Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 6/23/24- Page 2

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 2:24pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "chrishuyen said: "When was the last time a play did this well without stars or being based on a big name IP? So thrilled for Stereophonic!"

• LEOPOLDSTADT (did not announce recoupment but probably got close)
• THE FERRYMAN (recouped)
• THE HUMANS ran close to a year,made a profit, toured, and got adapted into a great film
• CURIOUS INCIDENT ran 2 years(I would not call this book "IP" though the physical production resembled a musical)
• WAR HORSE(I would not call this book "IP" though the physical production resembleda musical)
• AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTYran more than a year,made a profit, toured, and got adapted into a bad film
• DOUBT (its numbers were neverthishigh but it did run 16 months)

These hits are incredibly rare but let's not count our chickens –– they still have 6 more months of a run to sell."

I was thinking more of plays that have done over $1 million in a week, but this is a good list!  I didn't realize Leopoldstadt/Ferryman had sold so well (in terms of per week grosses) but plays have always been more on my periphery.  

[gibsons2]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 2:34pm

chrishuyen said: "I was thinking more of plays that have done over $1 million in a week, but this is a good list! I didn't realize Leopoldstadt/Ferryman had sold so well (in terms of per week grosses) but plays have always been more on my periphery."

Leopoldstadt only started to sell well after it won the Tony. It was barely selling during winter and spring and played at 60% capacity. Stereophonic also started meh and look at it now.

Shouldn't Broadway week in September bring a little boost to struggling musicals? 

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 2:35pm

Kudos to Merrily We Roll Along on their $2.1 million gross this past week! I think that might have broken the previous grosses record at the Hudson theater!

With the only tickets left at the Hudson priced over $300, I have a feeling this week and next week’s grosses will be even higher.

[PrinceAli]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 2:37pm

Thanks!!!!!

[Huss417]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 2:57pm

gibsons2 said: "chrishuyen said: "I was thinking more of plays that have done over $1 million in a week, but this is a good list! I didn't realize Leopoldstadt/Ferryman had sold so well (in terms of per week grosses) but plays have always been more on my periphery."

Leopoldstadt only started to sell well after it won the Tony. It was barely selling during winter and spring and played at 60% capacity. Stereophonic also started mehand look at it now.

Shouldn't Broadway week in September bring a little boost to struggling musicals?"

Leopoldstadt in its first 13 weeks had 9 weeks where it sold over a Million each week. The only other weeks where it grossed over a million was its final two week.

I think the grosses started to go down during the extension.

The run ended 3 or 4 weeks after the Tony Awards.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses/LEOPOLDSTADT

Updated On: 6/25/24 at 02:57 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 4:28pm

A Beautiful Noise is going out strong. Their final week looks well sold and the closing performance is soldout.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 4:45pm

The Great Gatsby seems to really have found its audience. Same for Water for Elephants.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 4:48pm

MR and Chicago grosses demonstrate just how much impact the right stunt casting has on grosses.  I suspect that the only thing that is going to keep MR open for much longer is stunt casting, or maybe AT returning yet again.  It worked really well for Hadestown, and I never heard of most of their succession of short-term replacements.  Just needs to be the right people.

I am betting that BTTF closes before or at the same time as The Notebook.  They seem to be the next to me.

I do have a question: are JJ and EN the reason that Gatsby is doing dramatically better than I would have suspected?  Given the reviews, I would not have expected WOM to be good.  (Broadway Flash: no reason to answer.  I already know your answer).

I majored in Economics and I clearly know the law of Supply and Demand.  I still think that the people responsible for the Merrily pricing should be ashamed of themselves.  Makes me long for the days of paper tickets and zero dynamic pricing.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 4:51pm

Jarethan said: "MR and Chicago grosses demonstrate just how much impact the right stunt casting has on grosses. I suspect that the only thing that is going to keep MR open for much longer is stunt casting, or maybe AT returning yet again. It worked really well for Hadestown, and I never heard of most of their succession of short-term replacements. Just needs to be the right people.

I am betting that BTTF closes before or at the same time as The Notebook. They seem to be the next to me.

I do have a question: are JJ and EN the reason that Gatsby is doing dramatically better than I would have suspected? Given the reviews, I would not have expected WOM to begood. (Broadway Flash: no reason to answer. I already know your answer).

