It's unclear whether the bells you heard last week were Christmas bells, or Broadway box-office cash register dings! The holiday week on the Main Stem saw a nearly 15% increase at the box office, with the 33 currently running shows (down three from the same week last season) bringing in a cumulative $54.25 million, and at an average ticket price of $177.88. Merry Christmas, Broadway.
The holiday week is typically one of the most profitable on Broadway every year, second only to New Year's week (which we're currently in and will receive data from next week). Last week beat the same week last year by more than 22%, though that week was not the week of Christmas in 2024. Still, thanks to a performance-heavy schedule (Aladdin, Harry Potter, Stranger Things, The Great Gatsby, The Lion King, and Wicked all gave nine performances last week) and rising ticket prices, the week was a solid one for Broadway. This season so far is ahead of the same period from last season by more than 10%. Now—this year, holidays are falling a week later than they did last season, so it'll be another two weeks until we can truly compare this season to last year's historic totals, including the full context of the winter holidays, so stay tuned for that.
The big winner of the week was Wicked, which restored its No. 1 spot at the top of the pile with a jaw-dropping $4.4 million over nine completely sold-out performances. The show has been enjoying a resurgence in the wake of the massive success of Hollywood's two-part screen version of the 2003 musical, but had still been coming up short next to Hamilton (which itself saw renewed interest thanks to the return of Tony-winning original star Leslie Odom, Jr. in a limited encore run that ended earlier this year) and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, still flying high with the addition of Tom Felton to the cast, reprising his iconic screen role of Draco Malfoy.
And don't worry. Wicked's big Christmas success did not come at the expense of Hamilton or Harry Potter, which ranked third and fourth (respectively) overall, both handily in The $3 Million Club.
In fact, it was a banner week for several Broadway shows. Stranger Things: The First Shadow at the Marquis, Ragtime at Lincoln Center Theater's Beaumont, Just in Time at Circle in the Square, and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Lyric all set box-office records last week.
And all eyes will be on watching this trend continue into next week, with New Year's Eve and New Year's Day hoped to bring in another bonanza of ticket sales as we say hello to 2026.
Take a look at the full report here.
The $1 Million Club (shows that earned $1 million or more at the box office):
- Wicked ($4.4 million)
- The Lion King ($3.92 million)
- Hamilton ($3.77 million)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ($3.71 million)
- Stranger Things: The First Shadow ($2.51 million)
- Aladdin ($2.44 million)
- MJ The Musical ($2.22 mllion)
- Mamma Mia! ($2.07 million)
- Chess
- The Great Gatsby
- The Outsiders
- Just In Time
- Ragtime
- Death Becomes Her
- The Book of Mormon
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- Maybe Happy Ending
- Buena Vista Social Club
- Hadestown
- Waiting for Godot
- Oh, Mary!
- Hell's Kitchen
- & Juliet
- Chicago
- Beetlejuice
(25 of 33 currently running productions)
The 90s Club (shows that played to 90% or higher of their seats filled over the entire week):
- Just in Time (102.86%)
- Mamma Mia! (101.68%)
- Hamilton (101.46%)
- Maybe Happy Ending (101.16%)
- Stranger Things: The First Shadow (100.99%)
- The Outsiders (100.95%)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (100%)
- Ragtime (100%)
- Waiting for Godot (100%)
- Wicked (100%)
- Oh, Mary!
- Buena Vista Social Club
- MJ The Musical
- Hadestown
- The Book of Mormon
- Aladdin
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- & Juliet
- Operation Mincemeat
- The Lion King
- Marjorie Prime
- Chess
- Death Becomes Her
- Hell's Kitchen
- SIX: The Musical
- All Out: Comedy About Ambition
- The Great Gatsby
(27 of 33 currently running productions)
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