After a couple weeks of impressive gains at the box office, Broadway ticket sales came back down to earth last week. The total box office for the period ending Sunday, November 21 was $21,333,673, a drop from the previous week’s high of $22,656,837. Following a week in which 36 of 38 productions posted gains in sales, only eight productions were able to post gains last week.
On a positive note, the figures for last week still exceeded the same week last season of $19,622,530. Comparing one season with another, this current season outstrips last, $505,746,394 to $500,376,907. The difference between the two represents a 1.1 percent increase.
Wicked at the Gershwin, The Lion King at the Minskoff, Promises, Promises at the Broadway, Jersey Boys at the August Wilson, Billy Elliot at the Imperial and The Addams Family at the Lunt-Fontanne all finished the week with sales of more than $1 million. The musical Elf at the Al Hirschfeld saw the largest increase in gross ticket sales, climbing $251,297 from last week for a grand total of $862,995. The production reporting the largest drop in gross ticket sales from last week was Mamma Mia! at the Winter Garden, a drop of $129,949.
There are currently 13 plays on Broadway and The Merchant of Venice at the Broadhurst posted the best returns at $793,110. Driving Miss Daisy at the Golden followed it closely reporting returns of $727,178. The Broadhurst Theatre has 1,152 seats, the largest number of any theater posting a play, while the Golden has only 804.
Attendance was reportedly about 71 percent on this past week with two shows, “The Merchant of Venice” reporting audiences at 102 percent capacity followed by “Wicked” at 96.28 percent.
“The Merchant of Venice” reportedly exceeded its Gross Gross Potential, achieving nearly 104 percent. “Wicked” followed closely behind at just over 96 percent.
Again this week, “Jersey Boys” sold the Top Ticket at $350, trailed by seven other productions at $300. The Best Buy ticket as suggested by the Average Paid Admission is still the new play, Elling at the Barrymore at $22.03.
Productions celebrating opening nights this past week were:
• “A Free Man of Color,” a play, Nov. 18 at the Vivian Beaumont
• “Elling,” a play, Nov. 21 at the Barrymore
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. % |
| A Free…Color (Beaumont) |
$252,784 | 6,043 | 3 | 5 | 1,043 | $41.83 | 72.4% |
| A Life in the Theatre (Schoenfeld) |
$213,364 | 3,864 | 0 | 8 | 1,071 | $55.22 | 45.1% |
| A Little Night Music (Kerr) |
$455,652 | 5,175 | 0 | 8 | 931 | $88.05 | 69.5% |
| American Idiot (St. James) |
$426,646 | 6,299 | 0 | 8 | 1,709 | $67.73 | 46.1% |
| Billy Elliot (Imperial) |
$1,042,020 | 9,993 | 0 | 8 | 1,421 | $104.27 | 87.9% |
| Bloody…Jackson (Jacobs) |
$342,435 | 5,578 | 0 | 8 | 1,030 | $61.39 | 67.7% |
| Brief Encounter (Studio 54) |
$384,934 | 6,151 | 0 | 8 | 1,002 | $62.58 | 76.7% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$360,247 | 4,737 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $76.05 | 54.8% |
| Colin Quinn…Short (Hayes) |
$143,902 | 2,955 | 0 | 8 | 587 | $48.70 | 62.9% |
| Driving Miss Daisy (Golden) |
$727,178 | 5,936 | 0 | 8 | 804 | $122.50 | 92.3% |
| Elf (Hirschfeld) |
$862,995 | 9,245 | 0 | 8 | 1,424 | $93.35 | 81.2% |
| Elling (Barrymore) |
$145,070 | 6,585 | 7 | 1 | 1,056 | $22.03 | 77.9% |
| Fela! (O’Neill) |
$491,712 | 6,896 | 0 | 8 | 1,030 | $71.30 | 83.7% |
| In the Heights (Rodgers) |
$498,758 | 7,289 | 0 | 8 | 1,344 | $68.43 | 67.8% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$1,068,792 | 9,078 | 0 | 8 | 1,228 | $117.73 | 92.4% |
| La Bete (Music Box) |
$214,454 | 3,697 | 0 | 8 | 1,007 | $58.01 | 45.9% |
| La Cage aux Folles (Longacre) |
$441,617 | 5,080 | 0 | 8 | 1,057 | $86.93 | 60.1% |
| Lombardi (Circle in Square) |
$342,017 | 4,890 | 0 | 8 | 790 | $69.94 | 77.4% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$706,711 | 8,448 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $83.65 | 70.5% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$702,952 | 9,316 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $75.46 | 64.8% |
| Memphis (Shubert) |
$794,251 | 8,759 | 0 | 8 | 1,470 | $90.68 | 74.5% |
| Million Dollar Quartet (Nederlander) |
$453,826 | 5,365 | 0 | 8 | 1,214 | $84.59 | 55.2% |
| Mrs. Warren’s Profession (American Airlines) |
$261,305 | 4,682 | 0 | 8 | 740 | $55.81 | 79.1% |
| Next to Normal (Booth) |
$241,611 | 4,189 | 0 | 8 | 772 | $57.68 | 67.8% |
| Promises, Promises (Broadway) |
$1,006,158 | 10,718 | 0 | 8 | 1,747 | $93.88 | 76.7% |
| Rain (Simon) |
$588,633 | 7,493 | 0 | 8 | 1,448 | $78.56 | 64.7% |
| Rock of Ages (Atkinson) |
$466,633 | 5,761 | 0 | 8 | 997 | $81.00 | 72.2% |
| The Addams Family (Lunt-Fontanne) |
$918,316 | 8,886 | 0 | 8 | 1,519 | $103.34 | 73.1% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,331,448 | 11,784 | 0 | 8 | 1,677 | $112.99 | 87.8% |
| The Merchant of Venice (Broadhurst) |
$793,110 | 5,901 | 0 | 5 | 1,152 | $134.40 | 102.4% |
| The Pee-Wee Herman Show (Sondheim) |
$594,217 | 5,952 | 0 | 8 | 1,055 | $99.83 | 70.5% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$634,172 | 7,920 | 0 | 8 | 1,615 | $80.07 | 61.3% |
| The Pitmen Painters (Friedman) |
$159,562 | 3,249 | 0 | 8 | 650 | $49.11 | 62.5% |
| The Scottsboro Boys (Lyceum) |
$283,054 | 4,879 | 0 | 8 | 900 | $58.01 | 67.8% |
| Time Stands Still (Cort) |
$424,119 | 5,024 | 0 | 8 | 1,079 | $84.42 | 58.2% |
| West Side Story (Palace) |
$586,987 | 7,740 | 0 | 8 | 1,697 | $75.84 | 57.0% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,509,711 | 13,933 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $108.36 | 96.3% |
| Women…Breakdown (Belasco) |
$462,325 | 6,018 | 0 | 8 | 1,002 | $76.82 | 75.1% |
