This week's grosses report is painfully ironic, with Here Lies Love continuing to see rising fortunes at the box office as a closing notice proves that they are still insufficient. The immersive musical announced November 7 that it will take its final bow November 26. Rumors of an earlier closing seem to have spurred ticket sales, with last week's total of $768,243 exceeding the previous week's by more than $100K. With a final performance now set, that trend will likely continue as fans rush to the Broadway Theatre for their final chance to see the David Byrne-Fatboy Slim musical.
Broadway otherwise remained steady last week with the week prior, turning in a modest quarter-of-a-point higher box-office take between all 28 currently running shows. Usual suspects The Lion King, Wicked, Merrily We Roll Along, Hamilton, and MJ The Musical took the top five spots of the week, with Merrily continuing to command the top average ticket price. At $234.40 last week, that beats runner-up Hamilton by more than $60.
At the Gershwin, Wicked's 20th anniversary month seems to have had a lasting effect. In the weeks before the October celebration, the musical was hovering around $1.5 million. The anniversary celebrations kicked off a stronger box-office performance that has seen weekly grosses close to the $2 million marker. That's to be expected during the anniversary period thanks to some limited edition Playbill covers and special performances, but this week's take—$1.83 million—indicates that the month-long event may have energized the box office beyond just the anniversary celebration. Playing the large-capacity Gershwin, Wicked continues to be one of the most-attended shows on the boards. Last week, 13,672 people saw a performance with an average ticket price of $134.18.
As for non-musical plays, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues to be an outlier and top grosser, bringing in $1.19 million last week. The newly opened I Need That came in second with $590,398, followed by Purlie Victorious with $529,317 and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding with $350,362. Rounded out by The Shark Is Broken, there are only five non-musical plays currently running, which may indicate room for some new straight plays on the Main Stem.
Take a look at the full report here.
The $1 Million Club (shows that earned $1 million or more at the box office):
- The Lion King ($1.99 million)
- Wicked
- Merrily We Roll Along
- Hamilton
- MJ The Musical
- Sweeney Todd
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- Aladdin
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Back to the Future
(10 of 28 currently running productions)
The 90s Club (shows that played to 90% or higher of their seats filled over the entire week):
- Merrily We Roll Along (100%)
- Hamilton
- The Lion King
- I Need That
- Moulin Rouge! The Musical
- MJ The Musical
- Wicked
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- SIX: The Musical
- & Juliet
- Hadestown
- Aladdin
- The Book of Mormon
(13 of 28 currently running productions)
