Disney's THE LION KING Tour Breaks Box Office Records in Greenville

Disney's The Lion King once again set the record for the highest-grossing engagement in Greenville theatrical history with a gross of $5.6 million. The award-winning musical entertained nearly 64,000 theatergoers during the four-week engagement at the Peace Center which concluded on June 25. The North American tour broke its own record set in 2012 when the production grossed over $5.1 million during their previous four week engagement.

It is estimated that the Greenville engagement of The Lion King generated an economic benefit of more than $19 million to the city from travel, hotels, restaurants, parking and other businesses patronized by both theatergoers and production staff. This figure is based upon a Touring Broadway League report which found that, on average, Broadway tours contribute an economic impact 3.52 times the gross ticket sales to the local metropolitan area's economy.

"The Upstate loves Broadway, and we were honored to once again bring The Lion King to Greenville," said Peace Center President/CEO Megan Riegel. "The community's enthusiasm for the show was evident in the buzz that was generated around town and the record number of patrons who attended the performances. Because of that support and success, Greenville will continue to attract top-notch productions and the best that touring Broadway has to offer."

"We were thrilled to play Greenville for a second time, where The Lion King has once again been so warmly embraced," said Jack Eldon, Vice President, Domestic Touring and Regional Engagements, Disney Theatrical Productions. "We are overwhelmed by the enduring response to the show and thank the Greenville community and our partners at the Peace Center for another sensational engagement."

The North American touring productions of The Lion King have been seen by more than 19 million theatergoers in over 70 cities throughout North America.

In its 20th year, THE LION KING continues ascendant as one of the most popular stage musicals in the world. Since its Broadway premiere on November 13, 1997, 24 global productions have been seen by more than 90 million people. Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions (under the direction of Thomas Schumacher), THE LION KING is the only show in history to generate six productions worldwide running 15 or more years. Performed in eight different languages (Japanese, German, Korean, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mandarin and Portuguese), productions of THE LION KING can currently be seen on Broadway, London's West End, Hamburg, Tokyo and Sapporo, Madrid, Mexico City, Shanghai; Scheveningen, Holland; and on tour across North America, for a total of ten productions running concurrently across the globe. Having played over 100 cities in 19 countries on every continent except Antarctica, THE LION KING's worldwide gross exceeds that of any film, Broadway show or other entertainment title in box office history.

THE LION KING won six 1998 Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Scenic Design (Richard Hudson), Best Costume Design (Julie Taymor), Best Lighting Design (Donald Holder), Best Choreography (Garth Fagan) and Best Direction of a Musical. THE LION KING has also earned more than 70 major arts awards including the 1998 NY Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical, the 1999 Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, the 1999 Evening Standard Award for Theatrical Event of the Year and the 1999 Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design.

The show's director, costume designer and mask co-designer Julie Taymor continues to play an integral part in the show's ongoing success. The first woman to win a Tony Award for Direction of a Musical, Taymor has in recent years supervised new productions of the show around the world.

The Broadway score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from The Lion King animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice; additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer; and music from "Rhythm of the Pride Lands," an album inspired by the original music in the film, written by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Hans Zimmer. The resulting sound of THE LION KING is a fusion of Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Academy Award-winning song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" to the haunting ballad "Shadowland."

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed The Lion King animated feature, and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the film's screenplay. Other members of the creative team include: Michael Curry, who designed the masks and puppets with Taymor, Steve Canyon Kennedy (sound design), Michael Ward (hair and makeup design), John Stefaniuk (associate director), Marey Griffith (associate choreographer), Clement Ishmael (music supervisor) and Doc Zorthian (production supervisor). Anne Quart serves as co-producer.

For more information worldwide, visit www.LionKing.com.

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