Being in its 15th year at London’s Lyceum Theatre, we always knew Disney’s award-winning musical The Lion King was a huge success. But we now know just how prolifically successful the show is…
The enchanting and unmisseable charm of The Lion King
News has emerged that The Lion King the musical has made more money at the box office, not just than any other stage show but also any other cinema release.
£3.8billion in ticket sales alone
Disney’s classic tale has made more than £3.8billion in ticket sales alone and that’s not including the revenue made from the film or in merchandise and cast recordings.
In terms of box office revenue, The Lion King has overtaken The Phantom of the Opera, despite the fact Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical was seen by twice as many people in the auditorium. The Disney classic has even surpassed Avatar, which is the biggest film release at the box office, making almost $2.8billion.
A glittering Broadway career and a global sensation
The musical The Lion King began on Broadway in 1997, three years after the Disney animation had been released. In 2013 it was the highest-grossing musical on Broadway and still remains so in 2014.
With lyrics by Sir Tim Rice and music by Sir Elton John, 75 million people are believed to watched the award-winning musical in 22 productions around the world.
Thomas Schumacher, President of Disney Theatrical Productions spoke of how “deeply proud” he is that the show has made such a huge impact on audiences in different countries around the globe.
“It’s difficult not to become emotional at this realisation of the show’s impact,” said Thomas Schumacher.
People of all ages are entranced by the magical, underlying love story of The Lion King. With music combining African tribal music, love songs and powerful ballads by Elton John and Tim Rice, the popularity of The Lion King shows little sign of abating. On the contrary, we wouldn’t be surprised if it remained at the West End for another 15 years!
To witness the spectacle that is The Lion King, click here!
