When we think of box office blockbusters, we
think of movies like " Avatar", " Frozen ", and this
summer's big hit, " Guardians of the Galaxy ". We
think of "tentpole" films with major star power.
These are the projects that make jaw-dropping
amounts of money. However, in terms of box
office earnings alone, there is one project that
has every major blockbuster totally beat. What
makes this feat even more impressive, is that
the project isn't even a movie – it's a musical.
Recently, " The Lion King " musical
officially passed $6.2 billion in box office
receipts . At that level, the musical has now
earned more than " Titanic", the " Harry Potter " or
" Twilight" franchises, as well as the
aforementioned " Avatar", which is the highest
grossing film ever. How did a musical with life-
sized puppets become the highest grossing piece
of entertainment ever? Turns out, it's a
combination of talent, luck, and very, very good
market analysis…
"The Lion King" began as an animated movie
musical produced by Disney. It went into
development in 1988 and after extensive
rewrites, reworking, and personnel changes, the
film made it to the big-screen in 1994. It went
on to become the highest grossing film of 1994 ,
won two Oscars and a Golden Globe, and holds
the distinction of being the highest-grossing
hand-drawn film ever . It was one of Disney's
last primarily hand-drawn projects, in fact.
Between its initial release and a 3D re-release in
2011, "The Lion King" has earned $987,483,777 .
There have also been two direct-to-video sequels
and two related animated series released.
However, the film's most successful spin-off, by
far, is the Broadway musical adaptation.
After the success of the stage adaptation of
" Beauty and the Beast", Disney was looking to
continue bringing cartoons to the stage. Spurred
by the positive response to the music and lyrics
of Elton John and Tim Rice, with additional
music and arrangements by Hans Zimmer and
Lebo M., a musical theater version went into
development soon after the movie blew up.
Award-winning director and designer, Julie
Taymor, was brought on board to shepherd the
2D film into 3D life. Her vision both paid homage
to the cartoon, and took it off in a completely
different direction. New songs, and song
arrangements, were added; the role of Rafiki was
made female, since there were no true female
leads in the animated film; and Nala's storyline,
especially, was expanded. The biggest shift was
the look of the show. The musical employed
everything from life-size puppets, to actors on
stilts, to mechanical headpieces. It gave the
show an edgy, highly stylized look that set it
apart from the original animated production.
The show premiered on July 8, 1997, in
Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was an instant hit.
No one had ever seen anything like it. Three
months later, it opened on Broadway in the New
Amsterdam Theater, and has been running ever
since. To this day, tickets are in high demand,
and it regularly sells out its current 1,621 seat
home at the Minskoff Theatre. It is the fourth
longest running show in Broadway history and
the top earner. Since it opened, it has spawned
23 other productions , including two U.S.
National Tours, a UK National Tour, and a
Japanese National Tour. It won the Tony Awards
for Best Musical; Best Direction (Julie Taymor);
Best Choreography (Garth Fagan); Best Scenic
Design (Richard Hudson); Best Costume Design
(Julie Taymor and Michael Curry); and Best
Lighting Design (Donald Holder) in 1998.
The secrets to its success rest in multiple
places. First, the show is excellent. The musical
actually improved on the original production.
Problems that existed in the script for the
animated production, were solved or reworked in
Roger Allers and Irene Mecchi's Tony-nominated
script for the musical adaptation. Additionally,
Lebo M.'s orchestrations and arrangements of
the choral moments, take the show beyond the
usual musical fare into something otherworldly.
Second, the design is truly unique.
Simultaneously sumptuous, yet spare and
elegant, the show has become a favorite around
the world because its aesthetic sense is
attractive to a range of cultures. Third, Disney is
meticulous about casting. Actors are groomed
for their roles over years, sometimes, and the
casting directors overseeing the various
productions are known for only casting the best
and brightest. Consequently, the show, no matter
what country you are seeing it in, never feels
stale or tired. Finally, and most importantly,
Disney has come up with an analytical system
that is almost fool-proof. It looks at everything
from airline price fluctuations at the airports
closest to the productions, to the nearly 20 years
of data collected about ticket sales on each day
of the year.
David Schrader, the Executive Vice President and
Managing Director of Disney Theatrical Group,
reportedly examines everything from weather
patterns, to school holidays, to the division
between ticket sales to locals, foreigners, and
domestic tourists, to determine what he can
charge for tickets on any given day. Having this
data has allowed ticket prices for "The Lion
King" to remain incredibly consistent over the
years, as opposed to some other shows whose
tickets can tick up into the $400 range for high-
demand dates. Schrader watches the audience
for "The Lion King" very closely. While tickets
are by no means cheap at around $150 each ,
tickets for "The Lion King" have never gone
above $200, unlike many other Broadway shows.
The show is known for not only being excellent,
fun to watch even if you don't speak the local
language, and great for families, but it's also
known for being, by comparison, affordable. The
end result, is that the number of people coming
to see the show has actually increased,
especially over the last five years. This is
remarkable given that the production has been
on Broadway for almost two decades, and it's
vying for ticket sales with flashier, newer shows
like " Wicked ", " The Book of Mormon ", and
" Once" .
Even with the competition, "The Lion King"
continues to make $1 million or more – per
week . More astonishing is that the $6.2 billion it
has earned to date is only a tally of ticket sales.
It does not include sales of "The Lion King"
merchandise – such as clothing, cast albums,
commemorative programs, and posters, nor does
it include any of the earnings from the original
animated production!!! With the combination of
ticket and merchandise sales, "The Lion King"
musical has become an industry unto itself, and
has been seen by an astonishing 75 million
people worldwide. The production shows no sign
of slowing down, and their are currently ten
companies performing the musical around the
world. With so much global love, and Mr.
Schrader gauging audience interest based on
everything from overlapping vacation days, to
daylight savings, to the approach of flu season,
it's safe to say that the show will continue to
make money for years to come.
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