KEY POINTS:
In a villa in Mt Eden, a calendar hangs on the wall. Saturday, September 22 is circled with a bright, red vivid marker.
Each day, 10-year-old Sophie and 6-year-old Claire meticulously cross off a number, counting down to this most monumental of occasions.
No, it is not either
of their birthdays. It is the day High School Musical 2 screens on New Zealand television.
The girls are not alone in their excitement. All over the country, children, tweens and even teens are counting down the days.
Michael Cairns, managing director of Walt Disney Television International (Australia/New Zealand), says the company was amazed by the numbers.
"We were quietly confident that the sequel would do well but to get 17 million viewers [in the US], compared to the six million of the original, was just phenomenal."
It is thought the real figures could be even higher, due to group viewing parties, Cairns says.
"We detected that a lot of the viewing was done as groups. People had High School Musical parties to watch the movie together."
In New Zealand, more than a million viewers have seen the first High School Musical film.
Across the Tasman, four-and-a-half million Australians have tuned in.
"I'm hoping the second movie will be received just as well as the first," Cairns says.
Judging by Sophie and Claire's anticipation, it will be.
The New Zealand and Australian markets hold a special place in High School Musical history - they were the first international territories to adopt the original film.
Until that point, Disney was unsure if the film would work outside the United States; whether the quintessential all-American movie would translate to international audiences.
"The Australian and New Zealand numbers proved that it did," Cairns says.
The film went on to be seen by more than 200 million viewers across 100 countries.
Cairns believes the film's success is due to its universal themes, which are dealt with in a fun, engaging way.
"It's all about fitting in and making choices. It connects with kids. It examines a lot of the emotions they're going through as they grow up.
"Every generation has a musical, and this is this generation's musical. And it's the school everyone would like to go to."
While some were originally surprised that such a fresh and innocent film could capture the imagination of today's media-savvy youth, Cairns was not.
"The world is a different place but I think every generation went through difficult times.
"Maybe it is a feelgood movie and maybe people do find escapism in it, but I think people have always found that in Disney movies.
"Ultimately, it's a great story, told well.
"If you get the story right with a young and enthusiastic cast, people will respond."
It's a formula that Disney doesn't intend to drop any time soon.
High School Musical 3 has already been announced for 2008, this time as a cinema release.
With books, clothing, an ice tour - due in New Zealand next year - and more than 2000 theatrical productions globally, it seems High School Musical mania is here to stay.
Last weekend the National Youth Theatre Company performed a special encore season of High School Musical at the Civic Theatre, including special sneak peeks of the sequel.
The group debuted the stage show at the Aotea Centre in June, and it became the fastest selling show in the history of the events centre
