'Hairspray' is 3rd Most Successful Movie Musical in 30 Years

According to ShowBizData, Hairspray is the third most successful movie musical in 30 years. The film rose just over $113 million in domestic sales yesterday, surpassing the 1975 cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

The Top 5 Ranking Movie Musicals are:

1. Grease
2. Chicago
3. Hairspray
4. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
5. Dreamgirls

Performances by actor John Travolta, who starred as Danny Zukow in Grease and as Edna Turnblad in Hairspray, are currently in the #1 and #3 spots.

Movie producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Chicago, Hairspray) sit in spots #2 and #3, with actress Queen Latifah who starred as Mama Morton (Chicago) and Motormouth Maybelle (Hairspray).

"Hairspray, written by Leslie Dixon, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and directed by Adam Shankman, is the story of Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart, who has only one passion -- dancing. Her dream is to appear on 'The Corny Collins Show,' Baltimore's hippest dance party on TV. Tracy (Nikki Blonsky) seems a natural fit for the show except for one not-so-little problem -- she doesn't fit in. However, when big hair meets big dreams anything can happen -- and does," state press notes.   The film features a screenplay by Leslie Dixon, who adapted it from Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnell's original book, as well as a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who contributed new songs to their existing Tony Award-winning score.

Based on the 1988 John Waters cult classic film and the critically acclaimed, Tony Award-winning Broadway hit musical, Hairspray features the all-star ensemble of John Travolta as Edna Turnblad, Michelle Pfeiffer as Velma Von Tussle, Christopher Walken as Wilbur Turnblad, Amanda Bynes as Penny Pingleton, James Marsden as Corny Collins, Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle, Brittany Snow as Amber Von Tussle, Zac Efron as Link Larkin, Elijah Kelley as Seaweed, Allison Janney as Prudy Pingleton and introduces eighteen-year-old newcomer Nikki Blonsky in her professional debut.

Hairspray debuted in theaters on July 20 with the largest opening weekend gross ever for a musical film.