It is intentionally funny and a masterclass in visual and spoken comedic timing. It is melodramatic but brutally self-aware a trivia version that aired in the weeks after the premiere included, among other things, a counter on screen that totted up the many times one character changed hats. The film is, as you might expect, very extra. High School Musical 2 is better than the other films in the franchise because it has the holy trinity of comedy, hard-hitting themes, and absolute belters.
Despite being essentially child stars, Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron became one of the most-talked about celebrity couples, with their love and fallings out all over the covers of tabloids.īut why? How could a made-for-TV musical aimed at children manage to not only appeal to its core audience of tweenaged girls whose sexuality would be formed by Zac Efron, but also receive decent reviews and long-lasting success? Simple, really: it fucking bangs. While the first film had brought its stars to global relevance, the second saw that relevance reach new heights. It was better received than the first installment, reviewed well by grown adults, and weirdly popular with teens who loved it "ironically". In 20, between the first two films, the franchise made an estimated $1 billion in operating profit. The film had a budget of $7 million and, despite debuting on television, managed to pull in 17.2 million viewers on its premiere, making it the highest-rated basic-cable telecast of its time.