"Phantom" Soundtrack Rates High On End-of-Year Billboard Charts

By Andrew Gans
29 Dec 2005

Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler in "The Phantom of the Opera".
Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler in "The Phantom of the Opera".

Billboard has released its 2005 Year End Charts, and the soundtrack for the Joel Schumacher-directed "The Phantom of the Opera" film placed high in the Top Soundtracks Titles chart.

The single-CD soundtrack, which features selections from the Andrew Lloyd Webber score, landed in the #2 position on the Top Soundtracks Titles. Only the soundtrack for "Ray" placed higher. Other soundtracks in the top ten for 2005 include "Garden State," "The Longest Yard," "Shrek 2," "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," "America Idol Season 4: The Showstoppers," "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie" and "Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again." The two-disc version of "The Phantom" soundtrack placed #13 on the same chart.

"The Phantom" soundtrack also charted #72 on The Billboard 200 Titles for 2005.

Sony Classical released the "Phantom" recording in two editions in late 2004: a single disc of highlights and a deluxe two-disc set featuring the score in a collector's edition package.

The film cast featured Gerard Butler in the title role, Emmy Rossum as Christine and Patrick Wilson as Raoul with Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson, Ciarán Hinds and Simon Callow.

Based on the classic Gaston Leroux novel, The Phantom of the Opera features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart and additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Harold Prince directed both the London and New York stage premieres. The New York production — originally starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman — won seven 1988 Tony Awards including one for Best Musical. The score includes such tunes as "Think of Me," "The Music of the Night," "All I Ask of You," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," "The Point of No Return" and the title tune.

For more information about "The Phantom of the Opera" soundtrack, visit www.sonyclassical.com.