Jekyll & Hyde

YET ANOTHER SMALL DECREASE IN SALES
Broadway’s total ticket sales continue to creep slowly downward, decreasing from last week’s $24,611,041 down to this week’s $24,246,231.  While this trend is far from welcome, it is not dramatic enough to be of serious concern.  Broadway producers are likely hoping that the summer tourist season will provide a boost in sales next month.

JEKYLL & HYDE ENDS ON A MEDIOCRE NOTE
The Frank Wildhorn musical Jekyll & Hyde, a hit when it first appeared on Broadway in the late ’90s, did not meet with such success on its recent return to Broadway.  The revival starring Constantine Maroulis only played briefly before shuttering this past Sunday.  In its final week, the romantic melodrama filled just over half its theater at 54.04% capacity, with an average paid admission of $63.11.

THE LION KING DOMINATES THE BROADWAY BOX OFFICE
Disney’s The Lion King continues to lord it over the Broadway jungle, holding the top spot in total ticket sales with weekly earnings of $1,846,975. Wicked and The Book of Mormon came in second and third place, respectively.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending May 12, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League. All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2013 nytix.com.

TINY TICKET SALES DECREASE
Like last week, this week saw a small decrease in overall Broadway ticket sales, though this time it was an even smaller drop. While last week brought in a total of $24,616,124 in ticket revenue, this week saw earnings of $24,611,041.

FINAL WEEK FOR TESTAMENT OF MARY AND THE RASCALS
This was the last week for two Broadway productions, The Testament of Mary and The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream.  The former show announced its closing quite suddenly, presumably because of poor sales.  While the theater was fairly full this week at just over 80% capacity, the average paid admission was quite low at $49.59.  The Rascals, on the other hand, enjoyed great success and only closed because it was a limited engagement to begin with.  Part concert, part Broadway show, the production filled the theater to 95.58%, selling tickets at an impressive average price of $128.61.

NINE SHOWS BREAK A MILLION
Though Broadway’s overall ticket revenue may be failing to rise, several shows are enjoying a Broadway bounty, with nine shows in total earning more than a million dollars this week.  Kinky Boots, Matilda, and Motown are among the new musical successes.  Also in the Millionaire’s Club is The Phantom of the Opera, proving that even after 25 years on Broadway, it can still bring in the crowds.  Ultimately, The Lion King came out at the very top at $1,829,570, coming awfully close to breaking two million.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending May 5, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League. All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2013 nytix.com.

VERY SLIGHT DECREASE IN OVERALL BROADWAY TICKET SALES
Total Broadway ticket revenue this week was $24,616,124, which is just about $100,000 less than last week’s take.  While the decrease is small enough to be negligible, no doubt Broadway producers still don’t enjoy seeing a fall in sales at a time when there are so many new Broadway shows opening for people to see.

LION KING ROARS TO THE TOP SPOT
Although Wicked has dominated for most of 2013, this is the second week in a row that The Lion King has beat it out in top weekly earnings.  The Lion King brought in $1,864,611, while Wicked earned $1,735,066.  The Book of Mormon took third place, as it often does, bringing in a total of $1,675,558.

MULTITUDES OF NEW MILLIONAIRES
While it’s rarely a mystery as to what three shows will be at the top of the grosses chart each week, those time-tested smash hits are sharing The Millionaries Club lately with many newcomers.  Kinky Boots, Lucky Guy, Matilda, and Motown the Musical all made more than a million this week, and only one of those shows — Lucky Guy, featuring Tom Hanks — has star power to thank for its impressive earnings.  The other three shows owe most of their success to good buzz and reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth from other theatergoers – Motown in particular is the crowd-pleaser of the bunch, and continues to sell out despite the poor show reviews from all the noteworthy Broadway critics.

NINE BROADWAY SHOWS SELL OUT AND DELIVER A NEW HIGH FOR THE 100% CLUB
Last week, nine Broadway shows reached were completely sold out, which is a first on Broadway during this time frame. Broadway shows normally see 200,000 attendees every week, but this week the shows saw 250,970 ticket buying theatregoers.
I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers starring Bette Midler sold out its opening week after doing extremely well during previews.  In addition, new shows like Kinky Boots, Lucky Guy, Pippin and Matilda experience sold out Broadway performances this past week.  Motown: The Musical, a Broadway show that has had sold out performances since landing on Broadway continues to have a 100% capacity. It may be too soon to tell but Broadway producers of these shows only hope to follow in the footsteps of shows like The Book of Mormon, The Lion King and Wicked which have been consistently selling out each Broadway performance for some time.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending April 28, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League. All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2013 nytix.com.

