It Cost Disney an Insane Amount of Money for ‘Hamilton’ to Stream on Disney+
From the moment it debuted on Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s Tony-award winning musical Hamilton has been a global sensation. The play was the hottest ticket in town with high profile figures and celebrities clamoring over each other in an effort to snag a ticket.
Though the show premiered back in 2015, five years later, the ticket prices are still wildly expensive and shows are sold out months in advance. Therefore, when Disney announced they had purchased the theatrical rights for the play, fans were ecstatic. This meant that people without access to Broadway would be able to take part in the iconic hip-hop musical.
Now, Disney has switched gears when it comes to their Hamilton release, the story of Alexander Hamilton will no longer premiere in theaters on October 15, 2021.
‘Hamilton’ debuts on Disney+ July 3, 2020
Disney just announced that they will be debuting the iconic musical on their streaming service just in time for Independence Day 2020. “I’m so proud of how beautifully Tommy Kail has brought ‘Hamilton’ to the screen,” Miranda said in a statement. “He’s given everyone who watches this film the best seat in the house. I’m so grateful to Disney and Disney+ for reimagining and moving up our release to July 4th weekend of this year, in light of the world turning upside down. I’m so grateful to all the fans who asked for this, and I’m so glad that we’re able to make it happen. I’m so proud of this show. I can’t wait for you to see it.”
Disney chose to move ‘Hamilton’s release date up because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, Broadway in New York City will be closed through Labor Day, and many movie theaters are still closed with movie studios pushing back highly anticipated releases until next year.
“No other artistic work in the last decade has had the cultural impact of Hamilton—an inspiring and captivating tale told and performed in a powerfully creative way,” Robert A. Iger, Executive Chairman of The Walt Disney Company said in a statement. “In light of the extraordinary challenges facing our world, this story about leadership, tenacity, hope, love, and the power of people to unite against the forces of adversity is both relevant and impactful. We are thrilled to bring this phenomenon to Disney+ on the eve of Independence Day, and we have the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda and the team behind Hamilton to thank for allowing us to do so more than a year before planned.”
As a result, Disney wanted to give us all something to smile about. Disney always intended for Hamilton to eventually land on Disney+, just not quite this soon. However, with over 50 million subscribers on their platform, this is a great time for us all to be diving right back into the iconic songs.
It cost Disney $75 million for ‘Hamilton’ to land on Disney+
Getting Hamilton to Disney+ came at a hefty price for the studio. They paid $75 million for the acquisition, the largest sum paid in history for a finished film.
Directed by Tommy Kail, the Hamilton film was shot at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016 with the original cast. It is a combined three live performances as well as some shots without an audience so that every viewer will get a front-row seat.