I majored in Economics and I clearly know the law of Supply and Demand. I still think that the people responsible for the Merrily pricing should be ashamed of themselves. Makes me long for the days of paper tickets and zero dynamic pricing."

MR has released tickets through May of next year. I think they're planning something else to keep their doors open *side-eyes casting* 

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 4:52pm

Jarethan said: "I do have a question: are JJ and EN the reason that Gatsby is doing dramatically better than I would have suspected? Given the reviews, I would not have expected WOM to begood. (Broadway Flash: no reason to answer. I already know your answer)."

I think Jeremy and Eva are a big part of the Gatsby success, and that it's just a well known property for people who might not necessarily be reading reviews.  The sets are also quite impressive and for people who are spending a quite a bit of money, it seems well worth the value even if the show contains none of the depth of the book.  There's probably a good amount of overlap between people who enjoy the musical and people who liked the glitz of the movie as well, but I'll be curious to see how it does once the leads leave (I think Sam Pauly also has a decent fan base but certainly not as much as Jeremy or Eva).

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 5:03pm

chrishuyen said: "Jarethan said: "I do have a question: are JJ and EN the reason that Gatsby is doing dramatically better than I would have suspected? Given the reviews, I would not have expected WOM to begood. (Broadway Flash: no reason to answer. I already know your answer)."

I think Jeremy and Eva are a big part of the Gatsby success, and that it's just a well known property for people who might not necessarily be reading reviews. The sets are also quite impressive and for people who are spending a quite a bit of money, it seems well worth the value even if the show contains none of the depth of the book. There's probably a good amount of overlap between people who enjoy the musical and people who liked the glitz of the movie as well, but I'll be curious to see how it does once the leads leave (I think Sam Pauly also has a decent fan base but certainly not as much as Jeremy or Eva)."

 

Are they only signed up for shortish runs or are you assuming that it will celebrate its first anniversary?  

I have not seen it yet, but I am seeing Gatsby in about two weeks; I imagine that will incent me to want to see the one on Broadway more.  I would definitely like to see some old fashioned elaborate sets and costumes,  it can’t get too excited otherwise.  The opportunity to compare the two versions does have a lot of appeal, though.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 5:11pm

I think they're both super talented, but I don't know that their names mean much in terms of keeping a show afloat. I think it's just a big, old fashioned kind of show with decent songs and they deliver them well. I think that's what people are going for and they're getting what they wanted.

[CJRochester]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 5:16pm

JoeW4 said: "Kad said: "17 of 31 productions grossed over 1mil."


I count 18!"

I count 19 of 32. Updated On: 6/25/24 at 05:16 PM

[singer234]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 5:23pm

I think it's a variety of factors all hitting at once for Gatsby. Phantom's absence is certainly one of them. I think Eva and Jeremy for sure helped sell out the Paper Mill run in like, a day, and it felt more focused on the two of them out of town, and what a limited special experience that was. Now, it seems like a big plus that they have two great stars, but the show itself has found its footing, it's not a "one month only!" type deal, and I don't think anyone would blink twice if you put two other equally largeish theater names in there to replace them.

Without them, though, I'm not sure it would have reached the success (or at least sales consistency), it has today. Were they the it factor before? Yes, I think combined with the existing IP, that Eva and Jeremy got the show to this solid place. However, I don't think they're as crucial to this show's ongoing success as they were in getting it off the ground.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 5:28pm

I think the show will continue to sell well as long as Eva and Jeremy are in it, and it may have legs after that but will remain to be seen.  Some coworkers/other friends of mine who only see theater 2-3 times a year have expressed interest in seeing it solely because of Eva so anecdotally she seems to be a name outside of just the theater community.

[SisterGeorge]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 6:14pm

chrishuyen said: "When was the last time a play did this well without stars or being based on a big name IP? So thrilled for Stereophonic!

Should also note that the Juneteenth holiday probably helped bring more people in (especially since it fell on a Wednesday and a lot of shows had two shows that day, so more people were probably able to see a matinee)."

