'Lion King' reigns on Broadway

Very quietly, almost stealthily, a new king has been inaugurated on Broadway.

Box office figures released yesterday show that "The Lion King" last week swiped the title of Broadway's all-time highest grossing show from "The Phantom of the Opera." The cumulative gross for "The Lion King" is $853,846,062, according to the show's numbers. Its chandelier-swinging rival's cumulative total is $853,122,847, according to the musical's publicist. The "Lion King" surged past "Phantom" after netting over $2 million at the box office for the week ending Sunday, while "Phantom" pulled in about $1.2 million.

What makes the achievement all the more remarkable is that "The Lion King" chased down and grabbed the title despite "Phantom" having almost a full 10 years' head start. The Disney show opened in November 1997, while "Phantom" debuted in January 1988.

The upstart's victory is due in large part to its higher average ticket prices and a slightly larger theater. Monday's data show "Phantom" had an average paid admission of $98.97, while "The Lion King" fetched $155.09.

"Phantom," now in its 24th year, is still the longest-running show in Broadway history, with more than 10,000 performances and it has sold many more tickets than its Disney rival on the Great White Way, a staggering 14.8 million so far.

In comparison, "The Lion King" has sold just over 10 million tickets. -- AP