The financial picture on Broadway was stable this past week with box office totals of $17,119,944 compared to last week’s $17,391,273. The season to date still compares favorably to last season at this same time, $764,309,417 to $742,672,210 in this 44th week of the season.
There are once again five players in the million-dollar-plus club: Wicked at the Gershwin; West Side Story at the Palace; Billy Elliot at the Imperial; The Lion King at the Minskoff and Jersey Boys at the August Wilson. Among the 11 plays, God of Carnage at the Jacobs led the way in ticket sales, reaching 95 percent of its seating capacity followed by Blithe Spirit at the Shubert.
Over nine productions had 95 percent or better attendance while at the other end of the spectrum the play, Reasons to be Pretty at the Lyceum, filled fewer than half its seats. It opens April 2.
Other productions that opened this past week were Impressionism at the Schoenfeld, Exit the King at the Barrymore, and Irena’s Vow at the Walter Kerr.
Broadway’s stacking the deck with name-brand stars to tease out theatergoers. Getting high praise is the play by Eugene Ionesco, “Exit the King” starring Geoffrey Rush, Susan Sarandon and Lauren Ambrose. Yasmina Reza’s play “God of Carnage” stars Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden and “Sopranos” star James Gandolfini.
Other shows in previews this week are the musicals Hair at the Hirschfeld, opening March 31, Rock of Ages at the Atkinson opening April 7, Next to Normal at the Booth opening April 15 and the play Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Belasco opening April 16. “Joe Turner” holds the dubious honor of the lowest Average Paid Admission at $36.89.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending March 29, 2009
All data provided by The Broadway League
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales
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| Production (Theatre) |
Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| 33 Variations (O’Neill) |
$304,731 | 4,990 | 0 | 8 | 1,063 | $61.07 | 58.7% |
| August: Osage County (Music Box) |
$252,336 | 4,065 | 0 | 8 | 979 | $62.08 | 51.9% |
| Avenue Q (Golden) |
$285,394 | 4,661 | 0 | 8 | 796 | $61.23 | 73.2% |
| Billy Elliot (Imperial) |
$1,146,559 | 11,033 | 0 | 8 | 1,421 | $103.92 | 97.1% |
| Blithe Spirit (Shubert) |
$624,769 | 9,147 | 0 | 8 | 1,479 | $68.30 | 77.3% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$538,372 | 7,823 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $68.82 | 90.5% |
| Exit the King (Barrymore) |
$367,738 | 5,604 | 3 | 5 | 1,050 | $65.62 | 66.7% |
| God of Carnage (Jacobs) |
$641,101 | 8,155 | 0 | 8 | 1,078 | $78.61 | 94.6% |
| Guys and Dolls (Nederlander) |
$645,380 | 9,281 | 0 | 8 | 1,217 | $69.54 | 95.3% |
| Hair (Hirschfeld) |
$652,858 | 10,160 | 8 | 0 | 1,412 | $64.26 | 89.9% |
| Hedda Gabler (American Airlines) |
$263,452 | 5,411 | 0 | 8 | 740 | $48.69 | 91.4% |
| Impressionism (Schoenfeld) |
$289,057 | 4,699 | 0 | 8 | 1,071 | $61.51 | 54.8% |
| In the Heights (Rodgers) |
$771,287 | 9,931 | 0 | 8 | 1,365 | $77.66 | 90.9% |
| Irena’s’ Vow (Walter Kerr) |
$181,727 | 4,033 | 7 | 1 | 947 | $45.06 | 53.2% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$1,010,789 | 9,765 | 0 | 8 | 1,222 | $103.51 | 99.9% |
| Joe Turner’s…Gone (Belasco) |
$142,359 | 3,859 | 8 | 0 | 1,018 | $36.89 | 47.4% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$869,665 | 11,828 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $73.53 | 98.7% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$742,823 | 12,536 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $59.26 | 87.2% |
| Next to Normal (Booth) |
$124,188 | 2,435 | 4 | 0 | 772 | $51.00 | 78.9% |
| Reasons to be Pretty (Lyceum) |
$121,629 | 3,089 | 8 | 0 | 910 | $39.37 | 42.4% |
| Rock of Ages (Atkinson) |
$239,114 | 6,087 | 7 | 0 | 979 | $39.28 | 88.8% |
| Shrek (Broadway) |
$668,268 | 9,763 | 0 | 8 | 1,735 | $68.45 | 70.3% |
| South Pacific (Beaumont) |
$882,694 | 8,032 | 0 | 8 | 1,041 | $109.90 | 96.4% |
| The 39 Steps (Hayes) |
$212,641 | 3,517 | 0 | 8 | 589 | $60.46 | 74.6% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,099,727 | 12,530 | 0 | 8 | 1,654 | $87.77 | 94.7% |
| The Little Mermaid (Lunt-Fontanne) |
$674,857 | 9,870 | 0 | 8 | 1,520 | $68.37 | 81.2% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$783,135 | 12,786 | 0 | 8 | 1,615 | $61.25 | 99.0% |
| West Side Story (Palace) |
$1,169,572 | 13,656 | 0 | 8 | 1,697 | $85.65 | 100.6% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,413,721 | 14,472 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $97.69 | 100.0% |
Last Updated on April 2, 2009
