“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” broke the record for highest weekly gross for a play, bringing in $2.14 million last week.
That amount, brought in across eight preview performances, bests the previous record held by “All the Way,” which posted $1.62 million in 2014. The show also notes that “Harry Potter” has been selling 300 seats per performance for $40 or less per part, with 150 of those seats selling for $20 or less per part.
Still, the two-part show is able to reach that record due to its relative higher prices, even when excluding the discounted seats, says Derek Miller, a professor of theater history at Harvard University.
Previous record holder, “All the Way” had a top price of $225, whereas “Harry Potter” has a listed top price of $286.50. And excluding the discounted seats at “Harry Potter” last week, Miller notes that “Harry Potter” had an average price per seat last week above $190, whereas “All the Way” reached a maximum average price of $141.62.
“Harry Potter” is also playing a large space for a play, though the Lyric Theatre has been reduced in size with 1,622 seats, compared to its previous 1,900. “All the Way” at the Neil Simon Theatre had 1,422.
While the overall average price of admission, at $164.83, is higher compared to other plays, that pales in comparison to admission at high-grossing musical “Hamilton,” for example, which brought in a total of $3.1 million with an average price of admission of $292.06.
Overall, “Harry Potter” has been selling well, with 100% attendance for the previous week, and has garnered critical acclaim, taking home nine Olivier Awards last year, a West End record.
