‘Lion King’ becomes top ticket of all time
“The Lion King” is now officially King of the Beasts on Broadway: The hit musical is the top-earning ticket of all time, the Associated Press reported Monday.
“Lion King” passed $1 billion in ticket revenues last fall; in late summer of this year, it bumped “Phantom of the Opera” out of the top spot.
“Phantom” is still the longest-running show in Broadway history, and has earned $6 billion; Lion King, which debuted on Broadway in 1997, now boasts a worldwide gross of over $6.2 billion.
The long-running Disney musical, directed by Julie Taymor and based on the animated Disney movie, opened at New York’s New Amsterdam Theatre. It’s now playing at the Minskoff Theatre on Broadway.
“It’s difficult not to become emotional at this realization of the show’s impact,” Thomas Schumacher, president and producer at Disney Theatrical Productions, told the AP.
“Our goal [in 1997] was to tell the story purely and theatrically so that audiences could feel it in their heart. And, to this day, that is the audience experience whether they see the show in Madrid; Appleton, Wisconsin; South Africa; Tokyo or Broadway. Of that, we are deeply proud.”
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