Plus signs are popping up like daffodils over much of Broadway; at the top of the list in ticket sales for the week ending March 16 were Wicked, The Lion King, Jersey Boys, The Little Mermaid and Mary Poppins in that order. The total in box office sales this week was $17,906,929, well above the previous week’s total of $16,184,132 but below the mark of the same week last season at $18,294,928.
Eight productions, including the new musical Cry Baby, had 95 percent attendance or better. The one play to make this short list was The 39 Steps playing at the American Airlines Theatre. In fact, only one play, The Homecoming, at the Cort had less than 45 percent attendance for the week.
Both The Phantom of the Opera and Spamalot saw an increase of almost 17 percent in attendance this past week, improving their bottom line considerably.
Comings and goings this past week include, Come Back, Little Sheba at the Biltmore, which closed on March 16.
In previews at the St. James is the revival of Gypsy, opening March 27.
Another revival, South Pacific, is in previews at the Vivian Beaumont. It opens April 3.
Cry Baby, based on John Waters’ movie of the same name, had no less than a 100 percent turnout on its first night of previews at the Marquis Theatre. If it follows the success of the musical Grease, based on another of Waters’ movies, its investors will be very happy. “Baby” opens on April 24.
In previews beginning next Tuesday, March 25, will be the musical A Catered Affair at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Opening night is set for April 17.
In the meantime, as Variety puts it, it will be “curtains for Curtains,” the comedy, on June 29. It has not been a steady winner with box office sales wavering in spite of its star, David Hyde Pierce. This past week, with 75 percent attendance, its ticket sales hit $556,398 missing its potential of $1,075,464 by a wide margin.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending March 16, 2008
All data provided by The Broadway League
| Production (Theatre) |
Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| A Chorus Line (Schoenfeld) |
$374,578 | 6,025 | 0 | 8 | 1,069 | $62.17 | 70.5% |
| August: Osage County (Imperial) |
$453,605 | 6,549 | 0 | 8 | 1,419 | $69.26 | 57.7% |
| Avenue Q (Golden) |
$340,095 | 5,185 | 0 | 8 | 796 | $65.59 | 81.4% |
| Cat…Roof (Broadhurst) |
$699,605 | 9,232 | 0 | 8 | 1,168 | $75.78 | 98.8% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$478,439 | 7,272 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $65.79 | 84.2% |
| Come…Sheba (Biltmore) |
$244,702 | 4,430 | 0 | 8 | 650 | $55.24 | 85.2% |
| Cry-Baby (Marquis) |
$69,652 | 1,611 | 1 | 0 | 1,611 | $43.24 | 100.0% |
| Curtains (Hirschfeld) |
$556,398 | 8,526 | 0 | 8 | 1,422 | $65.26 | 74.9% |
| Grease (Atkinson) |
$635,844 | 7,997 | 0 | 8 | 1,072 | $79.51 | 93.2% |
| Gypsy (St. James) |
$536,861 | 9,229 | 8 | 0 | 1,707 | $58.17 | 67.6% |
| Hairspray (Neil Simon) |
$652,745 | 10,561 | 0 | 8 | 1,428 | $61.81 | 92.4% |
| In the Heights (Rodgers) |
$467,783 | 8,503 | 0 | 8 | 1,344 | $55.01 | 79.1% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$1,140,524 | 9,809 | 0 | 8 | 1,222 | $116.27 | 100.3% |
| Legally Blonde (Palace) |
$676,540 | 10,592 | 0 | 8 | 1,691 | $63.87 | 78.3% |
| Mamma Mia! (Cadillac Winter Garden) |
$798,906 | 10,747 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $74.34 | 89.7% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$949,300 | 13,512 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $70.26 | 94.0% |
| November (Barrymore) |
$503,678 | 7,136 | 0 | 8 | 1,058 | $70.58 | 84.3% |
| Passing Strange (Belasco) |
$225,643 | 4,434 | 0 | 8 | 998 | $50.89 | 55.5% |
| Rent (Nederlander) |
$527,080 | 8,956 | 0 | 8 | 1,181 | $58.85 | 94.8% |
| South Pacific (Beaumont) |
$579,322 | 8,106 | 8 | 0 | 1,041 | $71.47 | 97.3% |
| Spamalot (Shubert) |
$797,267 | 10,565 | 0 | 8 | 1,441 | $75.46 | 91.6% |
| Spring Awakening (O’Neill) |
$567,183 | 8,074 | 0 | 8 | 1,090 | $70.25 | 92.6% |
| Sunday…George (Studio 54) |
$421,787 | 7,527 | 0 | 8 | 1,004 | $56.04 | 93.7% |
| The 39 Steps (American Airlines) |
$279,460 | 5,498 | 0 | 8 | 716 | $50.83 | 96.0% |
| The Homecoming (Cort) |
$183,460 | 3,614 | 0 | 8 | 1,082 | $50.76 | 41.8% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,166,716 | 12,947 | 0 | 8 | 1,654 | $90.11 | 97.8% |
| The Little Mermaid (Lunt-Fontanne) |
$955,992 | 11,112 | 0 | 8 | 1,518 | $86.03 | 91.5% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$742,967 | 11,994 | 0 | 8 | 1,607 | $61.94 | 93.3% |
| The Seafarer (Booth) |
$232,524 | 4,217 | 0 | 8 | 788 | $55.14 | 66.9% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,456,447 | 14,472 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $100.64 | 100.0% |
| Xanadu (Hayes) |
$191,826 | 3,053 | 0 | 8 | 596 | $62.83 | 64.0% |
