Hamilton proved to be the biggest show in Chicago, but now, after the three-year run, its closing in the city.
Last night, the show closed for a sold-out performance at the CIBC Theatre, and after three years, the play officially garnered over $400 million in gross sales at the box office, the Chicago Tribune reports. According to the publication, no other show has mastered that feat in the city and received such attention. However, Hamilton has not been the longest-running show in the Loop, as that record is still broken by Wicked, which ran for three months longer between 2005 and 2007.
Lou Raizin, president of Broadway in Chicago, told the Tribune that more than half of the audience came from 100 miles away or more, which has helped the city garner money from nearby hotels, restaurants, and stores. While this is great news for producers of the show, the city will lose more than $100 million a year once the show disappears from Chicago’s economy. A show to replace that economic impact has not been revealed, if there even is one in discussion. However, Hamilton is slated to return to the city once again during the U.S. traveling tour, which will also make stops in Milwaukee and Cleveland.
“It has been pretty extraordinary,” Hamilton’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda said of the Chicago run. “And it has been my entry point for falling in love with Chicago.”
Since Hamilton first hit the stage in New York City in 2015, the show has broken a handful of records, including the all-time Broadway Box Office Record. It has been a hot-commodity for years, dominating the theater industry as fans effortlessly try to snatch up tickets when they go on sale, crashing ticket sites in Detroit and Orlando.
Find tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway via Ticket Club
