Broadway Ticket Sales: A Quiet Week

By Editorial 18 years ago
TicketNews default image TicketNews website logo on top of a background image featuring a concert
TicketNews default image TicketNews website logo on top of a background image featuring a concert

The week ended Jan. 27 was a quiet one on Broadway with only two productions officially making the million-dollar mark, Wicked and Jersey Boys. Variety estimates Young Frankenstein’s unreported ticket sales at about $1.19 million, down a bit from previous weeks. Interestingly, Sunday in the Park with George, in previews at Studio 54, had an excellent turnout with attendance at close to 93 percent, just behind Wicked and Jersey Boys. It opens February 21.

Overall, ticket sales sank to $14,451,085 this past week compared to $16,271,060 in the previous reporting period, a difference of $1,819,975. Spamalot took a 19 percent nosedive in spite of the refreshing Clay Aiken on stage. On a warm note, The 39 Steps had an increase of 15 percent. Attendance was still better this past week than the same period last season, 200,948 compared to 194,268.

Come Back, Little Sheba opened January 24, the first Broadway revival of the play by William Inge, running through March 16 at the Biltmore Theatre. The award-winning actress Epatha Merkerson plays the central character, Lola, in this powerful tale of an empty marriage.

A benchmark was reached last week when the super star of all Broadway musicals, The Phantom of the Opera, played its 8,139th performance at The Majestic Theatre. It has so many superlatives: it has made an estimated $5 billion worldwide, far surpassing the highest-grossing film “The Titanic” which grossed just 1.2 billion dollars. On Broadway, Phantom has played to 12.5 million theatergoers and to more than 80 million worldwide.

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CLOSING:
The Seafarer playing at the Booth Theatre will close its limited engagement on March 30.

Broadway Grosses: Jan. 21-27

All data provided by The League of American Theatres and Producers

Young Frankenstein is not reporting its grosses.

Production
(Theatre)

Weekly Gross

Total Atten.

Prev.

Perf.

Total Capacity

Avg. Ticket Price

Atten. %

A Bronx Tale
(Walter Kerr)

$271,505

3,880

0

7

949

$69.98

58.4%

A Chorus Line
(Schoenfeld)

$302,599

5,083

0

8

1,069

$59.53

59.4%

August: Osage County
(Imperial)

$577,927

8,034

0

8

1,419

$71.94

70.8%

Avenue Q
(Golden)

$291,067

4,526

0

8

796

$64.31

71.1%

Chicago
(Ambassador)

$312,874

4,649

0

8

1,080

$67.30

53.8%

Come…Sheba
(Biltmore)

$149,607

2,807

6

2

650

$53.30

54.0%

Curtains
(Hirschfeld)

$430,822

6,476

0

8

1,422

$66.53

56.9%

Grease
(Atkinson)

$518,870

6,390

0

8

1,072

$81.20

74.5%

Hairspray
(Neil Simon)

$495,500

7,481

0

8

1,428

$66.23

65.5%

Is He Dead?
(Lyceum)

$201,245

4,147

0

8

922

$48.53

56.2%

Jersey Boys
(August Wilson)

$1,120,796

9,725

0

8

1,222

$115.25

99.5%

Legally Blonde
(Palace)

$500,477

7,522

0

8

1,691

$66.54

55.6%

Mamma Mia!
(Cadillac Winter Garden)

$643,752

8,949

0

8

1,498

$71.94

74.7%

Mary Poppins
(New Amsterdam)

$771,666

10,682

0

8

1,797

$72.24

74.3%

November
(Barrymore)

$478,367

6,196

0

8

1,058

$77.21

73.2%

Rent
(Nederlander)

$293,766

5,476

0

8

1,181

$53.65

58.0%

Rock ‘n’ Roll
(Jacobs)

$327,149

5,005

0

8

1,074

$65.36

58.3%

Spamalot
(Shubert)

$591,045

7,870

0

8

1,441

$75.10

68.3%

Spring Awakening
(O’Neill)

$459,491

6,479

0

8

1,090

$70.92

74.3%

Sunday…George
(Studio 54)

$251,038

4,656

5

0

1,004

$53.92

92.7%

The 39 Steps
(American Airlines)

$263,649

5,202

0

8

740

$50.68

87.9%

The Color Purple
(Broadway)

$436,895

8,122

0

8

1,718

$53.79

59.1%

The Farnsworth Invention
(Music Box)

$271,173

4,893

0

8

1,005

$55.42

60.9%

The Homecoming
(Cort)

