The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film) was working in the French film industry. Laemmle mentioned to Leroux that he admired the Paris Opera House. Leroux gave Laemmle a copy of his 1910 novel "The Phantom of the Opera". Laemmle read the book in one night and bought the film rights as a vehicle for actor Lon Chaney, Sr.. Production started in late 1924 at Universal Studios. French artist, Ben Caray, whom had worked at the Paris Opera House, was brought in to design the backstage and cellars which Universal could not replicate; and although his English limited, Caray was able to speak clearly with his charcoal
The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical) financially successful entertainment event until "The Lion King" surpassed it in 2014. By 2011, it had been seen by over 130 million people in 145 cities across 27 countries, and continues to play in London and New York. In 1984, Lloyd Webber contacted Cameron Mackintosh, the co-producer of "Cats" and "Song and Dance", to propose a new musical. He was aiming for a romantic piece, and suggested Gaston Leroux's book "The Phantom of the Opera" as a basis. They screened both the 1925 Lon Chaney and the 1943 Claude Rains motion picture versions, but neither saw any effective way to