The High School Musical franchise was such a huge success for Disney, even though its first two films didn’t have theatrical releases. In January 2006, the world was introduced to Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, and the High School Musical universe when the original movie debuted, and it quickly captured the attention of millions. It wasn’t long until sequels were greenlit, a worldwide tour (High School Musical: The Concert) featuring the High School Musical cast members plus Drew Seeley was ordered, books and video games were released, etc., resulting in the birth of a franchise.

Almost 20 years after the premiere of High School Musical, the movie series is still beloved by many. It has lived on through other media, high schools around the world putting on stage productions of its story, and more. Although no more High School Musical sequels are in development as of the writing of this article, its legacy in the musical world and beyond will continue to live on in the years to come (despite the fact that only the third film was released in theaters).

High School Musical 1 & 2 Were Disney Channel Originals Made For TV

The First 2 Movies Weren’t Developed To Be Released In Theaters

High School Musical premiered on January 20, 2006, on Disney Channel. More than one year later, High School Musical 2 followed suit with its exclusive release on Disney’s TV channel. Both movies were made to be Disney Channel Original Movies and were never intended to be theatrical releases, which is why they weren’t playing in theaters at the time of their debuts.

Disney didn’t know if Kenny Ortega’s High School Musical would be a success prior to its premiere in 2006. Thankfully, it was, which is why it grew into a franchise. It was also a good idea to release High School Musical 2 on Disney Channel. The sequel attracted 17.2 million viewers (per The New York Times) when it premiered on August 17, 2007, making High School Musical 2 the most-watched Disney Channel Original Movie of all time, a record it holds to this day. However, when it came time to make High School Musical 3, Disney had other ideas for its premiere.

Why Disney Released High School Musical 3 In Theaters After Two TV Movies

High School Musical 3 Was A Box Office Success

Disney decided to bank on the impressive achievements of the first two High School Musical movies by releasing the third one in theaters in October 2008. Executives considered how the first and second films performed on Disney Channel and knew that High School Musical 3: Senior Year would be a financial success if it premiered in theaters. Plus, the third movie’s budget was much higher than its predecessors. As a result, it could only realistically turn a profit with a theatrical run.

Whereas High School Musical‘s budget was around $4 million and High School Musical 2‘s was $6 million, it cost $30 million to produce High School Musical 3: Senior Year (according to Entertainment Weekly). Since the production value increased by 500 percent from the second film to the third, a theatrical run was the only option. Thankfully, High School Musical 3: Senior Year was a box office success, grossing almost $253 million. It also held the record for the biggest opening day for a musical movie ($17 million) until Les Misérables beat it in 2012.

High School Musical Returned To TV In 2019 With A Disney+ Series

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Ran For 4 Seasons

More than a decade after High School Musical 3: Senior Year‘s theatrical debut, the franchise returned to TV via High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. However, the show was on Disney+ instead of Disney Channel. The mockumentary musical drama TV series followed a group of teenagers attending the real East High School who put on a stage production of Kenny Ortega’s 2006 Disney movie. It ran for four seasons, with some original High School Musical actors making cameos in HSMTMTS season 4, including Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, and Lucas Grabeel, before ending in 2023.

Sources: The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly