Who said the musical is dead? The last 40 years has produced box office hits out of film adaptations of Broadway smashes, original movie musicals…
Who said the musical is dead? The last 40 years has produced box office hits out of film adaptations of Broadway smashes, original movie musicals and a few, beloved, all-time classics. Hoping to join these ranks is “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again,” opening this weekend. Here are the Top 20, highest grossing musicals of the last 40 years. (All box office figures courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo)
17. “The Blues Brothers” (1980) – $57.2 million
The production of “The Blues Brothers” was a costly fiasco that spiraled into one of the most expensive comedies of all time. And though it still wound up the 10th highest grossing film of 1980, it wound up behind another far cheaper comedy that came as a surprise just a week later, “Airplane!”
18. “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1980) – $67.1 million
Sissy Spacek played the legendary country singer Loretta Lynn in Michael Apted’s biopic that went on to be one of the Top 10 box office hits of 1980 and a Best Picture nominee.
16. “Moulin Rouge!” (2001) – $57.3 million
Baz Luhrmann didn’t invent the jukebox musical, but his film’s exuberant, garish mash-up of original songs with everything from Christina Aguilera to David Bowie to Rodgers & Hammerstein certainly helped popularize it for the 21st century.
15. “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (1982) – $69.7 million
Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton starred in this adaptation of a play of the same name about a sheriff fighting to keep a local brothel open after it’s called out by a TV reporter. The film performed well enough at the box office to knock the long-running “E. T.” from the #1 spot.
14. “Annie” (2014) – $85.9 million
Instead of the freckled red head, the modern update to “Annie” starred “Beasts of the Southern Wild” star Quvenzhane Wallis in the lead role alongside Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx.
13. “The Muppets” (2011) – $88.6 million
The Muppets had a big box office slump in the ’90s and disappeared entirely in the 2000s. Jason Segel’s musical helped make them relevant again.
12. “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” (2008) – $90.5 million
The first two “High School Musical” films were such massive, surprise hit TV movies on the Disney Channel that they went all out for a theatrically released threequel that made over $90 million.
Read original story 20 Highest Grossing Movie Musicals of the Last 40 Years, From ‘Grease’ to ‘La La Land’ (Photos) At TheWrap
