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Several Broadway Shows Remain in Million-Dollar Club
By Carol-Ann Rudy
Attendance remained strong for more than a dozen Broadway productions, and five of the usual suspects were in the million-dollar club again, based on ticket receipts released by the Broadway League for the week ending Jan. 6, 2008. The results were despite the traditional box office slowdown after the holidays, and unofficially, since figures are not being reported, Young Frankenstein made it six million-dollar shows.
In order, the top six are:
• Young Frankenstein, estimated by Variety to be $1.37 million
• Wicked, $1,494,991
• The Lion King, $1,294,953
• Jersey Boys, $1,229,925
• The Little Mermaid, $1,130,940
• Mary Poppins, $1,080,290
Box office returns are officially reported to be $20,739,354. Taking Young Frankenstein into consideration, the total gross receipts for the week are more like $22.1 million.
Legally Blonde saw a significant drop in attendance of more than 16 percent, while Is He Dead? attendance jumped more than 10 percent.
There were 12 plays on the Great White Way: Come Back, Little Sheba opened to previews Jan. 3 at the Biltmore Theatre and The 39 Steps opened for previews Jan. 4 at the American Airlines Theatre for a limited engagement. It’s the last we’ll see of Cymbeline, Cyrano de Bergerac, Dr. Seuss’ how the Grinch stole Christmas and Les Miserables, all on Jan. 6. The Drowsy Chaperone closed Dec. 30.
The highest grossing plays of the week were Cyrano, $905,526; August: Osage County, $545,945; and Rock ‘N’ Roll, $445,912.
OPENINGS:
The Little Mermaid will open to previews on Jan. 10 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending January 6, 2008
All data provided by The Broadway League (formerly 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) | $259,101 | 3,506 | 0 | 8 | 949 | $73.90 | 46.2% |
| A Chorus Line (Schoenfeld) | $502,712 | 7,666 | 0 | 8 | 1,069 | $65.58 | 89.6% |
| August: Osage County (Imperial) | $545,945 | 7,799 | 0 | 8 | 1,439 | $70.00 | 67.7% |
| Avenue Q (Golden) | $338,178 | 4,580 | 0 | 7 | 796 | $73.84 | 82.2% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) | $561,857 | 7,482 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $75.09 | 86.6% |
| Come…Sheba (Biltmore) | $87,185 | 1,771 | 5 | 0 | 650 | $49.23 | 54.5% |
| Curtains (Hirschfeld) | $559,642 | 7,799 | 0 | 8 | 1,422 | $71.76 | 68.6% |
| Cymbeline (Beaumont) | $230,226 | 3,918 | 0 | 8 | 1,047 | $58.76 | 46.8% |
| Cyrano de Bergerac (Rodgers) | $905,526 | 10,392 | 0 | 8 | 1,347 | $87.14 | 96.4% |
| Dr. Seuss’…Christmas (St. James) | $647,223 | 11,220 | 0 | 12 | 1,706 | $57.68 | 54.8% |
| Grease (Atkinson) | $669,303 | 7,405 | 0 | 7 | 1,072 | $90.39 | 98.7% |
| Hairspray (Neil Simon) | $785,790 | 10,520 | 0 | 8 | 1,428 | $74.69 | 92.1% |
| Is He Dead? (Lyceum) | $216,570 | 4,567 | 0 | 8 | 922 | $47.42 | 61.9% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) | $1,229,925 | 9,855 | 0 | 8 | 1,222 | $124.80 | 100.8% |
| Legally Blonde (Palace) | $759,972 | 10,599 | 0 | 8 | 1,691 | $71.70 | 78.3% |
| Les Miserables (Broadhurst) | $878,076 | 9,072 | 0 | 8 | 1,122 | $96.79 | 101.1% |
| Mamma Mia! (Cadillac Winter Garden) | $816,353 | 10,128 | 0 | 7 | 1,498 | $80.60 | 96.6% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) | $1,080,290 | 13,504 | 0 | 8 | 1,791 | $80.00 | 94.2% |
| November (Barrymore) | $362,138 | 6,185 | 8 | 0 | 1,058 | $58.55 | 73.1% |
| Rent (Nederlander) | $343,967 | 5,917 | 0 | 7 | 1,181 | $58.13 | 71.6% |
| Rock ‘n’ Roll (Jacobs) | $445,912 | 6,646 | 0 | 8 | 1,074 | $67.09 | 77.4% |
| Spamalot (Shubert) | $828,149 | 10,956 | 0 | 8 | 1,441 | $75.59 | 95.0% |
| Spring Awakening (O’Neill) | $646,678 | 8,358 | 0 | 8 | 1,090 | $77.37 | 95.8% |
| The 25th…Bee (Circle in Square) | $257,836 | 4,338 | 0 | 8 | 684 | $59.44 | 79.3% |
| The 39 Steps (American Airlines) | $113,696 | 2,356 | 4 | 0 | 740 | $48.26 | 79.6% |
| The Color Purple (Broadway) | $770,006 | 8,413 | 0 | 7 | 1,718 | $91.53 | 70.0% |
| The Farnsworth Invention (Music Box) | $276,381 | 4,583 | 0 | 8 | 1,005 | $60.31 | 57.0% |
| The Homecoming (Cort) | $335,279 | 5,404 | 0 | 8 | 1,082 | $62.04 | 62.4% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) | $1,294,953 | 12,975 | 0 | 8 | 1,654 | $99.80 | 98.1% |
| The Little Mermaid (Lunt-Fontanne) | $1,130,940 | 12,124 | 8 | 0 | 1,503 | $93.28 | 100.8% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) | $893,398 | 12,236 | 0 | 8 | 1,607 | $73.01 | 95.2% |
| The Seafarer (Booth) | $240,757 | 3,721 | 0 | 8 | 780 | $64.70 | 59.6% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) | $1,494,991 | 14,472 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $103.30 | 100.0% |
| Xanadu (Hayes) | $230,398 | 3,297 | 0 | 8 | 596 | $69.88 | 69.1% |
(The image accompanying this story is from Nycvp.com)
