The cultural phenomenonHamiltonhas taken the world by storm, becoming one of the most successful on stage performances of the century. Now, it seems as thoughHamiltonmay be on track to hitting movie theaters in 2020, as apparently the film rights are currently up for bidding.
Hamiltontook a number of leaps that most other Broadway musicals did not, featuring mostly rap-like musical numbers throughout the duration of the show. It created a unique retelling of the story of Alexander Hamilton, making millions of people around the world interested in the historical figure that most people never thought twice of before.Hamiltonis estimated to be earning over $100 million per year, which is huge for a Broadway show. Its massive earnings come not only from its box office sales, but also from its soundtrack. Based on how hugeHamiltonis on stage, it is sure to bring even more money should it make its way to the silver screen.
Currently, it looks as though the movie rights toHamiltonare up for grabs for somewhere around $50 million. While that number is huge, the buyers will surely make their money back simply due to the popularity of the musical.Hamiltonis one of those musicals that many people want to see more than once, but Broadway tickets are expensive so it’s typically not in anyone’s best interest to spend $100+ just to see it again. Instead, millions of people will surely want to spend $20 on a DVD so they can watch the hit musical whenever they want.
The unique thing about the movie rights toHamiltonis that they aren’t selling rights to make an adaptation. Instead, it’s for the rights to a high quality recording ofHamiltonthat they have already produced. This will help to keepHamiltonauthentic on screen, as it will include the original cast and set, withLin-Manuel Mirandastill taking the lead as Alexander Hamilton, with a performance captured in 2016. While this may be disappointing to fans ofHamiltonwho wanted to see a movie adaptation, it may be for the best asHamiltonwas written for the stage, and it may not work as well if it were to be shot like a movie.
Hamiltoncertainly isn’t the first Broadway musical to shoot the performance on stage and sell it for money, but it could be the first to make a monstrous amount of money off of it simply due to how successful the show has been in recent years. Unfortunately, the sellers do not want the recording to release in theaters, on DVD, or on streaming until at least 2020 so that the Broadway show will be able to be the only way to seeHamiltonfor at least a couple more years.
This report fromThe Wall Street Journalis huge news for fans ofHamiltonwho can’t get enough of theBroadway show or the hip music. Though it will still be a couple years before fans get the chance to see this recording ofHamiltonon screen, it’s still certainly exciting and could pave the way to an actual movie adaptation at some point down the road.
