The Great White Way’s bout of bad luck continued this week as another storm hit New York City — this time a snowstorm, which deterred many tourists from taking in a show, not to mention the effects of Superstorm Sandy were still very much apparent. Despite the storm, Broadway still managed to increase overall sales significantly.
According to figures posted by The Broadway League, Broadway gross ticket sales totaled $19.6 million, up just over $6 million through the week ending November 11. “An Enemy of the People” was the only show that experienced a decrease.
“The Book of Mormon” held on to the top spot with receipts totaling $1.6 million. Family favorites also came out on top as “The Lion King” pulled in a solid $1.5 million, “Wicked” took in $1.5 million, and “Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark” earned nearly $1.1 million. The revival of “Glengarry Glen Ross” was also a top earner with sales just under $1 million, according to Broadway.com.
Several of the top-grossing shows also had the biggest week-over-week increases. Sales for “The Lion King” were up by $385,070 and “Wicked” increased sales by $340,008. “The Book of Mormon” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It” experienced increases of nearly $300,000. “Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark” experienced a $267,287 jump in sales.
Several other newcomers were not as lucky this week. “The Performers,” “Scandalous,” and “An Enemy of the People” all earned under $200,000 through Sunday. “The Mystery of Edwin Drood” made just $236,602, but they ranked fourth among shows with the most seats sold versus the previous week, according to BroadwayWorld.com.
“Dead Accounts” starring Katie Holmes began previews on November 5 at the Music Box Theatre after performances were postponed from the slated opening of November 3 due to Superstorm Sandy. The show earned $310,468 across seven performances and played to an audience at 59.3 percent capacity. Lincoln Center’s revival of “Golden Boy” began previews at the Belasco Theatre and pulled in a modest $88,644, playing just three performances to an audience at nearly 65 percent capacity, according to BroadwayWorld.com.
The holiday season is underway on Broadway as a couple of movie-turned-Broadway shows made their debut. “A Christmas Story” opened at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre with sales totaling $461,281 across seven performances. “Elf” opened at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and pulled in $438,569 in receipts, playing to a packed house at 91.3 percent capacity across just five performances.
While sales were expected to return to normal this week, it’s possible that the snowstorm prevented crowds from shows and therefore kept many shows from earning the sales that they would have.
To view the full listing of Broadway sales for the week ending November 11, 2012, visit The Broadway League.
