Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending December 30, 2007

By Carol-Ann Rudy

It hardly seems possible, but this week’s excellent official ticket sales of $28,320,773 trumps the previous week’s sales of $21,099,860. But Variety estimates that Young Frankenstein made about $1.86 million – surpassing even perennial top dog Wicked – and pushed the unofficial estimate of sales over the top to $30 million.

Attendance, fueled by the influx of tourists over Christmas holiday week, jumped too, from the previous reporting period: 258,330 to 300,672.

The winners? No less than fourteen productions—all musicals—in the million-dollar range. In order, they are:
Wicked, $1,839,950 – the record for the highest-grossing week on Broadway
The Lion King, $1,571,941
Mary Poppins, $1,465,794
Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, $1,465,680
Mamma Mia!, $1,422,454
Jersey Boys, $1,373,842
The Little Mermaid, $1,325,393
Legally Blonde, $1,219,488
The Phantom of the Opera, $1,196,443
Grease, $1,140,813
Hairspray, $1,093,101
Spamalot, $1,107,136
The Color Purple, $1,004,321
Young Frankenstein, unofficially reported by Variety’s sources to be $1.86 million

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Looking at the attendance for these theatres, all enjoyed full houses. A Chorus Line, though grossing less than a million, also had 100 percent attendance, attracting close to 50 percent larger crowds this past week compared to the previous week for the greatest increase in attendance.

Again, Young Frankenstein is not reporting ticket sales but has the top ticket price of $450.

Of the ten plays currently on the Great White Way, Cyrano at the Richard Rodgers Theatre is the front-runner with returns of $909,415. Cymbeline continues to lag behind with $218,252 and just over 51 percent attendance, but it is also has the lowest average paid admission of $58.17.

UPCOMING:
The 39 Steps opens to previews at the American Airlines Theatre Jan. 4 with Opening Night scheduled for Jan. 15 and closing March 23.

CLOSING:
The well-received revival of Cyrano de Bergerac currently playing at the Richard Rodgers Theatre will close with its last performance on Jan. 6. However, it is being filmed for posterity—and future broadcasts on PBS stations.

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Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending December 30, 2007
All data provided by The League of American Theatres and Producers

Production
(Theatre)
Weekly Gross Total Atten. Prev. Perf. Total Capacity Avg. Ticket Price Atten. %
               
A Bronx Tale
(Walter Kerr)
$320,586 4,357 0 8 949 $73.58 57.4%
A Chorus Line
(Schoenfeld)
$731,513 8,560 0 8 1,069 $85.46 100.1%
August: Osage County
(Imperial)
$599,852 8,943 0 8 1,439 $67.08 77.7%
Avenue Q
(Golden)
$597,902 6,829 0 9 796 $87.55 95.3%
Chicago
(Ambassador)
$857,214 9,415 0 9 1,080 $91.05 96.9%
Curtains
(Hirschfeld)
$779,421 8,237 0 8 1,422 $94.62 72.4%
Cymbeline
(Beaumont)
$218,252 3,752 0 7 1,047 $58.17 51.2%
Cyrano de Bergerac
(Rodgers)
$909,415 9,439 0 8 1,347 $96.35 87.6%
Dr. Seuss’…Christmas
(St. James)
$1,465,680 17,310 0 15 1,706 $84.67 67.6%
Grease
(Atkinson)
$1,140,813 9,716 0 9 1,072 $117.42 100.7%
Hairspray
(Neil Simon)
$1,093,101 11,503 0 8 1,428 $95.03 100.7%
Is He Dead?
(Lyceum)
$250,409 3,824 0 8 922 $65.48 51.8%
Jersey Boys
(August Wilson)
$1,373,842 9,854 0 8 1,222 $139.42 100.8%
Legally Blonde
(Palace)
$1,219,488 12,829 0 8 1,691 $95.06 94.8%
Les Miserables
(Broadhurst)
$934,349 9,127 0 8 1,122 $102.37 101.7%
Mamma Mia!
(Cadillac Winter Garden)
$1,422,454 13,604 0 9 1,498 $104.56 100.9%
Mary Poppins
(New Amsterdam)
$1,465,794 14,516 0 8 1,791 $100.98 101.3%
November
(Barrymore)
$404,408 5,489 8 0 1,058 $73.68 64.9%
Rent
(Nederlander)
$613,560 8,784 0 9 1,181 $69.85 82.6%
Rock ‘n’ Roll
(Jacobs)
$473,205 5,852 0 8 1,074 $80.86 68.1%
Spamalot
(Shubert)
$1,107,136 11,730 0 8 1,441 $94.38 101.8%
Spring Awakening
(O’Neill)
$937,503 9,696 0 9 1,090 $96.69 98.8%
The 25th…Bee
(Circle in Square)
$384,480 4,817 0 8 684 $79.82 88.0%
The Color Purple
(Broadway)
$1,004,321 11,266 0 9 1,718 $89.15 72.9%
The Drowsy Chaperone
(Marquis)
$782,892 10,631 0 8 1,611 $73.64 82.5%
The Farnsworth Invention
(Music Box)
$346,739 4,732 0 8 1,005 $73.28 58.9%
The Homecoming
(Cort)
$311,171 4,852 0 8 1,082 $64.13 56.1%
The Lion King
(Minskoff)
$1,571,941 13,236 0 8 1,654 $118.76 100.0%
The Little Mermaid
(Lunt-Fontanne)
$1,325,393 12,142 8 0 1,503 $109.16 101.0%
The Phantom of the Opera
(Majestic)
$1,196,443 13,006 0 8 1,607 $91.99 101.2%
The Seafarer
(Booth)
$309,393 4,426 0 8 780 $69.90 70.9%
Wicked
(Gershwin)
$1,839,950 14,472 0 8 1,809 $127.14 100.0%
Xanadu
(Hayes)
$332,153 3,726 0 8 596 $89.14 78.1%