Broadway ticket sales had its ups and downs for the week ending May 4. Overall, sales were down somewhat at $19,146,988 compared to the same week last year at $19,548,481 and weaker than the previous reporting period, April 27, of $20,335,690. Yet, there were some productions showing modest gains, namely A Catered Affair with attendance up 5 percent to generate $431,153, followed by The Lion King up just over 1 percent for $1,229,650 and tailed by Thurgood up a half percent for $202,134 in its second week. Wicked continues its dominance with 100 percent attendance and the highest gross of any production, $1,439,333.
The show with the biggest drop in box office was Cry-Baby, at 30 percent. The show’s gross dropped from $281,794 the previous week to $222,068 this past week. Sunday in the Park With George also saw a drop from $434,512 the previous week to $301,337 this past week, a difference of close to 30 percent.
Cry Baby had the lowest average paid admission at the bargain price of $31.53. The Top Ticket price was reported to be $351.50 at the August Wilson Theatre for Jersey Boys.
Considering ticket sales for the ten plays currently on Broadway, MacBeth continues to lead with a box office tally of $516,940 for the week. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof follows closely with sales of $504,854.
Comparing this season’s figures to last, there continues to be an almost 5 percent difference: to date this season, box office returns are $837,434,838 compared to the same period last season of $876,819,939. The season’s gross does not include figures from Young Frankenstein. Also not reporting figures this week was August: Osage County as it began performances after its move to the Music Box Theatre on April 29.
OPENINGS:
Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the American Airlines Theatre, May 1
Boeing-Boeing at the Longacre
IN PREVIEWS:
Glory Days at the Circle in the Square, opening May 6
Top Girls at the Biltmore, opening May 7
The 39 Steps at the Cort, reopening May 8
UPCOMING:
The world premiere of a play by Nick Whitby, “To Be Or Not To Be,” is scheduled to open at the Biltmore Theatre on October 2 according to an announcement by the Manhattan Theatre Club. It is based on the 1942 film comedy. Previews begin Sept. 11.
Look for “Houdini: An Original Musical” aiming to be launched in 2010 with a score by Danny Elfman (the scores of “The Simpsons,” “Desperate Housewives” and some of the music featured in Tim Burton movies), book by novelist and journalist Kurt Andersen and direction by Jack O’Brien.
Get more rankings! Read this week’s top events article.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales
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| Production (Theatre) |
Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| A Catered Affair (Kerr) |
$431,151 | 6,179 | 0 | 8 | 933 | $69.78 | 82.8% |
| A Chorus Line (Schoenfeld) |
$367,139 | 5,309 | 0 | 8 | 1,069 | $69.15 | 62.1% |
| August: Osage County (Music Box) |
$393,452 | 5,930 | 0 | 8 | 979 | $66.35 | 75.7% |
| Avenue Q (Golden) |
$253,877 | 4,207 | 0 | 8 | 796 | $60.35 | 66.1% |
| Boeing-Boeing (Longacre) |
$222,507 | 4,713 | 7 | 1 | 1,077 | $47.21 | 54.7% |
| Cat…Roof (Broadhurst) |
$504,854 | 7,382 | 0 | 8 | 1,168 | $68.39 | 79.0% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$516,522 | 6,879 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $75.09 | 79.6% |
| Cry-Baby (Marquis) |
$222,068 | 7,043 | 0 | 8 | 1,611 | $31.53 | 54.6% |
| Curtains (Hirschfeld) |
$494,554 | 7,002 | 0 | 8 | 1,422 | $70.63 | 61.6% |
| Glory Days (Circle in Square) |
$46,848 | 1,171 | 8 | 0 | 670 | $40.01 | 21.8% |
| Grease (Atkinson) |
$616,883 | 7,900 | 0 | 8 | 1,072 | $78.09 | 92.1% |
| Gypsy (St. James) |
$750,482 | 9,362 | 0 | 8 | 1,707 | $80.16 | 68.6% |
| Hairspray (Neil Simon) |
$668,297 | 10,295 | 0 | 8 | 1,428 | $64.91 | 90.1% |
| In the Heights (Rodgers) |
$486,708 | 7,240 | 0 | 8 | 1,344 | $67.22 | 67.3% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$1,159,358 | 9,796 | 0 | 8 | 1,222 | $118.35 | 100.2% |
| Legally Blonde (Palace) |
$531,418 | 8,425 | 0 | 8 | 1,691 | $63.08 | 62.3% |
| Les Liaisons Dangereuses (American Airlines) |
$205,488 | 4,128 | 3 | 5 | 740 | $49.78 | 69.7% |
| Macbeth (Lyceum) |
$516,940 | 6,496 | 0 | 8 | 910 | $79.58 | 89.2% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$962,416 | 11,633 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $82.73 | 97.1% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$849,175 | 13,077 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $64.94 | 91.0% |
| November (Barrymore) |
$289,220 | 4,186 | 0 | 8 | 1,058 | $69.09 | 49.5% |
| Passing Strange (Belasco) |
$194,014 | 3,579 | 0 | 8 | 998 | $54.21 | 44.8% |
| Rent (Nederlander) |
$472,955 | 7,436 | 0 | 8 | 1,181 | $63.60 | 78.7% |
| South Pacific (Beaumont) |
$748,618 | 8,235 | 0 | 8 | 1,041 | $90.91 | 98.9% |
| Spamalot (Shubert) |
$842,570 | 9,706 | 0 | 8 | 1,441 | $86.81 | 84.2% |
| Spring Awakening (O’Neill) |
$403,848 | 5,750 | 0 | 8 | 1,090 | $70.23 | 65.9% |
| Sunday…George (Studio 54) |
$301,337 | 5,239 | 0 | 8 | 1,004 | $57.52 | 65.2% |
| The 39 Steps (Cort) |
$219,454 | 4,632 | 8 | 0 | 787 | $47.38 | 73.6% |
| The Country Girl (Jacobs) |
$442,455 | 5,650 | 0 | 8 | 1,103 | $78.31 | 64.0% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,229,650 | 13,129 | 0 | 8 | 1,654 | $93.66 | 99.2% |
| The Little Mermaid (Lunt-Fontanne) |
$926,863 | 10,180 | 0 | 8 | 1,518 | $91.05 | 83.8% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$836,268 | 12,674 | 0 | 8 | 1,607 | $65.98 | 98.6% |
| Thurgood (Booth) |
$202,134 | 3,637 | 1 | 6 | 780 | $55.58 | 66.6% |
| Top Girls (Biltmore) |
$187,126 | 3,437 | 8 | 0 | 650 | $54.44 | 66.1% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,439,333 | 14,472 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $99.46 | 100.0% |
| Xanadu (Hayes) |
$211,007 | 3,138 | 0 | 8 | 596 | $67.24 | 65.8% |
All data provided by The Broadway League