Box office for most Broadway shows – Funny Girl and Mr. Saturday Night included – was up a bit last week, as the hits – Into The Woods and MJ included – stayed strong and even some struggling shows saw a slight uptick in attendance.
Although total Broadway box office was down 4% from the previous week, that was largely attributable to three fewer productions on the roster for the week ending July 17 – 26 shows compared to the previous week’s 29. Absent from list were the now-closed heavy hitters Plaza Suite, Macbeth and American Buffalo.
In all, the 26 productions grossed $28,989,978 for the week ending July 17. Attendance of 225,011 was down a commensurate 4% from the previous week as well.
Funny Girl, which has been slipping at the box office in recent weeks, saw a bit of an upturn, despite star Beanie Feldstein missing weekend performances due to tonsillitis (no official word yet on her return date). The musical revival took in $785,105, an increase of $76,243 over the previous week, with attendance at 73% of capacity (compared to 65% the previous week).
Into The Woods, which just today announced that a cast album will be recorded for a September release, continued its powerhouse run at the St. James Theatre, grossing a huge $1.8 million with attendance at 99% of capacity. Ditto The Music Man at the Winter Garden, grossing $3 million.
Other productions filling at least 90% of their seats were A Strange Loop, Aladdin, Company, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, MJ, Moulin Rouge!, Six, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King and Wicked. Newcomer The Kite Runner, in previews ahead of an official opening this Thursday, came close, filling 89% of seats at the Hayes for a $331,511 gross. Average ticket price for the new play, based on the bestselling 2003 novel by Khaled Hosseini, was a relatively modest $79.98.
Paradise Square, the troubled musical produced by Garth Drabinsky, closed July 17 and saw a noticeable boost during its final week, grossing $520,750, nearly double its take from the previous week. Attendance was at 73% of capacity.
MJ, which lost its Saturday matinee due to a non-Covid illness, grossed $1.5 million, selling out the seven shows.
Mr. Saturday Night, the Billy Crystal comedy that recently announced a Sept. 4 closing date, saw a decent uptick in box office ($623,535, up $80,839 from the previous week), but remained at a disappointing 61% of capacity.
Season to date, Broadway has grossed $243,830,470, with total attendance of 1,888,425 at about 84% of capacity.
The 26 productions reporting figures on Broadway last week were Aladdin, Beetlejuice, The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Come From Away, Company, Dear Evan Hansen, Funny Girl, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Into The Woods, The Kite Runner, The Lion King, MJ, The Minutes, Moulin Rouge!, Mr. Saturday Night, The Music Man, Paradise Square, The Phantom of the Opera, POTUS, Six, A Strange Loop, Tina and Wicked.
All figures courtesy of the Broadway League.