Tag Archives: The Lion King

Miranda’s “Hamilton: An American Musical” Original Cast Recording Surpasses 1 Million in U.S. Album Sales

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Lin-Manuel Miranda has a platinum hit on his hands…

The original Broadway cast recording of Hamilton: An American Musical, created by the 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor, playwright, composer, rapper and writer, has now surpassed 1 million in U.S. album sales, according to Nielsen Music.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's final Hamilton curtain call

The set, which won the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album last year, sold another 16,000 copies in the week ending January 5, which brings its total sales sum to 1.005 million since its release on September 25, 2015.

Hamilton is only the ninth cast recording to sell a million since Nielsen began electronically tracking music sales in 1991.

The top selling cast album in Nielsen’s history is the highlights edition of the original London cast recording of The Phantom of the Opera, with 4.97 million sold. (The complete recording of The Phantom of the Opera — which is tracked and charts separately — has sold 503,000 since 1991.)

Aside from The Phantom of the Opera (Highlights) and Hamilton, here are the other million-selling cast albums of the Nielsen era: the original Broadway cast recordings of Wicked (2.67 million), Les Miserables (1.65 million), Jersey Boys (1.44 million), Rent (1.28 million) and The Lion King (1.04 million), along with the original cast recording of Mamma Mia! (1.71 million) and the highlights edition of the complete symphonic recording of Les Miserables (1.03 million).

In 2016, Hamilton received a record-setting 16 Tony Award nominations, winning 11, including Best Musical and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Miranda’s “Hamilton” Ends Year as Broadway’s Box Office Star

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Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is the new king of the jungle…

The 36-year-old Puerto Rican actor, playwright, composer, rapper and writer’s Broadway musical nudged past Disney blockbuster The Lion King to top the Broadway box office end of the year chart.

Lin-Manuel Miranda's final Hamilton curtain call

Hamilton ended the year earning $105.5 million, besting The Lion King ($103.2 million) by a nose.

The show’s hugely profitable year comes as little surprise given the ultra-high demand for tickets and the rising prices of premium seats.

Over Thanksgiving, Hamilton became the first Broadway show to earn more than $3 million in a single eight-performance week.

Although Broadway bookkeeping mostly follows a season calendar that begins and ends in May, the year-end box office tallies nonetheless provide a good mid-season snapshot of the health of the Broadway industry. With box office measured in weekly increments that run Monday through Sunday, bookkeepers at the Broadway League are counting the week ending December 25 as the end of the 52-week year, with the 2017 calendar year beginning this week.

Hamilton and the 19-year-old Lion King, which had been the biggest earner on the street for the previous three calendar years, were the only two shows to earn more than $100 million in 2016.

Another of Broadway’s consistent hot tickets, Wicked ($89 million), followed them on the chart, with Disney’s Aladdin ($78.2 million) and The Book of Mormon ($70.6 million) rounding out the Top 5.

GKIDS to Release Hayek’s “Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet” in August

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Salma Hayek’s latest personal project is headed to theaters in August…

GKIDS has announced plans to release Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet on August 7 in Los Angeles and New York before expanding it nationwide the following week.

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet

The animated film, adapted from Kahlil Gibran‘s book The Prophet, was spearheaded by Hayek and features a narrative story written and directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King), with “chapters” based on Gibran’s poems designed and directed by animation directors including Tomm Moore, Joan Gratz, Bill Plympton, Nina Paley, Joann Sfar, Paul and Gaetan Brizzi, Michal Socha and Mohammed Harib.

Hayek, Liam Neeson, Quvenzhané Wallis, John Krasinski, Frank Langella and Alfred Molina make up the voice cast.

The Prophet is a book of 26 prose poetry essays written in English by the Lebanese artist, philosopher and writer. It was originally published in 1923 by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Gibran’s best-known work. The Prophet has been translated into over 40 different languages and has never been out of print.

Cheech Marin to Perform at Insane Clown Posse’s Festival

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Cheech Marin is about to get his laugh on…

The 66-year-old Mexican American actor/comedian—who gained acclaim as part of the Grammy-winning comedy duo Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s—will reunite with his comedy partner Tommy Chong to perform at Insane Clown Posse‘s 13th annual Gathering of the Juggalos, taking place August 8-12 at Cave-In-Rock, Illinois.

Cheech Marin

The Detroit rap duo announced the festival lineup with a highly produced 23-minute video on its official web site, portraying the festival as a Walking Dead-style refuge from a zombie infestation that’s taken over the world.

The clip highlights not only the musical performers, but also additional attractions like an expanded comedy tent — headlined by Cheech & Chong with Ralphie May, Jamie Kennedy, Bobcat Goldthwait and others.

In addition to his comedy work with Chong, Marin starred on television as Don Johnson‘s partner on Nash Bridges and as Hurley’s dad on Lost. He has also voiced characters in several Disney productions, including The Lion King, Cars, Cars 2 and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Information on the festival and how to get tickets can be found at www.juggalogathering.com.