Most expensive show ever?

[bjivie2]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 3:44pm

So I just converted the C$27,000,000 that The Lord of the Rings is spending in Canadian to over $21.5 million in American currency. Is that the biggest budget for a show ever? It seems ridiculously high. Anyone know what the biggest budget for a show ever is?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 3:59pm

I thought Wicked wass the champion at $14M.

Adjusted for inflation, I think "Shogun" holds the title (or at least did, pre LOTR). I never saw the show, but I remember Ken Mandlebaum talking about the extensive battle scenes with several actors on horseback in a snowstorm.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:00pm

Wasn't Chitty $20 million? I saw that somewhere... but it could've been made up. That car's costing a ton, though.

Updated On: 5/12/05 at 04:00 PM

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:06pm

was Shogun based on the James Cleavel novel?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:07pm

Shogun was based on the nowel, yes.

On the web, I found that "Lion King" is said to be the most expensive show to date, costing just over $20M.

Did you know that if you had invested $1,000 in Oklahoma you would have made over $2.5 Million dollars? No wonder people produce theatre!
Updated On: 5/12/05 at 04:07 PM

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:14pm

All Shook Up apparently also cost $14 million, according to Variety.

I don't think Disney ever officially released the figures, but I've always suspected that The Lion King cost over $20 million, especially if you factor in the millions they spent on refurbishing the theatre. But, that's just my own personal guess.

I wonder what the original production of "Follies" would cost in today's dollars? Its $800,000 was a record 35 years ago.

Updated On: 5/12/05 at 04:14 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:25pm

All Shook Up cost $14M? For what? My goodness, that is amazing!

Margo I almost mentioned Follies: I love that moment in "Broadway: The American Musical" where Hal Prince talks about tying to raise $800,000 to stage Follies. It's so amazing to hear him rattle off the stats (Guessing at the numbers here) "Cast of 40, 15 sets, 800 huge costumes...and it all cost $800,000-- which was a LOT in those days!" I can't even imagine what it would cost in thise day & age.

[maybethistime]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:43pm

G. Book of World Record 2004 credits Chitty w/ around $20 mil... (too lazy to actually look it up)

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:47pm

And that the car is the most expensive stage prop ever, I think.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 4:55pm

That massive production of Frankenstien in the 80's was a huge budget AND a huge flop, closing right after opening night.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 5:03pm

I imagine All Shook Up costs so much b/c of rights to the tunes.

[clarkstallings]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 5:07pm

Mary Poppins is currently the most expensive show, of course it isn't on Broadway yet. Disney has put nearly $20 million into the production and it, prior to opening night, was affectionately called "Scary Poppins." Since Disney and Cameron Mackintosh are splitting costs equally, logically Cameron has put $20 million into the show as well. This easily makes Poppins the most exspensive show in history. Now the numbers I read could be wrong. However, after hearing of the spectacular production complexity, I would not be surprised at all.

[ShuQ]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 5:11pm

Disney has put nearly $20 million into the production

But haven't Lion King and Chitty said they spent more than 20 million?

[Cages or Wings]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 5:17pm

ShuQ,
If Im reading this right... and I'd like to think that I am she is saying that both Mackintosh and Disney put up around 20 mil.

[sassypanz]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 5:37pm

Lion king!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 5:55pm

I think EFX was the largest most expensive show in the world for a while...

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 6:42pm

If MARY POPPINS is the most expensive musical ever, then I don't know where the money went. It's impressive visually, but it contains nothing (no flying cars, no no massive set, no extravegent costumes) that would indicate upwards of a 40 million dollar budget.
Updated On: 5/12/05 at 06:42 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 6:44pm

maybe it's all the flying...? Why is LOTR so expensive? I thought it was more of an artistic approach? What's so expensive about it?

[Jon]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 7:09pm

According to the rumor mill, THE LION KING cost well over $20 million, but we will never know the actual figure. Since there were no outside investors, Disney is not obliged to release financial statements that specifically say how much the show cost to mount.

[Plum]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 7:16pm

Actually, I think Follies would only cost $4,026,804 today if I'm getting this CPI thing right. Then again, the union rules were probably quite a bit different then.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 7:20pm

On the train on the way home from work, I remembered reading something about the new show in Vegas produced by some ex-Cirque people that supposedly cost $100M? Anyone remember reading anything about that? It's got a short name like Ke or AP or Fi....

[Plum]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 7:55pm

Hoooly crap. The working title is "Cirque de Soleil Beatles" and it is, indeed, expected to cost over $100 million.
Cirque de Soleil Beatles

[TonyBWay]

Posted: 5/12/05 at 8:16pm

Cirque du Soleil's production of KA in Las Vegas (currently running at the MGM GRAND) is well over the $150 million mark. And after you see the show, you can understand why! The show is a technical dream, with special effects that would blow a certain "flying car" away.