Ticket sales on the Great White Way seemed to be on pause this week as several Broadway mainstays took a hit as families prepare for the back-to-school season. The greatest week-over-week increases occurred among shows that are playing their final weeks on Broadway.
According to figures posted by The Broadway League, overall gross sales fell by $1.6 million from August 20-26. Sixteen of the 23 shows experienced a decrease, while just six shows had a slight gain in sales.
As “One Man, Two Guvnors” nears the end of its Broadway run on September 2 the show broke the house record at the Music Box Theatre for the fourth time with receipts totaling $746,407 through August 26, according to Broadway.com — the comedy had the greatest increase in sales, up $87,118 over the previous week. “Clybourne Park” will also close on September 2 and “Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” closes on September 9 — both shows had a significant increase in sales this week. Amanda Pekoe, president of theatrical marketing and advertising company The Pekoe Group, told TicketNews via email that the jump in sales is likely due to the fact that it’s the last chance for people to see these shows.
Apparently Matthew Broderick is to “Nice Work If You Can Get It” as Ricky Martin is to “Evita.” Ticket sales for the “Nice Work” fell $241,930 through Sunday during Broderick’s vacation, however the show’s star is scheduled to return this week, according to Broadway.com.
“The Lion King” remains the leader of the pack with receipts totaling $1.8 million, however family-favorite shows continued their downward dive with the back-to-school season now in full swing. “The Lion King” had the greatest decrease of the family shows, with sales down just over $200,000. “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” had a loss of $146,345 and “Wicked” saw a decrease of $128,387 from the previous week.
Broadway said goodbye to Tony-nominated musical “Sister Act” this week with ticket sales totaling $814,822, an increase of over $10,000 from the previous week. While several shows ended their run over the summer, the fall season will mean the addition of new productions to the lineup.
“Chaplin” opened this week with sales of $356,882 across eight preview performances. The show filled the Barrymore Theatre to 71.7 percent of capacity. “Surprisingly there has been no word-of-mouth about [“Chaplin”] so far,” J. William Bruce, sales rep for Applause-Tickets.com, told TicketNews on his prediction for the Broadway newbie. “Without a big name in the show it is going to have to get very good reviews to have any staying power,” he added.
Although ticket sales have been down over the past few weeks, several productions’ capacities prove that Broadway shows are still a top form of entertainment among New York City residents and tourists. “The Book of Mormon” continues to play to packed audiences at 102.6 percent of capacity. Capacity for “The Lion King” was at 100 percent; “Rock of Ages” at 98.4 percent, “Once” at 97.5 percent and “Newsies” is still a new favorite with capacity at 101.3 percent.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales
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| Production (Theatre) |
Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| Bring It On (St. James) |
$492,212 | 7,770 | 0 | 8 | 1,334 | $63.35 | 72.8% |
| Chaplin (Barrymore) |
$356,882 | 5,996 | 8 | 0 | 1,045 | $59.52 | 71.7% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$595,470 | 7,427 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $80.18 | 86.0% |
| Clybourne Park (Kerr) |
$420,369 | 6,098 | 0 | 8 | 951 | $68.94 | 80.2% |
| Evita (Marquis) |
$1,012,152 | 9,834 | 0 | 8 | 1,612 | $102.92 | 76.3% |
| Gore Vidal’s The Best Man (Schoenfeld) |
$575,811 | 6,453 | 0 | 8 | 1,063 | $89.23 | 75.9% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$899,124 | 9,008 | 0 | 8 | 1,228 | $99.81 | 91.7% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$784,701 | 9,133 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $85.92 | 76.2% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$836,240 | 11,823 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $70.73 | 82.2% |
| Newsies (Nederlander) |
$985,639 | 9,685 | 0 | 8 | 1,195 | $101.77 | 101.3% |
| Nice Work If You Can Get It (Imperial) |
$502,446 | 5,837 | 0 | 8 | 1,439 | $86.08 | 50.7% |
| Once (Jacobs) |
$1,025,288 | 8,253 | 0 | 8 | 1,058 | $124.23 | 97.5% |
| One Man, Two Guvnors (Music Box) |
$746,407 | 7,482 | 0 | 8 | 975 | $99.76 | 95.9% |
| Peter and the Starcatcher (Atkinson) |
$368,042 | 5,151 | 0 | 8 | 1,038 | $71.45 | 62.0% |
| Porgy and Bess (Rodgers) |
$508,069 | 6,321 | 0 | 8 | 1,335 | $80.38 | 59.2% |
| Rock of Ages (Hayes) |
$485,487 | 4,588 | 0 | 8 | 583 | $105.82 | 98.4% |
| Sister Act (Broadway) |
$814,822 | 10,377 | 0 | 8 | 1,755 | $78.52 | 73.9% |
| Spider-Man…Dark (Foxwoods) |
$1,396,354 | 12,466 | 0 | 8 | 1,930 | $112.01 | 80.7% |
| The Book of Mormon (O’Neill) |
$1,631,432 | 8,752 | 0 | 8 | 1,066 | $186.41 | 102.6% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,753,380 | 13,418 | 0 | 8 | 1,677 | $130.67 | 100.0% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$884,788 | 11,133 | 0 | 8 | 1,605 | $79.47 | 86.7% |
| War Horse (Beaumont) |
$537,676 | 7,218 | 0 | 8 | 1,069 | $74.49 | 84.4% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,690,150 | 12,774 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $132.31 | 88.3% |
| Wit (Friedman) |
$232,701 | 4,016 | 0 | 8 | 650 | $57.94 | 77.2% |
All data provided by The Broadway League.
