Which all-time record? Try the biggest one of them all. The Lion King stage musical has surpassed $6.2 billion in ticket sales which makes it the most successful work in entertainment history.
This comes from the Associated Press which claims, “With a worldwide gross of over $6.2 billion, “The Lion King” stage musical has now achieved the most successful box office total of any work in any media in entertainment history.”
For the record, that $6.2 billion is only from the stage production, “not sales of posters or CDs and other merchandise, revenue from the film, which grossed $423 million domestically, including its rereleased in 3D, or syndication and licensing fees.” That stage production isn’t just Broadway either. The Lion King is currently playing in 10 countries with “Twenty-two global productions have been seen by more than 75 million people.”
The Lion King surpassed The Phantom of the Opera’s $6 billion haul late this summer to break the record according to representatives from both shows. The producers of The Phantom of the Opera were good sports about it, calling The Lion King “The Pride of Broadway”.
The Lion King film was released in 1994 receiving critical acclaim, $783.3 million in worldwide box office revenue, and Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song. A stage production was formed premiering in Minneapolis, Minnesota in July 1997 and moving to Broadway in October of that same year. The Lion King musical went on to nab 11 Tony Nominations, winning six including Best Musical.
