. I love it, and I never said Cirque had to go away, so let’s clear something up before more emails start.

Cirque du Soleil isn’t worthless. It isn’t creatively bankrupt. And it isn’t universally unprofitable.

In fact, that’s what makes this conversation uncomfortable.

Some Cirque shows still work. O still works. It prints money, anchors Bellagio’s brand, and delivers a spectacle that actually feels singular. That matters.

However, the market is changing; they don’t really appeal to the latest generations, and with their shows being the same for literal decades, something has to change. How many of you frequent Vegas visitors are going to keep going back to the same show multiple times over 20 years?

But the mistake MGM made wasn’t partnering with Cirque.

It was multiplying permanence.

Vegas doesn’t reward repetition at scale. It rewards moments.

And that’s where Cirque’s global playbook and its Vegas execution diverged.