Have you ever seen a knockoff bag? If you squint, these cheaper options can look like the real thing.

That seems to be the idea behind mockbusters: shows that resemble Broadway hits in style and sound but are similar enough to evoke the same feeling—for much cheaper royalties.

One Reddit user cited an example.

https://www.reddit.com/r/musicals/comments/blrbs4/mockbuster_versions_of_musicals/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

That link leads to a video of The 57th Annual Math Summit which may seem familiar:

The title and the score both echo the hit Broadway show The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, but people were divided over whether or not this counted as a mockbuster, or if mockbusters even existed in the first place.

https://www.reddit.com/r/musicals/comments/blrbs4/mockbuster_versions_of_musicals/emqxmmy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

https://www.reddit.com/r/musicals/comments/blrbs4/mockbuster_versions_of_musicals/emr3272?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

https://www.reddit.com/r/musicals/comments/blrbs4/mockbuster_versions_of_musicals/emsuvqm?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

https://www.reddit.com/r/musicals/comments/blrbs4/mockbuster_versions_of_musicals/emrmgzc?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x

What are your thoughts on mockbusters? Can you think of any others?