Broadway’s box office saw an uptick in both attendance and gross during the 25th week of the 2023-2024 season. Of the 28 currently running productions, 26 saw an increase in gross. This represents 93% of the Main Stem’s present offerings.
Across Broadway, all productions grossed a total $29,163,440 for the week ending Nov. 12 — a notable 9.9% increase from the week prior. Attendance increased 5.7% from the week ending Nov. 5, with 235,777 admissions counted. Ticket holders filled 90.6% of seats, the first time in eight weeks that overall capacity has surpassed the 90% mark.
“The Lion King” grossed $1,990,894, the most of any show, as it approached its 26th Broadway anniversary on Nov. 13. The other two top-earning shows were “Hamilton,” which grossed $1,941,374, and the revival of “Merrily We Roll Along,” whose gross of $1,865,831 broke its fourth box office record at the Hudson Theatre.
“Merrily” once again posted the highest average paid admission: $241.44. “Hamilton” and “Sweeney Todd” had the second- and third-highest average paid admission, at $181.83 and $170.80, respectively. On the other end of the spectrum, “The Shark is Broken” had an average paid admission of $71.66, the lowest of the week, followed by “Spamalot,” still in previews at the St. James at $71.93, and “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding” at $75.75.
Twelve productions grossed over $1 million: “& Juliet,” “Aladdin,” “Back to the Future,” “Hamilton,” “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “MJ,” “Moulin Rouge!,” “Sweeney Todd,” “The Lion King, “Wicked” and “Gutenberg! The Musical!,” the latter of which netted over $1 million for the first time in its run.
“Back to the Future” grossed $1,299,452, which represents an increase of $235,600 from the week prior, the highest increase of any show. Nine other productions took in over $100,000 compared to the previous week: “& Juliet,” “A Beautiful Noise,” “Gutenberg!,” “Hamilton,” “Harmony,” “Shucked,” “SIX,” “Some Like It Hot” and “Sweeney Todd.”
Attendance-wise, 18 productions saw their seats filled to 90% or more: “& Juliet,” “Aladdin,” “Gutenberg!,” “Hadestown,” “Hamilton,” “Harmony,” “I Need That,” “Jaja’s African Hair Braiding,” “Kimberly Akimbo,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “MJ,” “Moulin Rouge!,” “SIX,” “Spamalot,” “Sweeney Todd,” “The Book of Mormon,” “The Lion King” and “Wicked.”
The 2023-2024 Broadway season continues to outpace last season. Attendance-wise, there have been 5,808,985 admissions to-date this season, which represents a 4.7% increase from the 2022-2023 season. Gross is up 0.9%, with a season-to-date total of $708,085,316.
