As more productions get underway with the start of the fall season, Broadway’s box office continues to experience an increasing disparity between the most well-attended and least-attended shows.
For the week ending Oct. 2, Broadway grossed $25,208,583 and played to 87% capacity. These figures are down 4% and 5%, respectively.
The three top-grossing productions were “The Music Man,” “Hamilton” and “MJ.”
Notably, only two shows performed to 100% capacity last week, including “Come From Away” and “MJ.” There were eight productions that played to 80% capacity or less, including “A Strange Loop,” “Beetlejuice,” “Chicago,” “Death of a Salesman,” “Into the Woods,” “The Kite Runner,” “The Piano Lesson” and “Topdog/Underdog.”
A handful of productions experienced double-digit decreases in gross last week, including “Chicago” (down 15%), “Hadestown” (down 14%), “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” (down 14%), “Into the Woods” (down 12%) and “Wicked” (down 11%).
In its final week on Broadway, “Come From Away” earned $1,046,553, up 11%, and played to nearly 102% capacity, up 1%. The musical gave its final performance on Oct. 2.
On the heels of a strong week after its closing notice was posted, “Beetlejuice” plummeted at the box office. The musical grossed $797,880, down 25%, and played to 61% capacity, down 34%.
“The Phantom of the Opera,” meanwhile, saw another strong week following the announcement that it, too, will close. The Andrew Lloyd Webber-scored musical earned $1,331,023, up 10%, and played to 98%, down 2%.
Six productions were in previews last week, including “1776,” “Cost of Living,” “Death of a Salesman,” “The Piano Lesson,” “Topdog/Underdog” and “Leopoldstadt,” the latter of which played seven preview performances and opened on Oct. 2.
