“Hamilton” was first introduced to Broadway in August of 2016 and even four years later, it is one of the most competitive and expensive shows to get tickets to. It tells the story of Alexander Hamilton and the founding fathers of the United States of America using a unique, hip-hop style. However, due to COVID-19 Broadway as a whole was shut down. “Hamilton” the movie was set to be released in theaters, but with the rise of COVID-19 movie theaters were closed and Disney made the decision to release the film via Disney +, their streaming platform.

This was a genius idea on Disney’s part because the initial plan was for the film to be introduced in theaters for multiple weeks; but with COVID-19 it eventually became a streaming exclusive. Not only was this a brilliant move for Disney, but it was also a very risky move due to the fact that Disney reportedly paid an outrageous amount of $75,000,000 for worldwide rights of the film to be turned into a streaming exclusive. The film could have easily failed and made no money on Disney’s part, but it actually resulted in downloads of Disney + being 74% higher than an average weekend.

Along with the financial success came critical acclaim; “New York Times” critic A.O. Scott was extremely impressed with the film claiming, “The optimism of this vision, filtered through a sensibility as generous as Miranda’s, is inspiring.” Both long-term fans of “Hamilton” and new viewers of the show fell in love with the film. Most dedicated viewers to the show enjoyed the fact that the movie showcased the original Broadway cast of the show including the creator and star of the show, Lin-Manuel Miranda. Although Miranda was disappointed that people couldn’t watch the film on the big screen, he was still “thrilled that we have this giant, joyous reminder of how special live theater is in the form of this ‘Hamilton’ movie.” Audiences were thrilled as well!