Will Hannah Montana Forever be a Successful End to the Franchise?
Nov 22 2010 By Mary Barabe
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The Hannah Montana US TV series has proved to be one of the most successful teen franchises of the 21st century so far. Since the first episode of the first series aired on the Disney Channel in the US in spring 2006, the programme has gone from strength to strength. As a result, the main character, Miley Cyrus, has become a household name. The franchise is now coming to an end as the final series of the TV show, Hannah Montana Forever, hits our screens; but can it build on the previous success of the Hannah Montana brand?
Hannah Montana has proved to be a wide-ranging programme. When the final series comes to an end, it will be the culmination of four series of the Hannah Montana TV show, which will have seen close to 100 episodes broadcast. In addition, Miley Cyrus has achieved huge success as a pop star; while the two movies have also been big hits as young girls in particular have really bought into the brand's idea.
Some people just can’t get enough of Hannah Montana, and this means that the show’s website is very popular; fans look to download Hannah Montana wallpapers for their computers and do much more besides. Miley Cyrus has really become a teen sensation on both sides of the Atlantic, and many young kids look up to her; dreaming of the two lives that she leads as both Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana. The closest fans can come to this is to watch all of the TV shows and both of the films before going on to access a vast array of content online.
The first taste of Hannah Montana that fans of the TV show got on the silver screen was Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. Released in February 2008, this concert film from Walt Disney Pictures was only intended for limited release, but the success it achieved meant that later that month it was given an international release. Filmed in 3D, the movie allowed viewers to get closer to Miley and the rest of the gang than ever before. As a result of its popularity, the film achieved some impressive box office figures.
The Best of Both Worlds Concert had a production budget of less than $7 million (£4.42 million), and this was quickly recouped. When it opened, the movie grossed $29 million (£18.31 million) and was the number one film of the weekend. It also set a record at the time for being the highest revenue ever taken for a 3D movie in one weekend. This is all the more impressive given the fact that it only opened in 638 theatres, meaning that it took over $42,000 (£26,513) per cinema.
The film of the 2007 Hannah Montana tour achieved further success after its opening weekend, too. In total, the movie grossed more than $65 million (£41.03 million) in the US and an additional $6 million (£3.79 million) internationally. This success was followed up with a DVD release in August of the same year, from which sales of around $18 million (£11.36 million) have been achieved to date.
Soon after the success of the Best of Both Worlds Concert, filming began for Hannah Montana: The Movie. Complete in July 2008, the movie was released in the US and Canada in April 2009. It proved to be an immediate hit, selling an estimated $34 million (£21.46 million) in tickets in North America on its opening weekend. The film went on to be placed second in terms of all-time Easter Weekend openings, behind only Scary Movie 4.
Unlike the concert release, Hannah Montana: The Movie achieved just as much success internationally as it has in the US; the film grossed close to $80 million (£50.50 million) in the US and just over $70 million (£44.19 million) internationally. This represents a gross of $150 million (£94.69 million) worldwide, and when added to further DVD sales of close to $60 million (£37.88 million), Hannah Montana: The Movie has recouped well over $200 million (£126.25 million) in total.
In addition to having a hit TV show and two successful movies, Miley Cyrus has also had a pair of albums that have debuted at number one on the billboard charts in the US. Her concert tour sold out 69 venues in North America, too, so there really seems to be no stopping the young star. Still just a teenager, Miley is sure to have plenty of success ahead of her and despite the Hannah Montana franchise coming to an end; we definitely haven’t seen the last of her yet.
It isn’t just monetary success that the Hannah Montana franchise has achieved, either: the show has also won its fair share of awards. Back in 2006, the first season won the American Society of Composers, Publishers and Authors award for Top Television Series, and Miley was also voted the Favourite Television Actress by the Kid’s Choice Awards. Since then, the show has been nominated for and won dozens of awards, including a nomination for a prestigious Creative Arts Emmy as an Outstanding Children’s Programme this year.
Even though the franchise may be coming to an end, fans of the show can still access plenty of Hannah Montana content online. This includes Hannah Montana games that feature all the favourite characters from the show. In Designer Dreams you can dress up Miley and her best friend Lilly, while in Rico Suave’s Surf Shop challenge you have to turn a profit; something that the Hannah Montana brand has definitely done!
As Hannah Montana Forever hits our TV screens, it represents the end of an era as far as Miley Cyrus is concerned. Miley and the rest of the gang have become firm fixtures on our TV screens over the past few years, and the box office sales that the two Hannah Montana films have achieved will ensure that the franchise will always be regarded as having been an overwhelming success.