INCREASE IN BROADWAY TICKET SALES
After a couple of disheartening weeks in which overall Broadway ticket sales experienced decreases, this week finally sees an increase, with a rise from last week’s $23,143,555 up to $24,719.507. Hopefully the upward trend will continue as the lively spring season makes its way into the tourist heavy summer season.

THE RASCALS HIT BROADWAY
Following in the footsteps of Barry Manilow, another pop musician that brought his act to Broadway recently, The Rascals began their limited run this week with The Rascals: Once Upon a Dream. Primarily a reunion concert for the original members of the band The Rascals, this production also offers film footage and archival material to give it a little more theatrical flair. So far the show is doing very well, filling up 87.96% of its theater at an average ticket price of $109.80. The week’s total take was $646,622.

BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S ENDS ITS RUN
The play Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which had a harder time selling tickets than most of the spring season’s new Broadway productions, finally succumbed to the lack of interest and closed this weekend. In its last week, the production filled just over half of its theater, though its average paid admission was not too bad at $68.92 per ticket.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending April 21, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League. All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2013 nytix.com.

UNEXPECTED BROADWAY TICKET SALES DECREASE
Surprisingly, just as Broadway’s new Spring season appeared to be reaching a fever pitch with several new shows opening, there was a decline in ticket sales this week.  The total Broadway ticket revenue came in at $23,143,555, down from last week’s total of $25,899,686.  A decrease of nearly $3 million seems strange at such an active time on Broadway, but it is possible that last week’s better numbers were related to a higher number of tourists visiting New York City than usual for Spring Break.  This was also the first time in several weeks that no new shows began performances.

STRUGGLING SHOWS
Many of the newest shows on Broadway are enjoying good ticket sales, but others are struggling.  Hands on a Hardbody, which closed this past weekend due to poor sales, only earned $219,352 in its final week.  Strangely, The Nance, featuring Nathan Lane, one of the Broadway theater’s most famous stars, is also seeing less-than-stellar numbers, with the average paid admission price at $50.26.  Broadway’s non-profit theater companies, Roundabout and Manhattan Theatre Club, are also seeing poor numbers for their current productions.  Roundabout’s The Big Knife is bringing in an average paid admission of $44.88, while MTC’s The Assembled Parties is doing even worse at $37.93.  The one-woman show The Testament of Mary is seeing the lowest average admission at $35.01.

WICKED BARELY BEATS THE LION KING
In the tussle for the top spot, Wicked wins again.  Though this has been a typical result lately, the Wizard of Oz inspired musical only barely came out on top this week.  Wicked earned a weekly total of $1,749,291, with The Lion King just a little behind at $1,733,283.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending April 14, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League. All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2013 nytix.com.

BROADWAY TICKET SALES DECLINE
After a few impressive jumps in the total Broadway ticket revenue, this week saw a decrease in sales, bringing in a total of $25,899,686 (down from $28,531,066). This dip was perhaps to be expected given that last week’s big leap was due to holiday ticket buying. The week prior, Broadway took in less than $22 million, so if we compare with that figure instead, this week’s receipts still indicate a healthy upward trend in ticket sales as Broadway benefits from Spring tourism.

FOUR NEW BROADWAY SHOWS DEBUT
The new shows keep on coming. Bette Midler is putting most of them to shame with I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers, a one-woman show that nearly sold out at 99.96% capacity, with tickets going for an average paid admission of $133.78. The Broadway revival of Jekyll & Hyde, starring Constantine Maroulis, also began preview performances this week, but at a far less impressive theater capacity of 56.77%. Alan Cumming’s one-man Macbeth is showing healthy signs during its first week on the boards, filling over 85% of the theater at an average paid admission of $105.35. The play The Big Knife did modest business, filling 73.11% with an average paid admission of $51.61.

WICKED AND THE LION KING BREAK TWO MILLION
Forget the Millionaires Club, this week saw two Broadway musicals in the Two Millionaires Club. Long-standing favorites Wicked and The Lion King both managed to earn two mil, with Wicked grabbing the top spot at $2,257,034.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending April 7, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League. All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2013 nytix.com.

BROADWAY TICKET SALES INCREASE SHARPLY
Easter Weekend meant big bucks for Broadway, which enjoyed a huge increase in ticket revenue this week.  Total ticket sales shot up from last week’s $21,709,082 to this week’s $28,531,066, making for an increase of nearly seven million dollars.  Though the uptick certainly has partly to do with the fact that the Broadway spring season is getting into full swing, this giant leap is definitely due largely to it having been the Easter holiday, which is often a popular time for families to gather and catch a Broadway show.

