The evolution of movie-based musicals

It costs a lot of money to open a big musical on Broadway—anywhere from $18 million to $32 million just to get in the door.

“The Lion King” marquee, 2005. Photo by Diego Torres Silvestre.

So, if you wanna be a producer and you have a golden ticket at your disposal to get you through that door more easily, who could blame you? Welcome to a whole new world where the golden ticket is synergy, branding and intellectual property on Broadway. “Intellectual property” is not a new phrase—it...