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Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire

Explore episode Aug 10, 2026
Arts
Lion King: The Musical Is the Highest-Grossing Entertainment Product in History

Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire · Aug 10, 2026 Arts

The Lion King musical has been running for 30 years across Broadway, London's West End, and global touring companies. It has grossed over $11 billion in total revenue — more than Avatar, more than Avengers: Endgame, more than any album, more than any video game. It generates an average of $350 million in revenue every single year. Disney owns it outright.

2m 50s

Where this was said

Flywheel Extensions: Home Video, Retail & Broadway

At 45:10 · chapter starts 37:33

With Disney Animation back in full flourish, Eisner and Wells spent the late 1980s and early 1990s extending the flywheel in ways Walt had never imagined. Home video was the most contentious: the Disney family viewed releasing classics on VHS as heresy — a permanent devaluation of the vault. Eisner had to convene the entire family to approve Pinocchio as a test on a limited 1.7-million-unit run at $29.95. It sold out instantly. Cinderella followed with 6 million units and $200 million in gross revenue. Then the Renaissance films hit: Aladdin sold 30 million tapes in 1993, generating approximately $900 million in sales, with Disney keeping $17-20 in profit per tape. The Lion King sold 32 million units — the best-selling VHS of all time — at roughly $1 billion in gross sales. Home video quickly became a billion-dollar profit center, second only to the parks. Disney retail stores — over 750 in malls across America — turned Saturday mall trips into branded Disney experiences. And then there was Broadway: The Lion King musical, directed with extraordinary artistry, has been running for 30 years and has grossed over $11 billion across Broadway, London, and touring companies — more than any film, album, or video game ever made. It averages $350 million in revenue for Disney every single year.

Business
The Home Video Gold Rush: How Disney Discovered a Second Box Office

Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire · Aug 10, 2026 Business

Disney's decision to release its classics on VHS was heresy to the family — they expected it to cannibalize theatrical demand. Instead, it created a second box office from nothing. Aladdin sold 30 million VHS tapes in 1993. The Lion King sold 32 million, the best-selling VHS of all time. Disney was keeping $17-20 per tape in profit. Home video became a billion-dollar business almost overnight.

3m 38s

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Arts
Howard Ashman and the Broadway Formula That Made Disney Billions

Disney: The Renaissance and the Empire · Aug 10, 2026 Arts

Howard Ashman had one insight nobody else had: animated Disney films should be Broadway musicals. The third song of every great musical is the character sitting alone explaining what they want. That's 'Part of Your World.' That structure — combined with Alan Menken's compositions — generated Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, and turned Disney Animation into the most profitable creative engine in entertainment history.

4m 32s