I was in town last week looking to fill a last-minute matinee slot and while many of the shows I considered had lots of availability in the evenings, a number of them were sold old (or close to) on their Wednesday matinee. Is that a common situation or was it, in fact, because of the holiday? I ended up getting the last Orch pair for "Suffs" (and noticed hordes of people boarding tour buses outside the theater when it was over).

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 6:15pm

I think it's more the pull of the existing IP that's keeping Gatsby afloat, though some of the Jeremy and Eva fans may be playing their part too (and not just searching for discounts).

Updated On: 6/25/24 at 06:15 PM

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 6:18pm

Fascinating.  I realize that the only thing I saw JJ in was in Finding Neverland in Cambridge; I thought he was excellent and that he really got screwed by Weinstein (although I honestly felt that Morrison was also good in the role).  I did not see Bonnie and Clyde and I missed him in Newsies (saw Corey Cott).  I can't remember if I am forgetting anything else.

I saw Eva in Miss Saigon, and thought she was very good, but she made no impression on me in Hadestown (but I admit that I really did not like the show itself, and I was never able to get through the OCR even once).

I honestly didn't think they would sell tickets; get I was pretty wrong.

 

[inception]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 7:01pm

Who had Tommy in their bingo card?

Regarding Great Gatsby, I was surprised that on the Seattle CBS station during the Tonys they ran ads for GG heavily promoting Jeremy & Eva.  Producers don't usually spend ad money on West Coast markets.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 7:10pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "I think it's more the pull of the existing IP that's keeping Gatsby afloat, though some of the Jeremy and Eva fans may be playing their part too (and not just searching for discounts)."

Yes I think it's a combo of known title + big expensive-looking show + "oh I've heard of these actors." Had Jeremy been in Heart of Rock & Roll and Eva been in Lempicka, those shows would not have fared much better, if at all.

I too am surprised that Jeremy and Eva are so prominent on the advertising. That is a choice by the producer. Most producers would say "they don't mean enough to put them in the ads," or including their names would trigger the rest of the creative team to be billed. Compared to someone like Grant Gustin, who might yield more sales for W4E if promoted, yet his name is nowhere to be found.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 8:11pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "I think it's more the pull of the existing IP that's keeping Gatsby afloat, though some of the Jeremy and Eva fans may be playing their part too (and not just searching for discounts)."

Yes I think it's a combo of known title + big expensive-looking show + "oh I've heard of these actors." Had Jeremy been inHeart of Rock & Rolland Eva been in Lempicka,those shows would not have fared much better, if at all.

I too am surprised that Jeremy and Eva are so prominent on the advertising. Thatis a choice by the producer. Most producers would say "they don't mean enough to put them in the ads," or including their names would trigger the rest of the creative team to be billed.Compared to someone like Grant Gustin, who might yield more sales for W4E if promoted,yet his name is nowhere to be found."

Very interesting point.  

[Theater3232]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 9:40pm

I would imagine the expenses to keep Home open (air conditioning, salaries of all backstage & front-of-house staff, actors) is much greater than the pitiful $145,000 they took in this past week.  It has the lowest Avg Ticket of $32 of all shows by far.  Wouldn't it make mathematical sense to just put it out of its misery and shut it down Sunday?

[Phillyguy]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 10:42pm

Jarethan said: "I do have a question: are JJ and EN the reason that Gatsby is doing dramatically better than I would have suspected? Given the reviews, I would not have expected WOM to begood. (Broadway Flash: no reason to answer. I already know your answer)."

I, and everyone I know, left pleasantly surprised at how enjoyable the Great Gatsby was, in light of the reviews. I understand the reviews, but I also quite enjoyed the new take of the story and how it ended.

The power of JJ and Eva is real. It has the biggest stage door I've seen this season. 

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 6/25/24 at 11:15pm

Tommy, like Spamalot earlier this season and Dancing last season never had a chance.

Neither shows needed a revival.  And with out stars?

What were the producers thinking?

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/26/24 at 8:08am

Jarethan said: "I majored in Economics and I clearly know the law of Supply and Demand. I still think that the people responsible for the Merrily pricing should be ashamed of themselves. Makes me long for the days of paper tickets and zero dynamic pricing."

I miss the days before dynamic pricing as well.  

The only pro is at least the production gets the money back and not ticket resellers riding on the coattails of the production.

Merrily cancellation tickets are now $299. When I went back in January they were $249.