Ticket sales lag for another week on Broadway

The Broadway box office total of $21,461,020, for the week ending June 28, exceeded the previous week’s numbers of $20,838,040, but it was still below the same week last season of $22,283,685. Overall, ticket sales have generated $103,809,430 so far this season, in its fifth week, which is also down compared to the last season to date of $105,226,679.

There were six million-dollar productions again this week: Wicked at the Gershwin, Billy Elliot: The Musical at the Imperial, West Side Story at the Palace, The Lion King at the Minskoff, Jersey Boys at the August Wilson and Hair at the Al Hirschfeld. Looking at the ten plays remaining in production, God of Carnage at the Jacobs continues to hold sway at almost a million: $972, 967.


Four shows, all plays, closed on Sunday. They were “Accent on Youth,” “August: Osage County,” “Irena’s Vow,” and “The Philanthropist.” Of those, “August” at The Music Box saw the largest increase in capacity expressed as attendance over the previous reporting period, almost 25 percent. “Irena’s Vow” saw the largest dollar increase over the same time period, $132,000.

An impressive 14 shows, half of all productions on Broadway, posted 95 percent or better attendance, including five at more than 100 percent of capacity. Compared to the previous week, The Norman Conquests at the Circle in the Square Theater saw the largest drop in attendance, almost 12 percent, while the venerable Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam saw the largest drop in dollars, more than $25,000.

The Little Mermaid at the Lunt-Fontanne will close its doors after less than two years on August 30. Variety reports that “The Addams Family,” scheduled to open this fall, may be a candidate for the space at the Lunt-Fontanne. Currently, Disney Theatrical Productions has three musicals on Broadway, the other two being “The Lion King” and “Mary Poppins.”

Jude Law fans will celebrate his upcoming lead role in “Hamlet,” scheduled to open Sept. 12 at the Broadhurst for a 12-week run. Currently enjoying a sold-out run at the Wyndham Theatre in London, its last performance there will be on August 22. From there it moves to Kronberg Castle, Elsinore, in Denmark, Shakespeare’s setting of the tragedy for another sellout from August 25 to 30. Law’s last appearance on the Broadway stage was in his debut in “Indiscretions” in 1995 for which he received a Tony nomination.

Broadway Gross Ticket Sales Week ending June 28, 2009
All data provided by The Broadway League