"THE LION KING," DEFEATS "THE PHANTOM"

　　There's a new king on Broadway, "The Lion King" has achieved the title of the highest grossing show of all time on the Great White Way.

　　According to a Disney spokeswoman, it surpassed previous Broadway record-holder, "The Phantom of the Opera", earning 853.8 million US dollars, while "Phantom" has generated a cumulative gross of 853.1 million US dollars.

　　Producer and president of Disney Theatrical Productions said in a statement that "naturally they are humbled by this milestone."

　　It also added that "This accomplishment belongs to the audiences, millions of whom are experiencing their first Broadway show at The Lion King. Surely, introducing so many to the splendor of live theatre is the show's greatest legacy."

　　"The Lion King," based on the 1994 animated Disney film of the same name, follows the journey of Simba, a young lion born into animal royalty.

　　When Simba is ousted into the wild by his evil uncle, Scar, he overcomes adversity with the help of his jungle friends to reclaim his throne as king of Pride Rock.

　　Directed by Julie Taymore, the musical which features songs by Elton John, and lyrics from Tim Rice, has been a success since its opening in November 1997.

　　The show has become an international sensation after playing around the world, including in Toranto, Sydney, Paris and Taiwan, and setting up a West End production in London in 1999. It is now Broadway's seventh longest-running show in history.

　　On Broadway, "Phantom of the Opera" still holds the crown for the longest-running show as well as the highest worldwide box office for a stage musical with global ticket sales of 5.6 billion US dollars,ahead of "The Lion King" at 4.8 billion US dollars.

◆ 追蹤更多華視影音及圖文新聞：
1.用Plurk追蹤華視影音及圖文新聞：追蹤
2.用Twitter追蹤華視影音及圖文新聞：追蹤