“The Band’s Visit” and “Harry Potter” Soar to New Heights

In the week ending June 17, 2018, the Broadway box office reflected the first ticket revenue following last week’s Tony Awards. The winner of the top award for Best Musical, The Band’s Visit, saw an increase of $119,202 to reach a gross of $1,069,845, which represents 104.42% of its gross potential. This is the first time tha this musical has crossed the million dollar mark, and also exceeded 100% of its gross potential, since just after the new year. The show has been running since October 2017, and following its excellent reviews, the box office did have a period of high performance between Thanksgiving and mid-January, but since then, the revenues have been middling. This boost of confidence from the Tony voters has reminded ticketbuyers that this is a show worth shelling out the dough for. This past week, The Band’s Visit had an average paid admission of $128.71, the highest since the last week of 2017, with a top ticket price of $297.00, and the audience capacity was filled up to 100.0% of its potential. Meanwhile, the Tony Award winner for Best Play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, reached the highest weekly gross of its run this past week. The show went up by $176,187 to reach a weekly gross of $2,277,446, which represents 114.53% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $296.50, the average paid admission was $175.51, which is also the highest of the run to date, and the audience was filled up to 100.0% of its capacity, as it has been throughout the run.

“Angels in America” and “Once on This Island” Also See a Boost

As for the winners for the Best Revival categories, those also saw an increase due to the awards recognition. Angels in America took home the award for Best Revival of a Play, in addition to the awards for Best Performance by a Leading, and by a Featured, Actor in a Play – for Andrew Garfield and Nathan Lane, respectively. That show saw a box office increase this past week of $77,105 to reach a weekly gross of $994,108, which represents 73.0% of gross potential. While there is still room for growth, these numbers are the highest of any week yet of the run. As this show entails a hefty amount of time in theatre over the course of two plays, there is still a barrier to entry for the more casual theatregoer. Still, the boost of buzz from the Tony Awards should continue to propel this show’s box office throughout its run. As for the winner of the award for Best Revival of a Musical, Once on This Island, that show saw a box office increase of $80,188 this past week, bringing it to a weekly gross of $617,297, or 77.92% of its gross potential. Similarly, this revival still has room for growth, but these are also the highest numbers – both in terms of weekly gross and gross potential ­– that the show has seen throughout its run. As proven by the week immediately following the Tony Awards, that ceremony has a strong power over the box office, and it is no wonder that producers place such a high importance on Tony recognition.