Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 7/16/17- Page 3

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/17/17 at 10:28pm

McFan2: We're on the same page.  "Bandstand's" emotional grip is mysterious to me. I'm not a vet, have no inner circle of losses in any conflict. But the show made me tear up early, and stay that way, especially at the end of the first act, a moving closer that with simply and elegantly offered compassion for everyone on stage manages to make us lean forward in our seats and wipe our eyes.  It's an MGM musical, honoring the tropes -- and the troops -- but reminted with a new depth and a helluva score. I'm rooting for it.   

Updated On: 7/17/17 at 10:28 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 7/17/17 at 10:37pm

massofmen said: "Yes you did. 

Like 3 weeks ago you said their numbers were sustainable until January. You even replied to me on July 9th when I asked if you wanted to amend your January statement and you said you would wait a little bit. "

What I said was that, at that moment in time, I thought they would hold it together until the end of the year. That of course is not what you said above. And what I then said July 9 was that I would withhold judgment for the time being. And that of course is not what you said above. You made that up. If it makes you happy to make crap up, then be my guest. I don't care and I doubt many others do. But when you do it, you will be called out. That's how it works. 

[BroadwayMan5]

Posted: 7/17/17 at 10:52pm

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Groundhog Day posted a closing notice this week or next. I'm not even sure it's going to last through the summer. I think War Paint will hang on till Labor Day and Bandstand at least till then, maybe longer. Beautiful is continuing to look pretty lean this summer too. It looks like it's running out of steam.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 7/17/17 at 11:14pm

I can see Roundabout trying to hold on to Beautiful as long as it can to make some extra money. As it has been discussed, their big musical of the year hasn't been announced so maybe they are waiting to see how long Beautiful lasts, so they can use the theatre for their musical?

[Margo319]

Posted: 7/17/17 at 11:24pm

Shows have bad weeks all the time, Groundhog Day was up last week, no big deal, it's not like they are closing tomorrow.  Some have said Labor Day and some have said at the end of the year.  It's a great show and I hope it lasts.  The Tony Performance was forever ago, and the numbers went UP since then so no, it wasn't the nail in the coffin, at all.   The numbers for the Tony awards don't even compare to the  number of tourists in NYC right now for the summer so, I hope people keep talking about it and seeing it. 

[BwayDreamer00]

Posted: 7/17/17 at 11:41pm

Keep in mind that LAST summer Kinky Boots's numbers weren't too stellar either and they had a pretty lean three months but here it is today with high numbers (well partly thanks to Brendon Urie as Charlie) but still I think we forget A LOT is that shows have their good weeks with grosses and their not so good weeks....it's normal....they all can't be Hamilton......like if a show has one very meh lean week everyone jumps to conclusions and just says "oh well there goes that one! Wonder whats gonna replace it at that theater!" 

like jeez calm down

[GeorgeandDot]

Posted: 7/17/17 at 11:47pm

^Well Kinky Boots won Best Musical.  Groundhog Day did not.  Also, I've heard rumors of a certain show moving into the August Wilson in the fall.

[schubox]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 12:13am

Jarethan said: "bear88 said: "I agree that it's not a perfect comparison between Hello, Dollyand Dear Evan Hansen. Bette Midler's absences have been well-publicized, far in advance, while Platt's vacation caught people off guard, I am sure. But people still could have bailed in greater numbers. One show is all about the star. The other is more about the show than I expected.

I think Hello Dolly is too much about the star.  I am surprised that the advertising campaign isn't starting to reduce focus on Bette and increase it on the show, since most of her contractual period is pretty much sold out.  The show received great reviews, and is a love letter to musical theatre audiences, who seem to love it whether Donna or Bette is on, but only seem to want to pay for Bette.  It is a bad omen for the future if a five time nominee, 2 time Tony winner can't sell tickets so early in the run...unless Bette is going to play the role until she drops dead after giving about 4,500 performances.  Ticket buyers seem to have concluded they are seeing a star vanity production instead of a wonderful production of a great show.  

Re Evan Hansen, I think we are going to have the same discussions that occurred when the original Hamilton cast left.   Some people were direly predicting -- not me --  that ticket demand was going to be impacted as soon as the next new set of tickets came on the market after the departure of the original cast.  We all know what happened when the next block surfaced.  Grosses are incredibly higher than the original cast because of all the people who are willing to pay higher premium prices, regardless of the cast.  Anywhere it is playing is the same way.  Hamilton is the only star...if Lin happens to be in the cast for awhile, as rumored for the London production periodically, then that is just a bonus.  And, despite the incredible performance Ben is giving and the fact that the show has made him a star, Dear Evan Hansen is the star, not Ben Platt.

