Heading into the final stretch of its limited Broadway run, David Byrne’s American Utopia set a box office house record at the Hudson Theatre, grossing $1,416,344 for the week ending February 9.
The figure – for only seven performances – beat out the previous high-water mark set by an eight-performance week of Sunday in the Park With George back in April 2017 ($1,278,395).
American Utopia‘s record-setting week put the critically lauded theatrical concert’s box office at 154% of its potential, meaning that the sale of premium-priced seats pushed the take above and beyond it standard-price potential. The show closes February 16.
Utopia‘s average ticket price for the week was $211, with the top premium ticket price hitting a huge $649. The average ticket price for all 26 Broadway productions was $113.
Utopia‘s receipts helped push Broadway’s overall box office for the week to $26,971,364, up from $26,036,075 the previous week.
The box office bump also reflects the addition of one show to the roster: The Bob Dylan-Conor McPherson musical Girl From the North Country, following acclaimed runs in London and Off Broadway, played its first three Broadway previews at the Belasco Theatre to houses filled to a very strong 96% of capacity. With a book by McPherson set to songs from Dylan’s vast catalog, Girl took in $316,215 for the three performances, 82% of potential.
Season to date, Broadway has grossed $1,245,489,207, down about 5% year to year. Total attendance stands at 10,138,219, off about 2% from last year at this time.
All figures courtesy of the trade group Broadway League.