By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on April 11, 2017 6:01 PM
Broadway's Spring Is In Full Swing, As The Box Office Seems To Have Reached A Settling Point, “Indecent” And “Six Degrees Of Separation” Began Previews For Upcoming Schedule
Overall Industry B.O. Remains Relatively Constant
In the week ending April 9, 2017, 40 shows were running on Broadway, up two from the week before. As Broadway settles into its spring season, the industry-wide box office is remaining relatively constant. This past week, out of the 40 shows running, the collective weekly gross was $35,186,717, which represented 68.15% of the gross potential on average. Even with two additional performances compared to the previous week, the collective gross went up just by $739,667 across the whole industry.
Other than shows that are just beginning their runs, the biggest increase was seen by Hamilton, which went up by $164,133 to reach a weekly gross of $2,978,761, which represents 102.5% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $849, Hamilton’s average paid admission was $276.99, and the audience was filled up to an average capacity of 101.8%. Another show that saw a significant jump this past week was Bandstand, which went up by $205,803 to reach a weekly gross of $376,708 across the six performances it played this past week.
Productions See a Decrease at Broadway Box Office
That increase is due mostly to the fact that the previous week had just two performances, and in fact it brought in less of its gross potential this past week: 47.71%, down from 62.48%. Meanwhile, significant decreases were seen by Miss Saigon, which went down by $123,977 to reach a weekly gross of $943,576, Sunset Boulevard, which went down by $83,089 to reach a weekly gross of $1,123,571, and Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, which went down by $71,504 to reach a weekly gross of $995,967.
New Shows: “Six Degrees of Separation” and “Indecent”
This past week, two new shows began previews. First, on April 4, 2017, the celebrated playwright Paula Vogel made her Broadway debut with the play Indecent, which will have its official opening night on April 18, 2017. It played seven performances in its first week of previews, and yet the weekly gross was the pitiable figure of $166,512, which represents just 21.8% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $197, the average paid admission was $38.08, and the audience capacity was an average of 58.2%. This play, which is directed by Rebecca Taichman, stars seven actors who are by no means household names.
It is particularly difficult for a new play without name cast to survive on Broadway, and this past week’s figures show that Indecent is sadly gearing up to prove that rule, rather than be its exception. The play is currently scheduled for an open-ended run, which in this case, might mean shorter than longer. As for Six Degrees of Separation, which began previews on April 5, 2017, the show is not faring significantly better. This past week, playing four performances in its first week of previews, the play brought in a weekly gross of $198,222, which represents 37.2% of its gross potential.
Broadway Show Anticipates Better Influence at the Box Office
With a top ticket price of $197.00, the average paid admission was $58.47, and the audience was filled up 80.6% of its gross potential. This revival of the play by John Guare, which is directed by Trip Cullman, stars Allison Janney, John Benjamin Hickey, and Corey Hawkins. As the pedigree of the cast, as well as the recognition of the play’s title, are both higher than with Indecent, it is likely that word of mouth will have more of a positive impact on this show’s box office as its run proceeds. Six Degrees of Separation is scheduled to open on April 25, 2017, and to conclude its run on July 16, 2017.
