Kicked off by the popularity of the 1994 animated film of the same name, 'Lion King' took in big dollars around the world in 22 different productions.
- September 23, 2014
AceShowbiz -
The most profitable production of all time would be "The Lion King". The 17-year-old musical holds the global box-office record in any medium, be it any other show, movie or other work of entertainment.
According to the Associated Press, "The Lion King" has earned a worldwide sale of more than $6.2 billion, eclipsing "The Phantom of the Opera" which has pulled in $6 billion this summer. "It is the highest-grossing total in box office history," a spokesman for Walt Disney Co. told Reuters. "The $6.2 billion figure is just the box office of the stage musical."
The Broadway production of "The Lion King" contributed $1.1 billion of the title's overall gross. The rest came from national and international tours in North America, London, Japan and elsewhere around the world. It has been seen in 22 different productions around the world. The animated film of the same name took in almost $1 billion worldwide, but the highest-grossing film of all time is still "Avatar" with $2.8 billion.
"The Lion King" benefited from the family genre as well as the popularity of the 1994 film which the musical is based on. Smart strategy of increasing the seat price when the audience demand is high also contributed to the new title.
"It's difficult not to become emotional at this realization of the show's impact," said Thomas Schumacher, president and producer at Disney Theatrical Productions.
