Mary Poppins Cost

[renthead333]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 10:52pm

How much did Mary Poppins cost to produce? I've heard wonderful things about the sets and I'm sure they weren't cheap.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 11:02pm

I read somewhere a figure of around $56 million. I heard disney put more than 20 millino into the London production. It is my understanding that Disney and CM were going halfsies and splitting everything down the middle cost wise. While the 50 million figure seems a bit high, the scenery, particularly the house attic is a particularly sophisticated piece that could have cost several million. But i really dont' know

[jess20882]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 11:03pm

the sets are INCREDIBLE - worth every penny

[Tag]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 11:27pm

clarkstallings you are probally about $30 million off.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 11:42pm

I don't think that number is that far off. Though it is not readily apparent, it's probably one of the most technologically advanced shows ever. Rights and all included, I can easily see how the development costs could be higher than $40 million. There's a whole lot more to a show like this than just costumes and scenery.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/11/06 at 11:57pm

I'm with Tag. No show has ever cost even half that figure. It sounds about $30 million off -- heck, even WICKED only cost $14 million. Even Disney at its most extravagant wouldn't spend more than $30 million on a show -- it would take several years of completely sold out out houses to even get close to recouping otherwise.

[Tag]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 12:08am

The highest costing "musical" of all time is considered to be The Lord of the Rings, coming in at $27 million (Canadian). That figure was the publicly announced figure, although it truthfully came in around $40 million.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 1:00am

I understand what y'all are saying. I'm even a bit skeptical of the figures. The figures I've quoted, which are the only ones I have to go by go come from a piece I read online during the tryouts of the show in Bristol. Disney doesn't release numbers so all we can do is speculate. However, there are a lot of costs associated with this show that one might easily forget. I'm certain the Traver's estate is getting an incredible sum. Let us also not forget that The Lion King had to move. It is my understanding that it got all new sets when it went to the Minskoff. That's several million dollars right there Whether or not you count that as a Lion King expense or a Poppins expense, it is a Disney expense incident to Mary Poppins. Had Poppins not come along, odds are The Lion King wouldn't have moved. The article I read was at www.jimhillmedia.com Many of you maybe familiar with his Disney observations. Sometimes the information is not too reliable but as of now, it is really all we have. Margo does raise a very good point that I've pondered as well when thinking about a show with the figures I mentioned earlier. The capitalization, if true, would take damn near forever to payback. I'm now really interested i n finding out an actual, verifiable number (Hard to do I know.)

[Practically Perfect]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 6:20am

Well when the show moved from Bristol to London, I read that it cost between £10million and £12million, which definitely is not $56 million. I'm sure a show costs more to put on in Broadway than the West End, but the price of Mary Poppins alone will not be $56 million. With The Lion King transfer it may be near to that sum, if they did indeed change the set etc.

Mary P x

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 11:26am

It was publicised in local press that the out-of-town tryout in Bristol had put an extra £1million on the budget, but I don't remember it saying what that was £10-£12million (so roughly $20-$24million) sounds about right as an upper limit for the UK production. Of course, a show on Broadway costs significantly more to produce...

[myManCape]

Posted: 12/12/06 at 12:06pm

First of all, the Lion King move while it was caused by Mary Poppins would go under the Lion King ledger in Disney's financial record. As would every penny spent on Lion King sets and remodeling the Minskoff. Now if you want to add that into Mary Poppins costs then yes you may get into the $50 million range. However it is my understanding that very little was done do the New Amsterdam between King and Poppins so aside from the awesome sets and expensive, yet rather simple costumes there is no way Poppins totaled more than $30 million on its own.