"Phantom of the Opera" marked its 17th year on Broadway this week and sales indicate it could break the record of 18 years set by "Cats."

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When the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical played its 7,089th performance Wednesday it became one of only two productions in Broadway history, along with "Cats," to reach that milestone. The show began its 18th year Thursday "with grosses continuing to defy sales patterns for long-running shows," according to show spokesman Marc Thibodeau.

"Phantom" is one of the few Broadway shows that was still running on Broadway when its film version, the Warner Brothers picture of the same name, was released (in December). Productions worldwide have grossed more than $3.2 billion and have been seen by more than 100 million theatergoers. In New York the show has been seen by more than 10 million and grossed over $560 million.

The musical won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 1988 and became the second longest-running show in Broadway history in 2003 when it surpassed the 6,680 performance run of "Les Miserables."