Today saw NYC's first snowfall of the season. And based on last week's grosses, that's not the only indicator that winter is upon us. After several sleepy weeks on the Main Stem, the cumulative box office take saw a seven-figure increase last week compared to the week prior, and that's even with one less show for theatregoers to see. The 34 currently running shows brought in $40,693,448, a 20% increase compared to the week before. Unsurprisingly, attendance and average ticket price were both up massively too, both by about 10%.
And in a rarity, it was gains, gains, gains all across the boards—every single Broadway show saw increases at the box office last week. The biggest increases went to Hamilton, rising $455,353 to $3,889,624; and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, rising $357,899 to $1,282,964 (and that's before Harry Potter film star Tom Felton joined the production—we'll get those numbers next week). In fact, Broadway saw six-figure increases at all but five shows—and three of those still made The $1 Million Club.
Does this mean the winter tourism season is officially upon us? It's hard to say. The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree did go up over the weekend, but we are barely past Halloween. We'll have to see if last week's performance continues, but suffice it to say producers should be happy with last week's receipts. Winter holiday tourism typically brings the busiest season on Broadway, peaking the week of New Year's.
Chess is continuing to emerge as Broadway's newest star-driven hit, making its debut in The $2 Million Club last week, only its fourth on the boards. The musical was famously short-lived the first time around on Broadway, but whether it's stars Nicholas Christopher, Lea Michele, and Aaron Tveit; the new revision of the show being performed; or simply the legions of fans developed via the cult favorite musical's cast albums and concert performances, this revival looks like a sure bet to outperform the original production. The production was the third highest grosser on Broadway last week with a total take of $2,011,650, a record-setting sum for an eight-performance week at the Imperial. The show was beaten only by usual suspects Hamilton and Wicked. The Lion King and Waiting for Godot rounded out the top five. Just in Time also broke house records last week—its own, setting $1.4 million as the new gold standard.
Take a look at the full report here.
The $1 Million Club (shows that earned $1 million or more at the box office):
- Hamilton ($3.89 million)
- Wicked ($2.29 million)
- Chess ($2.01 million)
- The Lion King
- Waiting for Godot
- Art
- Mamma Mia!
- Just in Time
- Death Becomes Her
- Ragtime
- Maybe Happy Ending
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Oh, Mary!
- MJ The Musical
- Buena Vista Social Club
- Aladdin
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- The Outsiders
- The Queen of Versailles
- Beetlejuice
(20 of 34 currently running productions)
The 90s Club (shows that played to 90% or higher of their seats filled over the entire week):
- Just in Time (103.3%)
- Hamilton (101.51%)
- Hadestown (100.22%)
- Maybe Happy Ending (100.21%)
- Oedipus (100.05%)
- Ragtime (100%)
- Wicked (100%)
- Oh, Mary!
- Art
- Mamma Mia!
- Waiting for Godot
- Death Becomes Her
- Buena Vista Social Club
- The Lion King
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- The Outsiders
- Chess
- The Book of Mormon
- The Queen of Versailles
- Aladdin
- Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- & Juliet
(23 of 34 currently running productions)
