"The Lion King" is now the top grossing stage show in box office history, according to the Associated Press.
The Broadway Disney tale has grossed over $6.2 billion worldwide - surpassing "The Phantom of the Opera", which has earned $6 billion over the years and is considered the longest running show in Broadway history.
"It's difficult not to become emotional at this realization of the show's impact," Thomas Schumacher, president and producer at Disney Theatrical Productions, said in a statement. "Our goal then 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."
Walt Disney Co. said on Monday that the show has been running on Broadway since 1997 and is based on the 1994 animated film, which made about $2.8 billion worldwide.
BBC News reported that the amount does not include sales of merchandise, the movie or cast recordings - just sales.
According to AP, the success of the show is due to its "movie tie-in, simple-to-understand story, family-friendly themes and the fact that it's a spectacle not dependent on big-name stars."
"It is the highest-grossing total in box office history," a Disney spokesman told Reuters. "The $6.2bn figure is just the box office of the stage musical." The spokesman said the show had reached the new record during the summer.
Have you seen "The Lion King" on stage?