One final note, Evan Hansen and Hamilton are viewed as must-see new productions that have entered the zeitgeist.  I think Hello Dolly is incorrectly being viewed by most of the ticket buying public as a (legendary, much loved) star turn of a tired old musical.  Without that star or a new advertising campaign, there may be trouble a lot earlier than there should be.  Hamilton, Evan Hansen (and CFA, for that matter, if not at the same frenzy level) are the stars.  Hello Dolly is not, and it should be...at least a lot more than it is today.

 

 

 

"

You'd be surprised how many people don't even realize the Hamilton OBC is gone. Of course people on here and a lot of Broadway fans know, but I've had conversations with a few people (I live in Kansas City) who were looking to buy tickets to Hamilton and were expecting to see the OBC. A lot of them were shocked at the prices when I told them they were all long gone. I also know a lot of people who bought tickets for around now that bought them when the OBC was still there and weren't sure if they would all be gone.

Now obviously the show isn't going to be in any financial trouble for a very long time, but I'll be interested to see if/when they drop the price of tickets 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 12:22am

You'd be surprised how few people even understand Broadway at all. Most of my friends - from the South - think Broadway is just 1 theater. Ugh. 

I think GHD is def numbered. There's no turning around with it. But I hope they can figure out a way to tour the show. I don't see it being done too much regionally, but it could be done in a more down-scaled way. 

[bear88]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 12:52am

I am the target audience for Groundhog Day. Middle-aged married guy, likes Bill Murray, blah blah blah. I think the film is one of those underrated comedy gems that I always watch when it shows up on TV. I'm the right demographic, and I like Broadway musicals, and heard good things about the show and Andy Karl.

But I didn't see it when I had the chance, on a Monday, in April, at the TKTS booth.

Because I listened to one song from the show and just sort of gagged. So I went along with what I knew my wife wanted and saw Phantom for the first time in 27 years. And then I watched the Tony performance and felt zero regret about not seeing it. 

I admit to one bias: I don't really like musicalizations of films I actually know and like. Because I assume they will just sort of annoy me. 

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 1:28am

bear88 said: "I am the target audience for Groundhog Day. Middle-aged married guy, likes Bill Murray, blah blah blah. I think the film is one of those underrated comedy gems that I always watch when it shows up on TV. I'm the right demographic, and I like Broadway musicals, and heard good things about the show and Andy Karl.

But I didn't see it when I had the chance, on a Monday, in April, at the TKTS booth.

Because I listened to one song from the show and just sort of gagged. So I went along with what I knew my wife wanted and saw Phantom for the first time in 27 years. And then I watched the Tony performance and felt zero regret about not seeing it. 

I admit to one bias: I don't really like musicalizations of films I actually know and like. Because I assume they will just sort of annoy me. 

"

bear - I'm with you - middle aged guy - GD is one of my favorite movies...  but yeah - nothing's been able to sell me on it.  

[devonian.t]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 3:27am

It is a complete misconception to represent GHD as a huge success in London.  It won the Olivier in a weak season, and struggled to sell out for much of its run.

It received respectable reviews but buzz was minimal.

Let's not forget that Scott Rudin pulled out ahead of its transfer- he knew there were problems.

The transfer was founded on bravura vanity and bluff in the hope that Broadway audiences could be bounced into thinking this was a hot ticket.

The plan hasn't worked, I'm afraid.

[froote]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 5:38am

Huh? First of all it's almost always a weak season in London for musicals, unless there's a huge Broadway hit transferring over there like Mormon or Hamilton.

It's reviews were flat out raves. Almost all five stars. Much more than respectable.

After the reviews, the buzz heightened, dynamic pricing saw ticket prices triple and the entire rest of the run sold out almost immediately.

I don't think they should have transferred to Broadway last season, but it WAS a huge success in London and there's absolutely no denying that.

[JBC3]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 7:01am

GHD did get pretty strong reviews in London.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/groundhog-day-the-musical-is-an-instant-classic--and-could-be-be/

https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/2016/groundhog-day-review-at-the-old-vic-london-an-absolute-triumph/

http://variety.com/2016/legit/reviews/groundhog-day-musical-review-london-theater-1201839383/

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/aug/16/groundhog-day-review-tim-minchin-musical-old-vic

[Callum_brown1]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 7:46am

Woah - I'm a Londoner and that is a *very* misrepresentative characterisation of how Groundhog Day was perceived over here. It was non-stop raves and the buzz was everywhere, probably because it was limited run at the Old Vic. It was seen as a homecoming by Tim Minchin (even though he's Australian) and everyone loved Andy Karl. And, trust me, tickets were VERY hard to come by.

Musicals are always weaker over here, the biggest new ones we've got this year are tourist trap 42nd Street and An American in Paris. Also have another jukebox musical with Meat Loaf's Bat out of Hell. Still have Follies to look forward to.

