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The holiday weekend helps boost Broadway ticket sales
The conjunction of Easter and Passover brought theatergoers in droves this past weekend to the Great White Way, ringing up box office returns of $21,432,402. That beats last year’s numbers for the same week of $18,543,795 and a huge increase over last week’s numbers of $16,940,163.
No less than nine productions posted more than a million in ticket sales, led by Wicked at the Gershwin, The Lion King at the Minskoff and West Side Story at the Palace. A cool 17 productions posted 95 percent or better attendance. Posting the most significant dollar gains were “The Lion King,” up more than $361,000, followed by The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne at almost $360,000, compared to last week’s numbers. Only four productions fell a little flat, leading with Irena’s Vow at the Walter Kerr which saw more than a nine percent drop in attendance.
Another record of sorts is the number of plays with 15, six of which are in previews. God of Carnage at the Jacobs fared best this week with more than $744,000 at the box office followed by Blithe Spirit at the Shubert with close to $622,000 and Exit the King at the Barrymore, more than $515,000.
Boosting the bottom line is the sheer number of shows, 33, with eight in previews:
– Next to Normal at the Booth, opening April 15
– Joe Turner’s Come and Gone at the Belasco, a play, opening April 16
– Mary Stuart at the Broadhurst, a play, opening April 19
– The Norman Conquests at Circle in the Square, three plays, opening April 23
– The Philanthropist at the American Airlines, a play, opening April 26
– Accent on Youth at the Friedman, a play, opening April 29
– 9 to 5 at the Marquis, opening April 30
– Waiting for Godot at Studio 54, a play, opening April 30
Looking at “The Norman Conquests,” the numbers of previews of this trio of plays are combined: “Table Manners” previewed three times, “Living Together” played twice and “Round and Round the Garden” played twice as well.
Upcoming: Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elms will begin a 12-week run at the St. James this week on April 14.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending April 12, 2009
All data provided by The Broadway League
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales | |||||||
| Production (Theatre) | Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| 33 Variations (O’Neill) | $325,279 | 5,261 | 0 | 8 | 1,063 | $61.83 | 61.9% |
| 9 to 5 (Marquis) | $505,671 | 9,661 | 6 | 0 | 1,611 | $52.34 | 99.9% |
| Accent on Youth (Friedman) | $145,549 | 2,925 | 7 | 0 | 650 | $49.76 | 64.3% |
| August: Osage County (Music Box) | $261,800 | 4,394 | 0 | 8 | 979 | $59.58 | 56.1% |
| Avenue Q (Golden) | $347,579 | 5,514 | 0 | 8 | 796 | $63.04 | 86.6% |
| Billy Elliot (Imperial) | $1,207,493 | 11,268 | 0 | 8 | 1,421 | $107.16 | 99.1% |
| Blithe Spirit (Shubert) | $621,770 | 8,856 | 0 | 8 | 1,479 | $70.21 | 74.8% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) | $764,173 | 8,739 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $87.44 | 101.1% |
| Exit the King (Barrymore) | $515,662 | 7,449 | 0 | 8 | 1,050 | $69.23 | 88.7% |
| God of Carnage (Jacobs) | $744,195 | 8,481 | 0 | 8 | 1,078 | $87.75 | 98.3% |
| Guys and Dolls (Nederlander) | $725,782 | 9,366 | 0 | 8 | 1,217 | $77.49 | 96.2% |
| Hair (Hirschfeld) | $822,889 | 11,171 | 0 | 8 | 1,412 | $73.66 | 98.9% |
| Impressionism (Schoenfeld) | $297,473 | 4,801 | 0 | 8 | 1,071 | $61.96 | 56.0% |
| In the Heights (Rodgers) | $881,338 | 10,486 | 0 | 8 | 1,365 | $84.05 | 96.0% |
| Irena’s’ Vow (Walter Kerr) | $145,123 | 2,687 | 0 | 8 | 947 | $54.01 | 35.5% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) | $1,043,780 | 9,893 | 0 | 8 | 1,222 | $105.51 | 101.2% |
| Joe Turner’s…Gone (Belasco) | $161,508 | 4,628 | 8 | 0 | 1,018 | $34.90 | 56.8% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) | $1,021,653 | 12,165 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $83.98 | 101.5% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) | $1,050,779 | 13,610 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $77.21 | 94.7% |
| Mary Stuart (Broadhurst) | $172,797 | 3,776 | 8 | 0 | 1,152 | $45.76 | 41.0% |
| Next to Normal (Booth) | $176,309 | 3,670 | 7 | 0 | 772 | $48.04 | 67.9% |
| Reasons to be Pretty (Lyceum) | $157,040 | 3,998 | 0 | 8 | 910 | $39.28 | 54.9% |
| Rock of Ages (Atkinson) | $375,157 | 7,621 | 1 | 7 | 979 | $49.23 | 97.3% |
| Shrek (Broadway) | $1,040,066 | 13,018 | 0 | 8 | 1,735 | $79.89 | 93.8% |
| South Pacific (Beaumont) | $874,820 | 7,908 | 0 | 8 | 1,041 | $110.62 | 95.0% |
| The 39 Steps (Hayes) | $247,906 | 4,247 | 0 | 8 | 589 | $58.37 | 90.1% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) | $1,409,411 | 13,233 | 0 | 8 | 1,654 | $106.51 | 100.0% |
| The Little Mermaid (Lunt-Fontanne) | $1,003,853 | 12,000 | 0 | 8 | 1,520 | $83.65 | 98.7% |
| The Norman Conquests (Circle in Square) | $96,012 | 1,852 | 7 | 0 | 780 | $51.84 | 33.9% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) | $951,710 | 13,021 | 0 | 8 | 1,615 | $73.09 | 100.8% |
| The Philanthropist (American Airlines) | $119,727 | 2,600 | 4 | 0 | 740 | $46.05 | 87.8% |
| Waiting for Godot (Studio 54) | $385,171 | 7,132 | 8 | 0 | 1,004 | $54.01 | 88.8% |
| West Side Story (Palace) | $1,308,787 | 13,661 | 0 | 8 | 1,697 | $95.80 | 100.6% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) | $1,524,141 | 14,472 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $105.32 | 100.0% |
