Surprise Megahits - High School Musical’s Astronomical Success and Next Steps (GALLERY)

Disney’s High School Musical premiered in January 2006 to 7.7 million viewers.  That’s not a bad number, but it didn’t set the stage for what ended up happening.  Fast forward 30 months, and more than 250 million viewers have seen the film.

Even the music album took off. The first soundtrack became the #1 selling record in 2006 and the touring musical is expected to net $40 million in less than a year.

In fact, the squeal, “High School Musical 2,” unexpectedly became the most watched basic-cable show ever.  Together, the two films have generated more than $100 million.

Being a marketing machine, Disney has now expanded beyond the show and musical to include: video games, a best-selling book series, an ice tour and a concert tour. 

In short, this little show is now officially a ‘surprise megahit’.

Next up, there will be a High School Musical Reality TV Series and, of course, High School Musical 3:

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