Weekend Poll Top Three: Broadway Fans Let Down by Phantom Film and More

With the recent release of the director's cut of Little Shop of Horrors and anticipation building for the Les Miserables movie, Broadway.com asked readers which feature film adaptation of a big Broadway musical, out of the many that have jumped from stage to screen since 1980, they found to be the most disappointing. The votes have been counted, and readers were most let down by the 2004 film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, but competition was tough. Check out the results below!

1. The Phantom of the Opera - 16%

The movie adaptation of the 1986 musical was produced and co-written by Lloyd Webber, and he hand-picked director Joel Schumacher, but that didn't seem to help the film from receiving mixed to negative reviews that praised the visuals but criticized the acting, writing and directing. The Phantom of the Opera starred Gerard Butler, who had little singing experience and had to receive music lessons. For some fans, Schumacher couldn't recreate the excitement of the stage spectacle, the longest-running Broadway show in history, that fans have come to adore.


2. Nine - 14%

Nine had everything going for it: the 2009 film is directed and produced by Rob Marshall (Chicago), two-time Tony Award winner Maury Yeston composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the songs, and the cast included dynamos like Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman and Sophia Loren, but it still didn't hit with fans of the stage version. The film was even slighted at the 2010 Tony Awards by host Sean Hayes when he introduced Antonio Banderas as the Tony nominee for the Broadway production of Nine who "avoided" the movie version. Ouch.


3. A Chrous Line - 12%

Following the smash success of the Broadway production, Hollywood heavyweights couldn't wait to make a motion picture adaptation of the award-winning A Chorus Line. Though many theater fans and critics said it couldn't be done, hopes were still high. The 1985 film is directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Michael Douglas, two showbiz titans, but, for some, the film version doesn't seem to capture the wistfulness of the stage musical. Of course, the beloved score by Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban is as gorgeous as ever.