A megamusical (also known as a "spectacle show", "blockbuster musical", or "extravaganza") is a large-scale musical produced for large commercial profit. Such musicals utilize spectacle and increased technology to "radicalize the imagistic potential of musical theatre."[1] Early concepts of the megamusical came into existence in the 1970s, and the form was established and popularized in the 1980s by individuals such as Andrew Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh. Megamusical is analogous to the film industry term "blockbuster".[2][3]
Notable megamusicals include Cats (1981), Les Misérables (1985), The Phantom of the Opera (1986), The Lion King (1997), Wicked (2003) and Hamilton (2015).