On the whole, Broadway box offices were strong through the week ending October 9, grossing $19,589,603 total thanks to 205,123 attendees. But for individual productions, the week leading up to Columbus Day was filled with highs, lows and a couple near-misses.
Four productions saw ticket sales increase by more than $100,000 in the week ending October 9. “The Lion King” had the biggest Columbus Day growth spurt, increasing ticket sales by $245,245 and becoming the week’s highest grossing show with a $1.66 million total.
Handsome $100K upticks were also seen by “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” (up $140,654), “Mary Poppins” (up $123,096), and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” (up $118,175).
Following last week’s announcement that “Billy Elliot” will shutter in January, the long-running musical saw a nearly 10 percent swell. The influx boosted “Billy’s” weekly sales to $788,846, making it the tuner’s highest grossing week since early August.
Elsewhere, exceptionally small margins held back a couple productions from greatness in the week ending October 9. Usual Broadway box office leader “Wicked” was just $3,000 behind the top-grossing “Lion King.” Meanwhile, the award-winning British play “War Horse” was only $1,500 short of a $1 million pinnacle, with ticket sales totaling $998,448.
Several productions experienced dips in ticket sales or attendance over the course of the week, but “Follies” saw the most drastic downturns in both areas. Coming off two consecutive weeks of million-dollar receipts, ticket sales for the Stephen Sondheim musical slid almost 22 percent (to $886,027), and attendance dropped nearly 25 percent through the week ending October 9.
Leading up to its October 9 opening, “Man and Boy” also saw a 10 percent sales dip to $194,119, due to pre-opening press comps, while attendance boosted nearly 16 percent. Now in its first full week of regular performances, the drama’s numbers should even out — or maybe even improve, thanks to strong opening night praise for star Frank Langella.
Those Broadway productions still in previews also took a hit in the October 9 frame compared to earlier weeks. Sales for “The Mountaintop” fell almost 10 percent to $530,317 due to press comps, which also accounted for a 2 percent attendance increase. Meanwhile, attendance dropped 8 percent at “Relatively Speaking,” which saw a 2 percent sales dip and ended the week at $648,394.
“The Mountaintop” opens tomorrow, October 13, at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. Opening night for “Relatively Speaking,” playing at the Brooks Atkinston Theatre, follows later on October 20.
All data provided by The Broadway League.
Broadway Gross Ticket Sales
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| Production (Theatre) |
Weekly Gross | Total Atten. | Prev. | Perf. | Total Capacity | Avg. Ticket Price | Atten. % |
| Anything Goes (Sondheim) |
$882,827 | 8,018 | 0 | 8 | 1,026 | $110.11 | 97.7% |
| Billy Elliot (Imperial) |
$788,846 | 9,373 | 0 | 8 | 1,421 | $84.16 | 82.5% |
| Chicago (Ambassador) |
$589,391 | 7,069 | 0 | 8 | 1,080 | $83.38 | 81.8% |
| Follies (Marquis) |
$886,027 | 9,191 | 0 | 8 | 1,612 | $96.40 | 71.3% |
| How to Succeed… (Hirschfeld) |
$986,336 | 10,080 | 0 | 8 | 1,424 | $97.85 | 88.5% |
| Jersey Boys (August Wilson) |
$1,083,996 | 9,636 | 0 | 8 | 1,228 | $112.49 | 98.1% |
| Mamma Mia! (Winter Garden) |
$831,999 | 9,690 | 0 | 8 | 1,498 | $85.86 | 80.9% |
| Man and Boy (American Airlines) |
$194,119 | 4,903 | 7 | 1 | 728 | $39.59 | 84.2% |
| Mary Poppins (New Amsterdam) |
$813,941 | 10,610 | 0 | 8 | 1,797 | $76.71 | 73.8% |
| Memphis (Shubert) |
$749,815 | 9,546 | 0 | 8 | 1,470 | $78.55 | 81.2% |
| Priscilla…Desert (Palace) |
$753,600 | 9,797 | 0 | 8 | 1,690 | $76.92 | 72.5% |
| Relatively Speaking (Atkinson) |
$648,394 | 7,304 | 8 | 0 | 1,058 | $88.77 | 86.3% |
| Rock of Ages (Hayes) |
$402,081 | 4,465 | 0 | 8 | 583 | $90.05 | 95.7% |
| Sister Act (Broadway) |
$811,715 | 10,480 | 0 | 8 | 1,493 | $77.45 | 87.7% |
| Spider-Man…Dark (Foxwoods) |
$1,464,858 | 13,497 | 0 | 8 | 1,930 | $108.53 | 87.4% |
| The Addams Family (Lunt-Fontanne) |
$668,443 | 8,447 | 0 | 8 | 1,519 | $79.13 | 69.5% |
| The Book of Mormon (O’Neill) |
$1,338,080 | 8,752 | 0 | 8 | 1,066 | $152.89 | 102.6% |
| The Lion King (Minskoff) |
$1,660,023 | 13,420 | 0 | 8 | 1,677 | $123.70 | 100.0% |
| The Mountaintop (Jacobs) |
$530,317 | 7,283 | 8 | 0 | 1,065 | $72.82 | 85.5% |
| The Phantom of the Opera (Majestic) |
$849,480 | 10,861 | 0 | 8 | 1,615 | $78.21 | 84.1% |
| War Horse (Beaumont) |
$998,448 | 8,552 | 0 | 8 | 1,069 | $116.75 | 100.0% |
| Wicked (Gershwin) |
$1,656,867 | 14,149 | 0 | 8 | 1,809 | $117.10 | 97.8% |