Superbad vs. High School Musical 2: The Cultural Read?

Here's an interesting experiment: take a second to think about the high-school experience as it's portrayed in Sony's Superbad and then compare it to that of Disney's High School Musical 2. The two movies couldn't be more different in how they speak to teens, but both are on top of their perspective medium. Not sure what the exact cultural read on this would be--perhaps kids today (and yes, it's obvious that one skews much older than the other) are into squeaky clean (as long as there's something to sing and dance to) and pants-around-the-ankles filthy when it comes to comedy?

Anyway, High School Musical 2 has also become one for the record books, scoring a whopping 17.2 million viewers (almost ten million more than the first), making it the most watched basic-cable program ever, Variety reports. It's also drew the largest audience for any television program on any net in about three months, and nailed its demo, making it the second most watched tween program (for kids 9-14) second only to the 2004 Super Bowl. It also signifies another big score for basic cable, which has been having a superior summer. From Variety:

Although Disney Channel doesn't air commercials, the "High School Musical" phenomenon has already poured $100 million into Disney's operating income, and has created a ripple effect -- impacting every division, from international channels and home entertainment to theme parks, licensing and merchandising.

More than 170 million viewers worldwide watched the original movie, which has also sold 7.8 million DVDs globally. The first soundtrack also clocked sales of 7 million across the world.

The success of "High School Musical" rounds out what has been a big summer for cable -- and [Disney Channel's Worldwide entertainment president] Marsh said broadcasters will have to sit up and notice after looking at these numbers.

"If there wasn't a wakeup call being sounded before, this was the clarion bell," he said. "The networks have buried their heads in the sand for a long time. But cable is gaining the attention of audiences everywhere."

And as the New York Times points out, part of the franchise's financial success stems from the fact that parents like the wholesome message, and feel no guilt when it comes to opening the pocketbook to pay for all that spin-off merchandise. "What can I complain about?" Andrea Doherty of Manhasset, the mother of two daughters, 10 and 13, told the NYT. "In a regular teen movie, they'd be jumping all over each other and you'd have to bleep things out."

'High School Musical 2' aces test [Variety]
Move Over Mickey: A New Franchise at Disney [New York Times]

[Caption: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2, (back, l to r): Zac Efron, Monique Coleman, Ashley Tisdale, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Lucas Grabeel, (front): Corbin Bleu, 2007. photo: Bob D'Amico / Disney Channel / Courtesy: Everett Collection]

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