STARRY NEW SHOWS ATTRACT AUDIENCES
Like last week, this week Broadway saw a trio of new productions begin preview performances. All three are plays, but the two that have fared best so far are the ones featuring well-known actors. The Trip to Bountiful, which stars Cicely Tyson, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Vanessa Williams, filled its theater to 91.63% capacity and sold tickets at an average price of $82.77.  Orphans, starring Alec Baldwin and Ben Foster, was at 94.13% capacity with tickets at an average paid admission price of $81.76.  (Orphans also had the advantage of the early backstage drama and buzz that came when Shia LaBeouf left the production during rehearsals.)  The third play to begin performances on Broadway this week, The Testament of Mary, isn’t doing as well, though it does star acclaimed actress Fiona Shaw.  The average paid admission was $47.89 this week, but if the show builds buzz and gets good reviews, it could find a change in its fortunes.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending March 31, 2013:

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League. All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2013 nytix.com.

BROADWAY TICKET GROSSES BLOOMING
Though not as impressive as last week’s rise, the Broadway ticket sales numbers once again increased this week. Gaining just under one million dollars, ticket revenue rose from last week’s $20,821,011 up to $21,709,082.

THREE NEW BROADWAY PRODUCTIONS DEBUT
There are three additional Broadway shows on the chart this week, as three new productions started previews this week. Each has started out on a very different foot, with the new Pippin revival coming out on top with 99.30% capacity and an average paid admission of $101.28. The Nance, which brings Broadway favorite Nathan Lane back to the Great White Way, has started out with fair but unimpressive sales, getting an average of $71.42 per ticket. The Assembled Parties has had the hardest time of the trio, earning only $44.13 average admission.

EIGHT SHOWS EARN OVER A MILLION
With the winter blues (if not the winter weather) now behind us, Broadway is now seeing more and more millionaires. Last week and again this week there were a total of eight shows that brought in over one million for the weekly total. Among those are of course the big three, The Lion King, The Book of Mormon, and the week’s winner, Wicked, which came extremely close to two million at $1,940,002. Other Millionaire’s Club members include popular hits like The Phantom of the Opera and Spiderman, but the wealth has also been shared with several newcomers, Cinderella, Lucky Guy, and Motown the Musical.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending March 24, 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 SALES CONTINUE TO RISE
Spring is bringing new life to Broadway in the form of increased ticket sales.  Once again there was a rise in ticket revenue as sales jumped from last week’s $18,085,583 to $20,821,011.

LOTS OF HOT NEW SHOWS
Unlike the Fall season, which failed to produce many lasting successes among its new crop of productions, the Spring season is showing far more promise.  New musicals Kinky Boots and Matilda are coming close to selling out, and Cinderella is already bringing in over a million dollars in weekly ticket sales.  With a minimum of buzz and no stars (unless you count the music), Motown the Musical is doing extremely well, selling at 102.92% with an average paid admission of $97.58.  In the play department, Lucky Guy is living up to its name, selling out performance at an average paid admission of $135.59 and earning a total of $1,294,233.

MOST NEW PLAYS STRUGGLE
Of course not all new shows can be so fortunate.  Despite positive buzz, the one-woman show Ann is only seeing 66.52% attendance.  Breakfast at Tiffany’s has a well-known title, but so far the play’s average paid admission is rather low at $59.84. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is enjoying high attendance at 96.70%, but the average paid admission is only $55.62.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending March 17, 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 REVENUE RISES
There was an uptick in total Broadway ticket sales this week, with earnings rising from just a little above 17 million last week to $18,085,583.

KINKY BOOTS STRUTS ITS STUFF
So far Kinky Boots, which boasts a score by pop songstress Cyndi Lauper, is looking like one of the more promising new musicals of the season.  It began previews last week and enjoyed 100% attendance, and still saw an impressive 96.84% of the theater filled this week.  The actual ticket earnings are not nearly as good, coming in at $66.06 average paid admission this week, but so far there has been strong buzz indicating that the show is a crowd pleaser.

MATILDA, BREAKFAST, AND VANYA DEBUT
The musical Matilda, a hot property coming in from London, and the play Breakfast at Tiffany’s both began preview performances on Broadway this week.  Good word-of-mouth from the West End production helped fill Matilda to 96.10% capacity, with an average paid admission of $77.15.  Breakfast at Tiffany’s, based on the Truman Capote story, didn’t start off quite as well, earning just $57.05 per ticket, but 81.05% attendance isn’t bad for a new play. Another newcomer, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, saw a disappointing average admission of $54.79, but a healthy 88.66% of the theater filled.

The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers from the week ending March 10, 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