4. Beauty and the Beast: $17.4 Million
This was Disney’s first musical. When they finally decided to dare to venture into musical theatre, its producers chose a simple project, a hit animated movie, Beauty and the Beast.
Since the movie first appeared, it had numerous adaptations, TV series and several books. And when the Broadway musical came no one was surprised.
It opened in 1994, and it had a budget that now is worth $17.4 million. Disney’s’ producers weren’t sure if the musical will succeed, but their investment paid off eventually.
The musical ran on Broadway for 13 years, only closing to make way for The Little Mermaid, which was set to start showing in 2007.
