The Phantom of the Opera is there, on Sydney Harbour

The Handa Opera production of Phantom of the Opera is set to open on Sydney Harbour on Friday. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Over 40 years, Andrew Lloyd Webber's classic musical The Phantom of the Opera has been seen by more than 160 million people.

That means the musical's famous lyric "The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind" has been stuck in quite a few minds over the decades.

With Opera Australia's Handa Opera production on Sydney Harbour opening Friday, the tunes of the Phantom will soon be earworms for a fresh audience.

Ahead of opening night, 70,000 tickets have been booked with five shows sold out and the season extended to five weeks.

The production's lead performers Jarrod Draper, Amy Manford and Jake Lyle at Sydney Harbour. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

The show is already the most successful Handa Opera production in the 15 years the event has been running.

The previous Handa Opera box office record was - of course - set by Phantom during its first run on the harbour in 2022.

The 2026 production is directed by musical theatre maestro Simon Phillips, and stars Jake Lyle as The Phantom, soprano Amy Manford in her signature role of Christine, and Jarrod Draper as Raoul.