Glenn doing Sunset here last spring was not even on the same scale of buzz. I'd say Groundhog Day was probably in the same league as Angels in America now.

[Skimbleshanks2]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 7:50am

I honestly, truly believe that GROUNDHOG DAY's biggest hurdle was prejudice... I've raved to many of my friends about it and their reaction is always, "....Wait... They turned GROUNDHOG DAY into a musical?? WTF?" And I can see a lot of the people at, say, the TKTS booths thinking the same thing...

Not even a TONY for ANDY KARL could have saved it...

[Wick3]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 8:28am

Is it possible to calculate roughly the weekly operating costs of Dear Evan Hansen given we have the total gross of roughly $41 million over 35 weeks and the recent announcement that they recouped the initial capitalization of $9.5 million?

[Big Apple2]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 8:49am

Wick3 said: "Is it possible to calculate roughly the weekly operating costs of Dear Evan Hansen given we have the total gross of roughly $41 million over 35 weeks and the recent announcement that they recouped the initial capitalization of $9.5 million?"

I don't know. Using your numbers, a quick calculation would put the weekly cost at roughly $900k ($41M - $9.5M = $31.5M/ 35 weeks). That seems awfully high. 

[JustAnotherNewYorker]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 8:54am

Wick3 said: "Is it possible to calculate roughly the weekly operating costs of Dear Evan Hansen given we have the total gross of roughly $41 million over 35 weeks and the recent announcement that they recouped the initial capitalization of $9.5 million?"



Yes, it's possible. There's an old thread (recently revived) where the poster does just this calculation for a number of older musicals. Be aware that the result is +/- some significant error bars because of the assumptions necessary to make it work and depending on the financial structure of the compensation for the creatives

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 8:58am

GeorgeandDot said: "Why spend $100+ on a [Groundhog Day] ticket if you can just watch the movie on Netflix instead for free?"

Because the $100+ ticket is for a Broadway musical and the "free" Netflix option is a straight movie. This isn't Les Miserables the Broadway Musical vs. Les Miserables the Movie Musical.

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 9:12am

chernjam said: "Some of these shows list Hamilton like premium prices... Friday I had gone onto Ticketmaster and saw that GHD had TONS of seats.  Had said to myself that if they had good seats (center orchestra) for around $120 I would take the leap.  They were listed for $219."

I checked this morning for the last week in August with the BroadwayBox code and the center orchestra discounted seats started at row R. 

poisonivy2 said: "I kind of don't know what the hell [chernjam is] talking about here. There's tons of discounts for GHD. It's on TDF, todaytix, there's a discount code (GHDTM1), it's on TKTS every day ... If you want a great seat for under three digits for GHD it's easy to get one."

There are indeed several discount codes for GHD, but suggesting that "it's easy to get" a great seat for less than $100 seems to be a bit of a stretch. The only $99-or-less seats I saw were center orchestra rows W-Z, side orchestra rows T-ZZ (or extreme side orchestra from row Q), and mezzanine. I've seen this show from both downstairs and upstairs, and I wouldn't describe any of those as "great seats" (I found the mezzanine to be particularly horrendous).

Updated On: 7/18/17 at 09:12 AM

[Lot666]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 9:15am

chernjam said: "bear - I'm with you - middle aged guy - GD is one of my favorite movies...  but yeah - nothing's been able to sell me on it."

I've observed on this board that you and I often have overlapping tastes, and I urge you to give Groundhog Day a try. I've seen it twice and liked it even more the second time.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 9:41am

"I think Hello Dolly is too much about the star.  I am surprised that the advertising campaign isn't starting to reduce focus on Bette and increase it on the show, since most of her contractual period is pretty much sold out.  The show received great reviews, and is a love letter to musical theatre audiences, who seem to love it whether Donna or Bette is on, but only seem to want to pay for Bette.  It is a bad omen for the future if a five time nominee, 2 time Tony winner can't sell tickets so early in the run...unless Bette is going to play the role until she drops dead after giving about 4,500 performances.  Ticket buyers seem to have concluded they are seeing a star vanity production instead of a wonderful production of a great show. "

 Excellent post. "Hello Dolly" is starting to remind me of "The Producers". If you did not see the stars than people did not seem to be interested in the show. 

Updated On: 7/18/17 at 09:41 AM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 9:41am

Dang. I got tickets for GHD Labor Day weekend, hope it makes it !!

Updated On: 7/18/17 at 09:41 AM

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 7/18/17 at 9:48am

Bandstand seems to be steady each week, between $500-600 thousand each week. I was hoping for better during the summer and thought the Tony performance and really good cast album might help the show. I really liked it when I saw it in April and everyone I know personally that saw it really enjoyed it. Probably makes it to the end of the year at best.