Ricky Martin in Evita on Broadway

BROADWAY TICKET SALES DOWN AGAIN
Total Broadway ticket sales appear to be in a bit of a yo-yo pattern this month, having been at nearly $18 million a couple weeks ago, jumping up to more than $19 million last week, and now back down to $17,182,845.

EVITA ENDS ITS RUN STILL TOPPING ONE MILLION
The Broadway revival of Evita starring Ricky Martin concluded its Broadway run this past Saturday.  Due largely to Martin’s presence, the Andrew Lloyd Webber / Tim Rice musical has enjoyed big numbers throughout its run, frequently topping the million mark in weekly ticket sales.  This week was no exception, with Evita bringing in $1,018,693 for its final week.  However, the show by no means sold out its large theater, not quite reaching 80% capacity, and selling tickets at an average admission price of $99.01.

CINDERELLA STARTS STRONG
Cinderella made a big impression during her first week at the Broadway ball.  The Rodgers & Hammerstein musical filled its theater to 98.82% capacity, selling tickets at an average paid admission of $103.63.  These numbers, along with continued strong sales from Annie, indicate that Broadway audiences are hungry for family-friendly shows beyond the Disney brand, which has tended to monopolize that market with The Lion King and the soon-to-be-closing Mary Poppins.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending January 27, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

MODEST INCREASE IN BROADWAY TICKET SALES
Following last week’s nosedive in Broadway ticket revenue, this week saw total ticket sales increase by nearly two million dollars, raising from $17,802,126 to $19,579,646. Barring a miracle, though, the winter doldrums are likely to ensure that Broadway sales remain modest for the next couple months.

GLENGARRY, GOLDEN BOY, AND PETER END THEIR RUNS
Three Broadway plays sold their final tickets last week, as their runs concluded on January 20. Glengarry Glen Ross featuring Al Pacino went out with a bang, one of just six shows to make over a million this week — and the only one of those that’s a play (the other Millionaire Club members were The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, Spiderman, Evita, and the week’s top earner, Wicked). Golden Boy enjoyed better than usual attendance during its final week, filling the theater to 84.35% capacity. And Peter and the Starcatcher performed respectably, earning a total of $502,223, with an average paid admission of $79.55.

BARRY MANILOW COMES TO BROADWAY
Grammy Award winning songwriter and recording artist Barry Manilow began performances of his limited-run Barry Manilow on Broadway concerts, and so far his fans have been coming out in droves. Filling the theater to 88.47% capacity, the show sold tickets at an impressive average paid admission of $155.22.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending January 20, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

TOTAL BROADWAY TICKET SALES TAKE A DIVE
The warm glow of Christmas and the cheer of New Year’s has thoroughly worn off as the chill of winter sales has settled in.  Broadway’s total ticket sales revenue dropped by several million from the previous week’s $24,501,265 all the way down to $17,802,126.  Following several show closings on January 6, there were five fewer Broadway shows playing this past week, which no doubt contributed to the lower numbers.  But, mostly, the poor sales are simply due to the annual Broadway winter blues.  January is a notoriously bad month on the Great White Way, with all of the tourists having returned home from Christmas vacation and all the locals saving their pennies after having spent so many of them over the holidays.

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF FARING WELL SO FAR
The only show that has dared to start performances so far during this bleak time on Broadway, the Rob Ashford-directed revival of the Tennessee Williams’ classic Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has been doing well so far, filling its theater to 85.15% capacity and selling tickets at an average paid admission of $89.02.  Most play productions could not expect to enjoy such (relatively) high numbers, but Cat on a Hot Tin Roof has the advantage of a high-profile cast headed by film star Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers).

MILLIONAIRES’ CLUB DWINDLES TO FOUR
Many Broadway shows, such as Annie, Evita, and Mary Poppins, soared past the million dollar mark during the bounty of the holiday period, but this week only four shows managed to make more than that.  The top three shows were the usual suspects, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, and The Lion King, with The Book of Mormon just barely coming out on top with a total of $1,630,961.  The fourth entry was Spiderman, Turn Off the Dark, which earned $1,129,755.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending January 13, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

BROADWAY TICKET SALES DROP FROM LAST WEEK’S HIGH

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending January 6, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

BROADWAY TICKET SALES TOP 37 MILLION
It was a very merry Christmas on Broadway, as ticket sales on the Great White Way went through the roof during Christmas week.  Coming in at a total of $37,441,497, Christmas week actually exceeded the (already quite impressive) Thanksgiving week sales by more than $10 million.  The combination of tourist dollars, families in search of something to do with their relatives in town, special matinee performances geared towards the holiday crowd, and the willingness of many people to pay premium ticket prices as a Christmas treat all meant big bucks at the box office for Broadway.

FIVE BROADWAY SHOWS EXCEED TWO MILLION
A total of five Broadway musicals managed to make it over the two million mark, which is no easy feat.  Annie, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, and Wicked were the chosen few to rake in that much cash, with Wicked coming extremely close to hitting a whopping $3 million ($2,947,172).  Though Wicked grabbed the week’s top spot in total revenue, The Book of Mormon had the highest average paid admission, which was an incredible $219.24 per ticket.

