It was on this day in 2006 that a national craze began when High School Musical debuted on the Disney Channel and scored big! Within the first few months, its various telecasts were seen by 36.5 million total unique viewers. The film spawned another Disney Channel sequel, followed by a third, which was released theatrically. High School Musical continued its success on video with multiple DVD versions, a Blu-ray version, a DVD game, and a concert DVD.
“Breaking Free” made the largest jump in the 48-year history of the Billboard Hot 100
High School Musical also went live with stage shows, Disney on Ice shows and Disney theme park shows. The High School Musical soundtrack from Walt Disney Records was a phenomenon of its own. The original soundtrack has been certified double platinum by the R.I.A.A. The duet “Breaking Free” is a platinum single and four additional singles from the film all went gold. “Breaking Free” made the largest jump in the 48-year history of the Billboard Hot 100, catapulting from No. 86 to No. 4 in just one week. “Get’cha Head in the Game” broke a 34-year record with its biggest jump ever to No. 23 from No. 100.
