Broadway box office has remained relatively stable as the holiday season approaches. In the week ending Oct. 29, receipts amounted to $26,480,578, representing a modest decrease of about 6% compared to the previous week. Additionally, total attendance reached 218,581, experiencing a slight dip of only 3%.
Despite the overall decline, some productions continue to thrive. Merrily We Roll Along had yet another sell-out week, commanding an impressive average ticket price of $238.20. This propelled the show’s weekly gross to a new record at the Hudson Theatre, earning $1,840,835. Another noteworthy production is I Need That, featuring the talents of Danny DeVito and his daughter Lucy DeVito in a new comedy written by Theresa Rebeck. The Roundabout Theatre Co. production, still in previews, played at 94% capacity at the American Airlines Theatre and grossed $608,910 in just seven shows.
High Attendance
Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, produced by the non-profit Manhattan Theatre Club, filled 99% of seats at the Friedman Theatre and generated a solid revenue of $351,235 with an average ticket price of $68.95. Hamilton also enjoyed remarkable success, reaching 99% capacity and grossing $1,767,882. The Lion King, a long-standing hit, surpassed all other shows in terms of revenue, earning an impressive $2,064,480.
Other productions that saw excellent attendance, with at least 90% of their seats filled, included the musicals & Juliet, Aladdin, Hadestown, MJ, Moulin Rouge!, Sweeney Todd, The Book of Mormon, and Wicked.
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre presented a preview run of Harmony, a musical collaboration between Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman. Despite achieving only 77% capacity, the show grossed $519,165 in just seven previews. The official opening night for Harmony is scheduled for Nov. 13.
In its final week at the Hayes Theatre, The Cottage, starring Eric McCormack and Laura Bell Bundy, achieved 76% capacity and earned $368,129. The production bid farewell to audiences.
Broadway’s cumulative box office revenue for the season thus far has amounted to a staggering $652,375,141, with a total attendance of 5,350,057. These figures demonstrate the ongoing popularity and financial success of Broadway as an industry.
It is worth mentioning that these statistics have been sourced from The Broadway League, the industry association responsible for collecting and publishing box office data. For a comprehensive listing of box office figures, readers are encouraged to visit the League’s official website.
While there has been a slight decline in Broadway box office figures leading up to the Halloween season, there are still many productions that continue to enjoy strong sales and high attendance. With the holiday season fast approaching, it will be interesting to see how the Broadway box office performs in the coming weeks and whether the attendance figures will experience a surge in the spirit of the festivities.