Featured image credit: R.D. Smith on Unsplash
Broadway has witnessed its second-best week of the 2022-23 season in terms of box office sales, following a post-Thanksgiving dip in the US.
According to figures from Broadway News, for the week ending December 11, 35 productions on Broadway grossed $37,217,001 (£30m/€35m), up 10% from the week before. This has pushed the box office to its second-best week for the 2022-23 season, and also saw capacity amount to 87%, up 5% on the week prior.
The top three highest-grossing shows were ‘The Music Man’, ‘The Lion King’ and ‘Wicked’, while ‘Hamilton’ and ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ rounded up the top five productions. All five grossed at least $2m.
Broadway’s longest-running show ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ is set to close in February next year, after 35 years.
Fifteen productions played to 95% capacity or more, while only five shows played to less than 70%. The Broadway production of ‘KPOP’ grossed $281,757, an increase of 123% compared to the week before. The new musical closed on December 11 and played to over 100% capacity, up 40%.
‘Ain’t No Mo’, which is set to close on Sunday, grossed $162,592, an increase of 36%. However, attendance dropped by 32%, meaning the show played to just 47% capacity.
‘Topdog/Underdog’ earned $264,965, down 12% on the week before and played to just 52% capacity. Elsewhere, ‘Leopoldstadt’, which will be extending its run until July next year, grossed $1,078,215, down 0.82%, and played to 81% capacity, down 0.19%. This marked the ninth consecutive week that the production has grossed over a million dollars.
‘A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Music’ saw a 43% increase in grosses during its first full week of performances after its December 4 opening night. The new musical grossed $1,447,503 and played to a 95% capacity.
As theatre-goers move into the festive spirit, ‘A Christmas Carol’ witnessed a significant increase in sales and attendance. The production grossed $742,010 – an increase of 34% – and played to a capacity of 83%.
New productions such as ‘1776’ saw a 15% increase in sales, with ‘& Juliet’ also witnessing an increase of 12%. More established plays such as ‘Beetlejuice’, ‘Chicago’, ‘Hadestown’, ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’, ‘The Music Man’ and ‘Wicked’ all saw monetary growth.
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