Broadway began to turn things around this past week with ticket sales creeping back up to $14,602,870 from last week’s low of $13,382,272. Even the improved numbers pale compared to the same week last season of $16,516,116. Looking at the season to date, the gross ticket sales have reached $326,290,352 compared to the same point in the season last year of $322,809,234, which is a 1.1 percent increase.

Three shows were able to post over a million in ticket sales this week: Wicked at the Gershwin, The Lion King at the Minskoff and Jersey Boys at the August Wilson. Fela! at the O’Neill saw the largest dollar growth, increasing $119,080 while “The Lion King” showed the largest drop at falling $18,285.

Attendance is up to almost 75 percent compared to last week’s 71 percent for the 23 productions. Showing the largest percentage gain in attendance was “Fela!” up 11.7 percent, followed by La Cage aux Folles at the Longacre, which had a 10.6 percent increase. Seeing the largest drop was Next to Normal at the Booth, dropping 8.6 percent.

Only “Wicked” approached its Gross Gross Potential this week at 94.4 percent while Brief Encounter at Studio 54 in its second week of previews ranked the lowest at 24 percent.

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“Jersey Boys” continues to offer the Top Ticket of $350, while “Brief Encounter” is offering the Best Buy Ticket as suggested by the Average Paid Admission.

West Side Story at the Palace Theatre will close its doors in early January 2011, making room for “Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical” according to Playbill.com. It will begin previews on February 28. It is making its North American debut with a 12-week engagement in Toronto that begins on October 12.

Henry Miller’s Theatre is no more. The theatre officially underwent a name change on September 15 to the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.

All data provided by The Broadway League.

Broadway Gross Ticket Sales
Week Ending September 19, 2010

Production
(Theatre)
Weekly Gross Total Atten. Prev. Perf. Total Capacity Avg. Ticket Price Atten. %
A Little Night Music
(Kerr)
$606,204 6,680 0 8 931 $90.75 89.7%
American Idiot
(St. James)
$487,885 8,786 0 8 1,709 $55.53 64.3%
Billy Elliot
(Imperial)
$913,386 10,094 0 8 1,421 $90.49 88.8%
Brief Encounter
(Studio 54)
$212,473 5,042 8 0 1,002 $42.14 62.9%
Chicago
(Ambassador)
$476,061 6,413 0 8 1,080 $74.23 74.2%
Fela!
(O’Neill)
$463,706 6,246 0 8 1,030 $74.24 75.8%
In the Heights
(Rodgers)
$411,620 7,170 0 8 1,344 $57.41 66.7%
Jersey Boys
(August Wilson)
$1,046,786 9,613 0 8 1,228 $108.89 97.9%
La Cage aux Folles
(Longacre)
$530,552 6,354 0 8 1,057 $83.50 75.1%
Mamma Mia!
(Winter Garden)
$798,971 10,357 0 8 1,498 $77.14 86.4%
Mary Poppins
(New Amsterdam)
$540,903 8,028 0 8 1,797 $67.38 55.8%
Memphis
(Shubert)
$828,154 9,174 0 8 1,470 $90.27 78.0%
Million Dollar Quartet
(Nederlander)
$559,114 6,597 0 8 1,214 $84.75 67.9%
Mrs. Warren’s Profession
(American Airlines)
$219,233 4,267 8 0 740 $51.38 72.1%
Next to Normal
(Booth)
$198,017 3,575 0 8 772 $55.39 57.9%
Promises, Promises
(Broadway)
$902,890 10,064 0 8 1,747 $89.71 72.0%
Rock of Ages
(Atkinson)
$429,211 6,063 0 8 997 $70.79 76.0%
The Addams Family
(Lunt-Fontanne)
$884,418 8,991 0 8 1,519 $98.37 74.0%
The Lion King
(Minskoff)
$1,210,030 10,924 0 8 1,677 $110.77 81.4%
The Phantom of the Opera
(Majestic)
$688,861 9,186 0 8 1,615 $74.99 71.1%
The Pitmen Painters
(Friedman)
$189,291 3,841 8 0 650 $49.28 73.9%
West Side Story
(Palace)
$526,052 7,514 0 8 1,697 $70.01 55.3%
Wicked
(Gershwin)
$1,479,055 14,331 0 8 1,809 $103.21 99.0%