SPIDER-MAN RISES TO THE SECOND HIGHEST GROSSING SHOW FOR THE FIRST TIME 
Spider-man Turn Off the Dark did extremely well this past week almost doubling their gross ticket sales (in dollars) from last week’s $1,471,237 to $2,716,990. The extreme increase in ticket sales could be due to the Holidays.  Kids (who seem to be the target market) are out of school for the Holiday break.  As a result, the broadway show increased the total attendance from 12,386 to 16,946.  Another factor that resulted in this large increase in gross ticket sales would be the increase in ticket price. The Holidays allow shows to sell Broadway tickets at a higher price because there are more buyers than tickets allowing a show to continue to raise their ticket price until the market cannot tolerate the price point.
On Broadway, tickets further from the stage are traditionally lower in price the further back you go. Spider-Man’s ticket pricing, however, at the Foxwoods theatre in New York City bucks this trend with seats in random locations around the theatre, priced considerably higher than their adjacent seats because Spiderman will land in the area close to them. For example, half the seats in the flying circle (the quaint British name for the mezzanine) are being priced at $300 face value, compared to an adjacent seat at $159 at the same show. Also some random seats in the Orchestra are priced at $349, with adjacent seats being $299. Patrons of the show who sit in these seats are provided with an incomparable and unique experience that they cannot find with any other Broadway show.

BRING IT ON AND A CHRISTMAS STORY CONCLUDE WITH GOOD SALES
The two Broadway shows that finished their runs at the end of this past week, Bring It On: The Musical and A Christmas Story, both enjoyed great ticket sales their final week.  Both shows filled their theaters to more than 97% capacity, with A Christmas Story getting an excellent $131.67 average paid admission (helped no doubt by its being a holiday-themed family show) and Bring It On earning a solid average of $96.39 per admission.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending December 30, 2012:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

STRONG PRE-CHRISTMAS TICKET SALES
This past week’s ticket sales reflected a kind of “pre-Christmas” period, as many people had already begun gathering for the holiday at the end of the week ending 12/23. Accordingly, Broadway saw a boost in total ticket revenue, bringing in $25,850,274 (up well over $2 million from the previous week’s $23,488,097).

THE LION KING AND WICKED TOP 2 MILLION
Disney’s The Lion King won the week, earning a total of $2,129,609, and Wicked was close at its heels at $2,100,170. The third Broadway show in the mighty trio of top earners, The Book of Mormon, was uncharacteristically quite a bit further behind at $1,684,372. However, that difference of roughly $500,000 in sales is not due to any lag on Mormon‘s part, which sells out at top ticket prices week after week, but is rather due to the fact that Wicked and Lion King have much larger theaters and therefore much larger earning potential.

ANOTHER BAD WEEK FOR PICNIC AND THE OTHER PLACE
The revival Picnic and the new play The Other Place, both of which just recently began performances on Broadway, had another difficult week. With reviews not yet out, and any little potential word of mouth drowned out by the distraction of the more tourist-friendly shows that are popular at Christmas, these two plays each brought in approximately $149,000, making them by far the lowest earners of the week.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending December 23, 2012:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

SMALL DECREASE IN BROADWAY TICKET SALES
Total ticket sales for Broadway shows were slightly lower this week than last, coming in at $23,488,097 (about $400,000 less than last week’s take).  With this being high tourist season, it would seem that Broadway sales should be higher, not lower.  However, the drop could be due to lower attendance among locals, some of whom might have been busy with Chanukah festivities and others who may have been overwhelmed with pre-Christmas shopping and the end-of-year work rush.

TWO NEW SHOWS START PERFORMANCES
The Other Place, an Off-Broadway play that is now taking its chances in the Big Leagues, started preview performances this week.  Starring Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne), the drama managed to fill 70.63% of the theater (not bad for a new play with little buzz), but the average paid admission was only $44.79.  Another new production, William Inge’s Picnic, also began performances this week and experienced similar numbers (72.59% capacity with average admission at $37.82).

PLAYS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE
It’s no surprise, but most Broadway plays continue to be shut out of the holiday bounty.  While holiday-oriented musicals like Annie, A Christmas Story, and Elf (not to mention heavy hitters like Wicked, The Book of Mormon, The Lion King, Spider-Man, and Once) all made over a million this week, most Broadway plays earned only a fraction of that amount.  Boasting tabloid favorite Katie Holmes didn’t help Dead Accounts to fill even half its theater, and star Paul Rudd (who is particularly high profile right now due to his forthcoming movie This Is 40) wasn’t able to help Grace fill more than 51.19% of its theater.  It’s possible that star-wattage simply doesn’t count for much during the Christmas season, when tourist-heavy audiences are more focused on seeing family shows than an edgy new play.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending December 16, 2012:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

BROADWAY TICKET SALES ON THE RISE
The total Broadway ticket sales for this past week rose from $22,154,853 to $23,837,823.  As an infusion of holiday tourists are enjoying the delights of Christmas in New York City, many of them are including a trip to at least one Broadway show on their itinerary, making the producers to many Broadway musicals and plays quite happy.

