The Lion King on Broadway

By Saint Greg

May 18, 2026

The Lion King is one of the most popular and most expensive shows on Broadway.

I always do extensive research on seat locations and try to find the best seat for the money. For this show on Saturday night the cheapest seat was $135 for rear balcony.

For this show It’s best to be on the lower level outside of the first five rows and on the aisle if you can get it. The animals come down the aisles in the opening act.

Looking for value seats, I found that most of the lower level is $200+. The aisles are $217+. I did find seats under the overhang (non-aisle) for $176. The first row of that the overhang really doesn’t impact you and you have unlimited legroom with an aisle in front of you. I remember wishing I had one of those seats at Wicked.

I was also looking at the first row of the balcony on the side. That balcony seat has a pretty good view and was $184. People in that first row of the balcony on the side loved it because during the opening act one of the actors is right there in front of them. But online reviews said you really want to be on the lower level with all of the animals coming down the aisles so I went with my $176 ticket.

I really suggest checking both Ticketmaster and Broadway.com for tickets. Usually one has better options and/or prices than the other. In this case it was Ticketmaster.

I arrived at the theater and I’ve never seen a line like this before doors. It wraps around the corner and feels like the entire theater is already in line. I hope I have time to get a drink.

They opened the doors soon after I got there and the line moved fast.

It’s a very nice theater. Some have no space. This one has a ton of it. You go up two escalators just to get to the orchestra level. There’s a full gift shop between the levels and a gift kiosk at the orchestra level.

I remember doubles being $30 two years ago. They’re $40 now.

This is my seat on the end. It looks good to me.

This is the view. I should be able to see the entire stage and I’m not too far away.

I got my double. I always have to research whether or not you can take drinks into the theater. So far all but one allow them. I was shocked when I found out I couldn’t bring a drink into Wicked. And if you don’t get in the theater before the start, you have to wait outside until after the opening act. So I had to guzzle my double before Wicked.

It’s an extra $40 just to sit on the other end of this row.

Someone came dressed in costume.

Broadway shows have rules that your phones need to be silenced or turned off during the show and now pictures of the performance. During the bows everyone was taking their phones out and getting pictures of the cast so I did so as well.

This is what that guy in the audience was wearing.

This is the big gift shop between the two levels.

They had photo ops with a cast member.

This is the nicest theater I’ve been to on Broadway.

Pedicab drivers are outside waiting.

Those are the windows I was looking out. The theater entrance is another level above that.

This was a very good show. It is one of the more expensive ones. You may get a better price at an afternoon show. I did that with Hamilton the last time I was in New York. This time I had a flight change that pushed my arrival back to a time where I had to go with an evening show.