A double holiday week on Broadway – the last week of 2023 – fueled a surge at the box office, with many shows posting record numbers.
Winner of the week? Disney’s The lion kingwhich yielded a large gross profit $4,316,629Not only did it set a house record at the Minskoff, but it also set a Broadway record for the highest-grossing week ever, a huge success even considering the long-running musical ran for nine performances, just like other productions during the holiday season.
The final Broadway week of the calendar year included both Christmas and New Year’s Eve, with tourists and high ticket prices boosting the total weekly gross for Broadway’s 27 shows. $45,413,789an increase of 36% compared to the previous week, but about 13% less than last year’s New Year’s Eve figure, when 33 productions were on the boards.
Total visitors for the week ending December 31 were 256,751, up 14% from the previous week (but down 18% from last year). About 96% of all seats were occupied, an impressive number.
A major contributor to last week’s strong box office results was the average ticket price of $176.88, a holiday increase that was a $29 increase from the previous week (and an $11 year-over-year increase to this time). Here again The lion king was better than the regular leader, with an average ticket price of $286.61 We roll happily together ($258.20).
Other shows record different record numbers (for 8 performances unless otherwise noted) or production highlights (in addition to The lion king) Was:
- Badgross $4,003,233 (9 performances), set a house record at the Gershwin and was the highest grosser of the show’s twenty-year run;
- Aladdin, $2,979,728 (9 performances), house record in Nieuw Amsterdam;
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child$2,718,488House record at Lyric and Broadway record for a non-musical production;
- MJ, $2,613,841 (9 performances), house record with Neil Simon;
- Chicago, $1,452,009 (9 performances), the highest gross in the musical’s 27-year run;
- Some people like it hot, $1,398,818, the musical’s highest-grossing week; closed December 30;
- i need this, $905,467; House record at Roundabout Theater Company’s American Airlines Theater. The play, starring Danny DeVito, closed on December 30;
- & Julia, $1,784,051 (9 performances), house record in Sondheim; Melanie La Barrie played her last performance as Angelique on December 30; Charity Angel Dawson takes over;
- Gutenberg! The musical!, $1,280,597; Home Record at James Earl Jones;
- Six, $1,659,004; Home record at Lena Horne.
Large numbers were also posted The Book of Mormon ($1,530,926); Hadestown ($1,114,449); We roll happily together($1,995,358), Moulin Rouge! ($1,786,154); Shocked ($1,050,251), A beautiful sound ($1,114,6309 versions); Lots of spam ($1,503,187); Hamilton ($2,404,967); Back to the Future ($2,109,424); Sweeney Todd($2,261,279, 7 versions); And Suitable ($753,024).
Joining the selection took place last week Prayer for the French Republicwith five previews at the Friedman ($264,770). Opening night is January 9.
Only two shows were at less than 70% capacity in their venues, which is inexplicable given the good (and in one case excellent) reviews: harmonythe Barry Manilow-Bruce Sussman musical, which went big $555,200 (9 appearances) with 69% of seats held by Ethel Barrymore; And Purlie winsWidely regarded by critics as one of the highest-grossing Broadway productions of 2023 $601,535 (9 performances) with an attendance of 59% of the Music Box’s capacity.
So far Broadway has generated revenue $940,307,885about 3% less than last year at this time, with a total attendance of 7,421,232, stable compared to last season.
All figures courtesy of the Broadway League. Visit the league’s website for a complete box office overview.
Author pmc-u-font-size-14″>
Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