SCANDALOUS GOES OUT WITH A WHIMPER
Even in its final week on Broadway, Kathie Lee Gifford’s musical Scandalous ended its run with the worst gross on Broadway, only earning $177,438.  Reviews were largely negative, but the show’s quick demise is a misfortune for the musical’s star, the very talented Broadway stalwart Carolee Carmello, and for the audiences who are missing the chance to see her in a starring role.

HOLIDAY AUDIENCES PUT ANNIE AND CHRISTMAS STORY OVER A MILLION
With the exception of the highly lucrative Thanksgiving week, Annie and A Christmas Story had not been topping the million dollar mark, but that changed this week.  Both musicals enjoyed entry into the millionaires’ club, no doubt to do their family-friendly holiday appeal, making them ideal choices for vacationing families looking for a Broadway show to see.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending December 9, 2012:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

SALES BACK TO NORMAL FOLLOWING HOLIDAY BOOST
As expected, Broadway’s total ticket revenue was considerably lower this week than it was Thanksgiving week, since Broadway always experiences abnormally high ticket sales during that holiday.  However, this week’s total earnings on Broadway, which amounted to $22,154,853, were still very good.  In fact, excluding last week’s $27 million, that is the highest number Broadway has seen in total sales since August.  December is traditionally a very good time for The Great White Way, since Christmas season tourists flood New York City during this time.

BROADWAY’S HOLIDAY SHOWS: ELF AND A CHRISTMAS STORY
This season, Broadway is hosting two musicals that are doing limited-run productions aimed squarely at the holiday theater-going crowd.  Both Elf and A Christmas Story (each based on well-loved holiday films) are enjoying solid sales, earning $845,719 and $976,184, respectively.  However, given their particularly Christmas-y themes and recognizable names, it’s surprising that they aren’t doing a bit better.  Elf, for instance, only filled its theater to 70% capacity, so the cheery musical could still stand to see better ticket sales.  A Christmas Story is doing better, though, filling to nearly 85% capacity.

LONG-RUNNING HITS AND FAMILY SHOWS FIGHT FOR TOURIST DOLLARS
Well-known shows like Chicago and Phantom, along with family-friendly fare like Annie and Spider-man are all wrangling to bring in the holiday visitors, and the results are rarely predictable.  While the youth-friendly Newsies is doing very well (filling at 88.86% capacity, with an average paid admission of $99), Disney’s Mary Poppins only filled 64.58% of its theater last week.  Long-running musical Jersey Boys is seeing better-than-usual sales, bringing in a total of $1,018,387 last week and filling to 89.45% capacity, while longtime tourist favorite Mamma Mia! only filled to 61.47%.  When push came to shove, though, the week’s winner in total sales was Wicked, followed very closely by risque hit The Book of Mormon, and perennial family favorite The Lion King.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending December 2, 2012:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com

THANKSGIVING BOOSTS BROADWAY SALES
Broadway certainly has cause to be thankful this week for the very existence of Thanksgiving.  The holiday is always a hit on Broadway, when families who have gathered for the long holiday weekend find themselves looking for a festive group activity.  Due to this injection of holiday spirit, Broadway’s total ticket sales revenue shot up to $27,019,880, an enormous improvement from last week’s $20,881,272.

MILLIONAIRES ABOUND ON BROADWAY
Shows that seldom if ever get into seven digits in sales broke the million mark this week as a result of the Thanksgiving holiday.  Not surprisingly, family shows in particular profited, including A Christmas Story ($1,104,312), Annie ($1,499,879), Mary Poppins ($1,118,687), and Newsies ($1,106,383).  Even The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running musical by far, managed to bring in $1,125,470, despite the fact that it’s been playing for 25 years.

WICKED AND THE LION KING EXCEED TWO MILLION IN SALES
Without even completely selling out its enormous theater (the Gershwin was filled to 97.09%), tween-friendly musical Wicked managed to blow past the two million mark and take the top spot, earning a whopping $2,290,819.  The Lion King, which has held a corner on the family theater-going market for years, also was a two-millionaire, completely selling out its theater and bringing in $2,125,661.

NOT ENOUGH WEALTH TO GO AROUND
While many Broadway shows enjoyed the Thanksgiving bounty, most shows that were already struggling continued to do so.  The new musical Chaplin only filled 57.31% of its theater, though its average paid admission was a respectable $77.86.  Scandalous‘ attendance was shockingly low, as the Kathie Lee Gifford-penned musical only filled 33.28% of its theater.  Having Katie Holmes as its star didn’t help the new play Dead Accounts sell more than $61.51% of its theater, but its average paid admission of $81.06 wasn’t bad for a play.  Plays in general (e.g. Cyrano, Golden Boy, The Anarchist) didn’t do too well, as they aren’t very popular with the holiday crowd.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending November 25, 2012:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League
All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2012 nytix.com