Worcestershire CCC have been bowled over by the phenomenal demand for tickets for the 'Lion King' outdoor cinema event at New Road on Saturday, June 25.
The County have already sold well in excess of 1,500 tickets for the screening of the Disney classic on the hi-tech main scoreboard.
The volume of interest on social media has exceeded that for any other event staged on the ground.
And Worcestershire are hoping this new family audience that has been attracted to their headquarters will be sufficiently impressed to return – as cricket followers later in the summer.
Worcestershire were delighted when around 800 people attended the screeing of another animated classic at New Road in 'Frozen' last summer given the limited time span available to sell tickets.
But the interest in 'Lion King' has attained a different and far higher level.
Worcestershire CCC Commercial Director Jon Graham said: "If we are being honest, I have been really surprised by the demand. It would be wrong of me to say 'I wasn't surprised' with the way it has taken off because it has been phenomenal.
"We've had over 20,000 people say they are interested in coming and we are already nudging well in excess of 1,500 tickets sold. In terms of the impact on social media, we've had more interest in the Lion King than anything else we've ever done before by a mile.
"Last year's event was something that was new to us in terms of being on the main screen. With 'Frozen' because the sales window was a lot shorter, to sell nearly 800 tickets was a good effort.
"The pleasing and exciting thing for the club the effect this event has had on social media proves if we do want to reach out to families, if we get the proposition right and the event right, we can get to those people. The Lion King has proved that."
Graham is delighted with the new audience being attracted to events being staged at New Road.
He said: "This is not your traditional cricket follower that is going to come to this show. It's people who are friends of cricket followers, family members of cricket followers.
"We have such a loyal base of members and supporters that, as soon as something like this happens and they share it with their friends, it then goes completely viral and all of a sudden we've got a lot of new people that understand we do put events like this on.
"Hopefully people who watch this will be attracted to come back to New Road – for the cricket.
"It is no coincidence that shortly after the Lion King is on, we get to the summer holidays and then the 50 over Royal London One-Day Cup competition is on where kids go free.
"We will be promoting that for the families that turn up (for the Lion King) so if they like watching the cinema, they will hopefully come along and bring the children to watch some cricket and it won't cost them anything to get the children in.
"What we are trying to do is get families to the club and then give them a reason to come back – whether that be 50 over cricket, a concert or whatever.
"Cricket is our business, our core business, and we are not taking our eye off the ball.
"But what we want to make sure is, if we can do maybe 10 events really well across the season, April to October, then it will be really positive forthe club.
"Already the Chairman's Lunch is sold out, which is brilliant, the Golf Day is going well, Ladies Day is going well. It's all positive vibes."
