Disney’s musical money machine
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Scott Jagow: The malls will probably be empty tonight. Apparently, kids across America are staying home to watch a movie on the Disney Channel. It’s the sequel to High School Musical, something of a cross between Grease and the Rocky Horror Picture show. Disney is making a bundle on this. Here’s Lisa Napoli:
Lisa Napoli: If you have a kid, chances are good you’ve heard this song over and over and over and over again.
The soundtrack to the first made-for-TV flick topped the charts with seven million copies sold last year. 160 million people around the world have seen High School Musical.
Media analyst Ed Martin says even before tonight’s sequel debuts, Disney has outdone itself with the cross-media promotion.
Ed Martin: You’ve had the movie released twice on DVD, you’ve had the soundtrack, you’ve had video games, a concert tour, High School Musical shirts and socks and hats, sweatshirts and lunchboxes and everything you can imagine for sale.
Oh, and don’t forget 2,000 high school productions, song lyrics downloaded half a million times, a theatrical film and a Broadway Show, too.
Billboard’s Jeff Mayfield says there’s no doubt the new soundtrack that came out Tuesday will be No. 1 next week.
The High School Musical machine is expected to generate $100 million in profit by the end of the year.
Does that make Disney college material?
I’m Lisa Napoli for Marketplace.
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