I can't imagine how different it was to watch "The Phantom of the Opera" in Broadway compared in the movie. It was so amazing that I kept my eyes open the whole show and keep mumbling wow wow wow :-)
It's so hard to explain the kind of emotion I felt watching such excellent performance. The songs, effects, love story, stage, music....in my opinion, I think everything in it is so wonderful.
Catch the show during afternoon so you get 50% discount. Go to TKTS discount booths. The line might be long but the 50% discount is worth enough the effort. :-)