"High School Musical 2": The Numbers

Let’s kick off the “High School Musical 2” hype with a look at what the sequel has to live up to, courtesy of “USA Today”…

The first broadcast of “High School Musical” was watched by over 7.7 million people, a record that has since been surpassed by both “The Cheetah Girls 2” and “Jump In!” But when “HSM” aired for the 24th time on July 22, 2007, it was still watched by over 5.7 million people. The average of the 24 viewings is over 4.6 million viewers—an almost unheard of longevity…

The “HSM” soundtrack has sold 4.1 million copies in the United States, and 2.8 million internationally. The album was the top seller of 2006…

The “HSM” DVD has sold 4.2 million copies in the U.S. and Canada and 3.7 million internationally…

The “HSM” concert tour grossed $25 million…

“HSM 2” is off to a good start, though. “What Time Is It?” the first single from the soundtrack has sold 267,000 copies and downloads in three weeks, debuting at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100…

Could “HSM 2” be even bigger than the first? Stay tuned…

In my next post, I’ll look at the sequel’s plot…