Bouncing back from the double-hit of Hurricane Sandy followed by snowstorm Athena, day-to-day business in New York City is continuing its slow return to normalcy. Ticket sales did not follow last week’s significant increase of over $6 million, but did continue to mildly increase.
According to this week’s figures posted by The Broadway League, Broadway gross ticket sales totaled just under $20.9 million for the week ending on November 18. The gross ticket sales are up $1.3 million from the previous week ending on November 11.
With a weekly gross of just over $1.6 million, “The Book of Mormon” continued to hold the top spot for ticket sales. “Wicked” followed close in the footsteps of “The Book of Mormon,” grossing just slightly under $1.6 million. Other top sellers for the week included: “The Lion King” bringing in $1.4 million, “Glengarry Glen Ross” hitting over $1.1 million, “Spider-man: Turn Off The Dark” reaching just over $1.1 million and “Once” finishing up at slightly below $1 million.
Figures posted on BroadwayWorld.com showed that “Glengarry Glen Ross” had the largest increase in week-to-week gross sales, up an additional $165,997 from the previous week. “Bring It On The Musical” had increased sales by $134,281, and “Elf” followed with an increase in its growth this week by $106,511.
Other shows were not as lucky this week. Although “The Lion King” has one of the highest grosses this week, it was down $104,402 in sales at $1.4 million, compared to slightly over $1.5 million last week. Including “The Lion King,” BroadwayWorld.com shows that 13 shows were down in sales in comparison to last week. “Rock of Ages,” “Scandalous,” “Evita,” “Mamma Mia!” and “Chicago” were all down in sales by approximately $30,000.
Other shows showed much more mild decreases in sales; “The Book of Mormon” and “War Horse” both had a decrease in sales of about $7,000. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” had a decrease of $2,970 in sales, and “Chaplin” was down $2,622 in sales from the previous week. “Jersey Boys” showed the lowest amount of loss in week-to-week sales with a decrease in sales of a minor $466.
“The Book of Mormon” led attendance figures this week with its theaters filled to 103 percent capacity according to The Broadway League. “Glengarry Glen Ross” followed close behind filling seats at 101 percent capacity. “The Lion King” followed at 97 percent, and “Wicked” reached 92 percent of its capacity.
While others were not as lucky this week including “Golden Boy” which only reached 55% of its capacity, and “Grace” showing the lowest amount of seats filled, at only 44 percent capacity.
“The Anarchist” opened its doors for previews on November 13. The show brought in a gross of $379,862 during its first week, although its potential gross was $778,3000. Opening night for the show is scheduled for December 2, with a limited run planned.
With the return of tourists to the city and the holiday season approaching quickly, Broadway ticket sales seem to have returned to normal. To view the full listing of Broadway sales for the week ending November 18, 2012, visit The Broadway League.
