"The Lion King" ousted long-standing box-office hit "The Phantom of the Opera" from its top spot on the all-time Broadway box office hits list over the weekend, Reuters reported.

"The Lion King" has generated a cumulative gross of just over $853,800,000 on Broadway, pulling ahead of "Phantom", which has grossed slightly more than $853,100,000.

"The Lion King," based on the 1994 animated Disney film of the same name, follows the journey of Simba, a young lion born into animal royalty. When Simba is ousted into the wild by his evil uncle, he overcomes adversity with the help of his jungle friends to reclaim his crown as the king of African wildlife.

The musical, which features songs by Elton John, lyrics from Tim Rice and is directed by Julie Taymor, has been a success since its opening in November 1997.

(China.org.cn, Youku.com?April 11, 2012)

據路透社報道，周末，《獅子王》成為紐約百老匯歷來票房收入最高的音樂劇，超越了曾經的票房冠軍《歌劇魅影》。

《獅子王》迄今總收入達到8.538億美元，領先了《歌劇魅影》8.531億美元的票房收入。

《獅子王》以1994年迪斯尼同名動畫片《獅子王》為題材，講述了動物世界的小獅王辛巴的冒險之旅。他被邪惡的叔叔趕到了野外，最終，在叢林朋友的幫助下，他克服重重困難，奪回了非洲野生世界的王位。

該音樂劇由埃爾頓·約翰作曲，蒂姆·萊斯作詞，茱莉·泰默執導。該劇在1997年11月13日首次推出，就取得了巨大的成功。