Ticket sales for the Great White Way were not great as gross sales fell $3.4 million through the week ending March 5 despite the opening of two productions.
Sales for this week’s 27 shows took in approximately $16.9 million compared to $20.3 million last week. Sales were at their lowest since the week ending Feb. 8 when Broadway’s shows brought in only 15 million. Twenty-three productions took a loss, while just two had increased sales.
“Jesus Christ Superstar” began its latest Broadway resurrection with the start of preview performances on March 1 at the Neil Simon Theater. Gross sales for the production’s four preview performances were $370,699 with tickets sold for 89 percent of the theater’s capacity. Directed by Tony winner Des McAnuff, the popular Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical will officially open on March 22.
“Once” made its Broadway debut with an adaptation of the popular 2006 romantic film. Preview performances began on Feb. 28 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre and last week the production earned $525,050 over the course of eight performances, with the theater at 91 percent of capacity. The production ended its off-Broadway limited engagement on January 15 at the New York Theatre Workshop. Recently, TicketNews spoke about producers’ unique decision to announce Broadway dates prior to opening night at the Workshop. Regular performances for “Once” will begin on March 18.
“Shatner’s World: We Just Live In It” ended its limited engagement on March 4 with sales down 5.5 percent ($295,534). The U.S. tour begins March 10 in Los Angeles.
Ticket sales for “Jersey Boys” dipped below the $1 million mark for the first time since the week ending Feb. 12. Gross sales through March 5 were down by 18.5 percent ($829,842) over the previous week.
Several other popular productions took a big hit last week. “The Phantom of the Opera” experienced the greatest decrease with sales down 36.9 percent ($621,644). “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” followed shortly behind with a 35 percent decrease ($530,319). Sales for family favorite “Mary Poppins” fell 34.5 percent, earning $627,330.
Two productions did see an increase in sales last week. “The Road to Mecca” grossed $250,244 in ticket sales, up 13.8 percent over the previous week ($219,854) and “The Book of Mormon” had a slight increase with sales up 1.7 percent ($1.5 million). “Wicked” earned the most in ticket sales ($1.5 million) with “The Book of Mormon” following in a close second.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales
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| Production (Theatre) |
Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| Anything Goes (Sondheim) |
$649,167 | 7,445 | 0 | 8 | 1,026 | $87.19 | 90.7% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$424,527 | 5,476 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $77.52 | 63.4% |
| Death of a Salesman (Barrymore) |
$661,262 | 6,959 | 7 | 0 | 1,036 | $95.02 | 96.0% |
| Godspell (Circle in Square) |
$279,527 | 4,335 | 0 | 8 | 735 | $64.48 | 73.7% |
| How to Succeed… (Hirschfeld) |
$530,319 | 7,359 | 0 | 8 | 1,424 | $72.06 | 64.6% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$829,842 | 8,116 | 0 | 8 | 1,228 | $102.25 | 82.6% |
| Jesus Christ Superstar (Simon) |
$370,699 | 5,060 | 4 | 0 | 1,371 | $73.26 | 92.3% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$643,246 | 8,738 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $73.61 | 72.9% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$627,330 | 10,101 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $62.11 | 70.3% |
| Memphis (Shubert) |
$517,240 | 7,804 | 0 | 8 | 1,470 | $66.28 | 66.4% |
| Once (Jacobs) |
$525,050 | 7,726 | 8 | 0 | 1,058 | $67.96 | 91.3% |
| Other Desert Cities (Booth) |
$406,966 | 4,575 | 0 | 8 | 761 | $88.95 | 75.1% |
| Porgy and Bess (Rodgers) |
$639,026 | 6,854 | 0 | 8 | 1,335 | $93.23 | 64.2% |
| Priscilla…Desert (Palace) |
$442,658 | 6,209 | 0 | 8 | 1,689 | $71.29 | 46.0% |
| Rock of Ages (Hayes) |
$381,600 | 4,326 | 0 | 8 | 583 | $88.21 | 92.8% |
| Seminar (Golden) |
$357,973 | 4,585 | 0 | 8 | 804 | $78.07 | 71.3% |
| Shatner’s World (Music Box) |
$295,534 | 4,057 | 0 | 6 | 997 | $72.85 | 67.8% |
| Sister Act (Broadway) |
$482,165 | 6,744 | 0 | 8 | 1,755 | $71.50 | 48.0% |
| Spider-Man…Dark (Foxwoods) |
$1,263,936 | 13,234 | 0 | 8 | 1,930 | $95.51 | 85.7% |
| The Book of Mormon (O’Neill) |
$1,493,754 | 8,752 | 0 | 8 | 1,066 | $170.68 | 102.6% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,396,438 | 13,005 | 0 | 8 | 1,677 | $107.38 | 96.9% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$621,644 | 8,420 | 0 | 8 | 1,605 | $73.83 | 65.6% |
| The Road to Mecca (American Airlines) |
$250,244 | 4,456 | 0 | 8 | 727 | $56.16 | 76.6% |
| Venus in Fur (Lyceum) |
$306,609 | 3,718 | 0 | 8 | 708 | $82.47 | 65.6% |
| War Horse (Beaumont) |
$765,398 | 7,316 | 0 | 8 | 1,069 | $104.62 | 85.5% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,501,011 | 13,683 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $109.70 | 94.5% |
| Wit (Friedman) |
$227,360 | 3,945 | 0 | 8 | 650 | $57.63 | 75.9% |
All data provided by The Broadway League.