Mamma Mia! Movie Soundtrack Achieves Platinum Status and Hits #1

MAMMA MIA! continues to be a global phenomenon, and is making a huge impression in the United States.

The MAMMA MIA! - The Movie Soundtrack is the bona fide hit of the summer, reaching #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Chart, and achieving platinum status today, after only its fifth week of release.

Featuring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan singing the hits of super group ABBA, the CD is also #1 on the Billboard Soundtrack Chart for the fourth consecutive week, and has been the top selling album on iTunes for three consecutive weeks.

MAMMA MIA! mania has reached new heights in the wake of the blockbuster summer film release, produced by global stage producer Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman - with the soundtrack debut marking the highest charting week ever in history for an ABBA recording.

The Broadway production of Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus' global smash hit musical MAMMA MIA! grew in its fourth consecutive week in the Million Dollar Club last week grossing $1,071,486., and marking its highest grossing week of 2008 so far.

MAMMA MIA! – THE MOVIE surpassed a gross of $100 million this week, making it the 5th highest grossing movie musical (non-animated) ever in the United States. After setting records in markets around the world, the film opened in the U.S. to the best weekend ever for a movie musical grossing $27.8 million, and has since grossed $105,533,895. in the U.S. alone.

As MAMMA MIA! dominates both stage and screen, the music of ABBA recently scored a triple play. Before reaching #1 on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog today, the soundtrack to the film, the original London cast recording and the "ABBA Gold" compilation all reached #1 on their respective charts (Soundtrack, Broadway and Catalogue chart) last week.

ABBA holds a total of five positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog this week, including "ABBA Gold," "The Best of ABBA: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection," "ABBA Number Ones" and "ABBA The Definitive Collection" in addition to the movie soundtrack and the original London cast recording.

The MAMMA MIA! – THE MOVIE film soundtrack is also #1 on the top 200 Canadian sound scan chart as well as in Switzerland and New Zealand, and has gone platinum in Canada, UK, Greece, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand and Austria, and Gold in Denmark, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland and the Philippines, where the album holds the #1 position in all medal charting countries.

Seen on stage by over 32 million people around the world, MAMMA MIA!, is celebrating more than 6 years on Broadway and is currently playing record-breaking engagements in Las Vegas and on National Tour in the United States.

There are currently 9 productions of MAMMA MIA! running around the world (7 resident productions and 2 tours). With a worldwide gross of over $2 Billion, MAMMA MIA! is acclaimed by the Associated Press as "quite simply, a phenomenon."

Produced by Judy Craymer, Richard East and Björn Ulvaeus for Littlestar in association with Universal, the creative team responsible for bringing MAMMA MIA! to theatrical life includes some of the most gifted and celebrated talents of musical theatre and opera. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, MAMMA MIA! is written by Catherine Johnson and directed by Phyllida Lloyd. MAMMA MIA! has choreography by Anthony Van Laast, production design by Mark Thompson, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Andrew Bruce and Bobby Aitken, and musical supervision, additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.

MAMMA MIA! plays on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway) Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m.

Ticket prices range from $62.50 -$111.25, including a $1.25 Shubert facility fee. Tickets are available by calling the MAMMA MIA! hotline at (212) 563-5544/(800) 432-7250; in person at the Winter Garden Box Office or online at www.telecharge.com/mamma-mia  and www.mamma-mia.com

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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