Broadway is holding on tight this week with ticket sales only dropping slightly down to $16,940,161 compared to last week’s $17,119,944. Those numbers compared less favorably to last year’s figures at this same week of $17,944,821. Overall, this season remains ahead of last year’s at this point in time: $781,249,578 compared to $760,617,031.
Helping keep the street afloat were the million-dollar productions including Wicked at the Gershwin; West Side Story at the Palace; The Lion King at the Minskoff and Billy Elliot at the Imperial. Jersey Boys at the August Wilson placed fifth at just under a million. Not doing as well was Guys & Dolls at the Nederlander, experiencing the greatest slump of all 30 productions with a drop of almost 23 percent in attendance this past week, representing a loss of $127,772 at the box office.
Of the abundance of plays, 12 of them, the front-runner was God of Carnage at the Jacobs, filling more than 96 percent of its 1,078 seats with $689,882 in ticket sales. Waiting for Godot at Studio 54 reported attendance of almost 92 percent of its 1,004 seats, although Blithe Spirit at the Shubert saw the second largest box office of any play at $575,964 with just 72 percent of its 1,479 seats filled. Exit the King at the Barrymore enjoyed the largest percent increase in attendance, almost 13 percent over the previous reporting period.
Worth noting are rave reviews for Hair at the Hirschfeld, which opened March 31. It seems critics and audiences alike love this revival, whose ticket sales will likely reflect that in weeks to come. The drama Reasons to be Pretty opened at the Lyceum on April 2, and has also been met with positive reviews. Not to be slighted, Rock of Ages opened at the Atkinson on April 7 with almost 95 percent attendance.
In previews is a new production of Mary Stuart at the Broadhurst, with Opening Night slated for April 19. Other productions still in previews are Next to Normal at the Booth, opening April 15 and Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Belasco, opening April 16.
Coming to Broadway this fall according to Playbill are more revivals: “Finian’s Rainbow” will play the St. James Theater and “Bye Bye Birdie,” venue unannounced.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending April 5, 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) |
$303,803 | 4,948 | 0 | 8 | 1,063 | $61.40 | 58.2% |
| August: Osage County (Music Box) |
$240,251 | 3,930 | 0 | 8 | 979 | $61.13 | 50.2% |
| Avenue Q (Golden) |
$246,425 | 4,118 | 0 | 8 | 796 | $59.84 | 64.7% |
| Billy Elliot (Imperial) |
$1,043,929 | 10,135 | 0 | 8 | 1,421 | $103.00 | 89.2% |
| Blithe Spirit (Shubert) |
$575,964 | 8,455 | 0 | 8 | 1,479 | $68.12 | 71.5% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$498,849 | 7,317 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $68.18 | 84.7% |
| Exit the King (Barrymore) |
$452,484 | 6,686 | 0 | 8 | 1,050 | $67.68 | 79.6% |
| God of Carnage (Jacobs) |
$689,882 | 8,337 | 0 | 8 | 1,078 | $82.75 | 96.7% |
| Guys and Dolls (Nederlander) |
$517,608 | 7,060 | 0 | 8 | 1,217 | $73.32 | 72.5% |
| Hair (Hirschfeld) |
$607,012 | 8,243 | 0 | 7 | 1,412 | $73.64 | 83.4% |
| Impressionism (Schoenfeld) |
$325,501 | 4,990 | 0 | 8 | 1,071 | $65.23 | 58.2% |
| In the Heights (Rodgers) |
$735,345 | 9,432 | 0 | 8 | 1,365 | $77.96 | 86.4% |
| Irena’s’ Vow (Walter Kerr) |
$173,075 | 3,402 | 0 | 8 | 947 | $50.87 | 44.9% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$974,724 | 9,472 | 0 | 8 | 1,222 | $102.91 | 96.9% |
| Joe Turner’s…Gone (Belasco) |
$165,282 | 4,581 | 8 | 0 | 1,018 | $36.08 | 56.3% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$848,021 | 11,418 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $74.27 | 95.3% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$725,386 | 11,416 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $63.54 | 79.4% |
| Mary Stuart (Broadhurst) |
$146,353 | 3,205 | 7 | 0 | 1,152 | $45.66 | 39.7% |
| Next to Normal (Booth) |
$206,466 | 4,381 | 8 | 0 | 772 | $47.13 | 70.9% |
| Reasons to be Pretty (Lyceum) |
$120,597 | 3,091 | 3 | 5 | 910 | $39.02 | 42.5% |
| Rock of Ages (Atkinson) |
$284,199 | 7,379 | 8 | 0 | 979 | $38.51 | 94.2% |
| Shrek (Broadway) |
$747,110 | 10,306 | 0 | 8 | 1,735 | $72.49 | 74.3% |
| South Pacific (Beaumont) |
$829,112 | 7,514 | 0 | 8 | 1,041 | $110.34 | 90.2% |
| The 39 Steps (Hayes) |
$179,160 | 2,988 | 0 | 8 | 589 | $59.96 | 63.4% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,048,053 | 11,765 | 0 | 8 | 1,654 | $89.08 | 88.9% |
| The Little Mermaid (Lunt-Fontanne) |
$643,927 | 9,147 | 0 | 8 | 1,520 | $70.40 | 75.2% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$764,417 | 12,496 | 0 | 8 | 1,615 | $61.17 | 96.7% |
| Waiting for Godot (Studio 54) |
$204,485 | 3,688 | 4 | 0 | 1,004 | $55.45 | 91.8% |
| West Side Story (Palace) |
$1,234,652 | 13,332 | 0 | 8 | 1,697 | $92.61 | 98.2% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,408,086 | 14,133 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $99.63 | 97.7% |