Ticket sales for the Great White Way’s 29 shows increased by $123,934 through the week ending August 5. While 17 shows experienced a decrease, several popular shows also closed their doors during the week, which likely attributed to the small overall increase.

According to figures posted by The Broadway League, receipted totaled $23.5 million through Sunday. Although there were a few closings, several shows significantly increased sales, and many are experiencing sold-out audiences.

The Lion King” narrowly surpassed “Wicked” as the top grossing production with sales totaling $2,013,943, just $384 above “Wicked,” according to figures posted by Playbill.com. Both shows continued to experience a decrease in sales, but did not take as great a loss as the previous week. Ticket sales for “The Lion King” were down $25,755 and “Wicked” was down $41,874, but both managed to stay about the $2 million mark.

“Fela!” closed its doors on August 4 with sales up $219,951, the greatest increase of any production compared to the previous week. The show increased its audience dramatically with capacity 81.9 percent, up 22.6 percent from last week. “Memphis” also played its last show this week and had the second greatest increase with ticket sales up $54,718 for a total of $657,688. The Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of “Harvey” starring Jim Parsons ended its production with capacity at 102.82 percent, according to Broadway.com, and sales for the show were up $26,252 through Sunday with receipts totaling $707,136.

Evita” had the greatest increase in sales the previous week, but the same cannot be said for the week ending August 5. The musical had the greatest decrease in sales through Sunday, down $233,144; however, the show still managed to stay above the $1 million mark. J. William Bruce, sales rep for Applause-Tickets.com told TicketNews in a recent email that “Evita” can expect even greater losses next week as the show’s star Ricky Martin will be on vacation once again.

Bring It On The Musical” officially opened on August 1, but this did not seem to help boost sales. The show had the third greatest decrease, down $79,831 with receipts totaling $387,388, the second lowest sales of any production behind “End of the Rainbow.” The newbie musical had the second greatest increase in sales the previous week.

Since the passing of playwright Gore Vidal on July 31, his play “The Best Man” directed by Michael Wilson has seen a slight boost in sales. Through the week ending August 5, ticket sales for the show increased by $4,067 with receipts totaling $544,490 and capacity was up by 5.6 percent from 69.2 percent the previous week to 74.8 percent. According to Bruce, Vidal’s passing may have helped keep sales afloat this week, but because the show has been playing since February, those who planned on seeing the production have already done so.

Mike Tyson’s solo act “Undisputed Truth” earned $624,494 over two previous and four regular performances during what was its first week on Broadway. Audiences filled the Longacre Theatre at a healthy 80 percent of capacity. The show will run for just 12 shows, ending on August 12.

Rounding out the top-five shows with the greatest increase this week are “End of the Rainbow,” up $18,336 and “Peter and the Starcatcher,” up $23,609. Among the shows with the greatest decrease are “Ghost,” down $81,978 and “Sister Act,” down $64,279. “The Phantom of the Opera” fell below the $1 million mark with a loss in sales of $37,103 from the previous week.

Several shows continue to play to packed houses. While “Harvey” remains the frontrunner with the highest capacity percentage, “The Book of Mormon,” “Newsies,” “Once,” and “The Lion King” all had audiences over 100 percent of capacity.

To view the full listing of Broadway sales for the week ending August 5, 2012, visit The Broadway League.

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