$263,798

4,062

0

8

1,082

$64.94

46.9%

The Lion King
(Minskoff)

$944,846

11,261

0

8

1,654

$83.90

85.1%

The Little Mermaid
(Lunt-Fontanne)

$912,613

10,698

0

8

1,518

$85.31

88.1%

The Phantom of the Opera
(Majestic)

$595,817

9,538

0

8

1,607

$62.47

74.2%

The Seafarer
(Booth)

$266,206

4,348

0

8

788

$61.22

69.0%

Wicked
(Gershwin)

$1,343,579

14,341

0

8

1,809

$93.69

99.1%

Xanadu
(Hayes)

$162,947

2,450

0

8

596

$66.51

51.4%

Comparison with Previous Week

Production
(Theatre)

Weekly Gross

Last Week’s Gross

$ Change

Atten. %

Last Week’s Atten. %

Atten. % Change

A Bronx Tale
(Walter Kerr)

$271,505

$268,671

$2,834

58.4%

57.0%

1.4%

A Chorus Line
(Schoenfeld)

$302,599

$378,417

-$75,818

59.4%

66.7%

-7.2%

August: Osage County
(Imperial)

$577,927

$609,017

-$31,091

70.8%

73.8%

-3.0%

Avenue Q
(Golden)

$291,067

$360,921

-$69,854

71.1%

83.9%

-12.8%

Chicago
(Ambassador)

$312,874

$373,213

-$60,339

53.8%

62.8%

-9.0%

Come…Sheba
(Biltmore)

$149,607

$150,571

-$964

54.0%

57.8%

-3.8%

Curtains
(Hirschfeld)

$430,822

$540,244

-$109,422

56.9%

63.0%

-6.1%

Grease
(Atkinson)

$518,870

$619,075

-$100,205

74.5%

80.4%

-5.9%

Hairspray
(Neil Simon)

$495,500

$640,692

-$145,192

65.5%

78.0%

-12.5%

Is He Dead?
(Lyceum)

$201,245

$232,254

-$31,009

56.2%

65.6%

-9.4%

Jersey Boys
(August Wilson)

$1,120,796

$1,157,164

-$36,368

99.5%

100.3%

-0.8%

Legally Blonde
(Palace)

$500,477

$668,409

-$167,932

55.6%

70.6%

-15.0%

Mamma Mia!
(Cadillac Winter Garden)

$643,752

$765,173

-$121,422

74.7%

83.5%

-8.8%

Mary Poppins
(New Amsterdam)

$771,666

$896,735

-$125,069

74.3%

81.8%

-7.5%

November
(Barrymore)

$478,367

$415,167

$63,201

73.2%

67.9%

5.3%

Rent
(Nederlander)

$293,766

$333,226

-$39,460

58.0%

66.1%

-8.1%

Rock ‘n’ Roll
(Jacobs)

$327,149

$437,825

-$110,676

58.3%

76.1%

-17.8%

Spamalot
(Shubert)

$591,045

$797,390

-$206,345

68.3%

88.0%

-19.7%

Spring Awakening
(O’Neill)

$459,491

$526,696

-$67,205

74.3%

82.3%

-8.0%

Sunday…George
(Studio 54)

$251,038

n/a

n/a

92.7%

n/a

n/a

The 39 Steps
(American Airlines)

$263,649

$206,358

$57,291

87.9%

72.7%

15.2%

The Color Purple
(Broadway)

$436,895

$477,154

-$40,259

59.1%

62.4%

-3.3%

The Farnsworth Invention
(Music Box)

$271,173

$290,705

-$19,532

60.9%

60.1%

0.7%

The Homecoming
(Cort)

$263,798

$299,147

-$35,350

46.9%

53.1%

-6.1%

The Lion King
(Minskoff)

$944,846

$1,050,324

-$105,478

85.1%

90.0%

-4.9%

The Little Mermaid
(Lunt-Fontanne)

$912,613

$950,655

-$38,042

88.1%

91.7%

-3.6%

The Phantom of the Opera
(Majestic)

$595,817

$636,835

-$41,019

74.2%

77.5%

-3.3%

The Seafarer
(Booth)

$266,206

$316,212

-$50,006

69.0%

79.2%

-10.3%

Wicked
(Gershwin)

$1,343,579

$1,371,768

-$28,189

99.1%

96.0%

3.1%

Xanadu
(Hayes)

$162,947

$218,989

-$56,042

51.4%

69.7%

-18.3%

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