Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 12/23/18- Page 2

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/27/18 at 8:41pm

Jarethan said: "My point was simply that, as a play, it is pretty mediocre. The outstanding staging has made it the hit that it is."

You're entirely skipping over the whole idea that it is also a stage version of Harry Potter, and the continuation of a series of seven books that sold more than 500 million copies, with a movie franchise that was estimated to be worth $35B, so its ginormous built-in audience is even more of a factor than what actually happens on the stage.

What happens onstage is almost secondary to them going to see it happen...

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/27/18 at 8:44pm

any information other than the officially reported grosses and related data are available only in one of two ways: at the discretion of the production, usually in support of some marketing narrative; or via gossip, that one may accept at their own risk. 

[NYCblurb]

Posted: 12/27/18 at 11:25pm

private info - not shared with public. I estimate the run rate is 680K per week. Shows announce they recoup when they do. PROM is in the whole now a lot and sinking deeper each week. Their recent marketing push is, I hear from a friend associated with the show, the result of loans form their investors.

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 1:17am

haterobics said: "Spectacle isn't a category. It's a play about magic and wizards, so it employs things to effectively show that world. Other shows have less fantastic settings, but also do everything they can to bring their worlds to life on stage."

Spectacle is a category on IBDB (see: https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/king-kong-516829) but they don't list HP as that.

[johnmichael]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 3:24am

You're entirely skipping over the whole idea that it is also a stage version of Harry Potter, and the continuation of a series of seven books that sold more than 500 million copies, with a movie franchise that was estimated to be worth $35B, so itsginormous built-in audience is even more of a factor than what actually happens on the stage.

What happens onstage is almost secondary to them going to see it happen..."

 

brilliantly put

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 8:13am

itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "Spectacle is a category on IBDB"

Until there a Tony category for it, it doesn't much matter...

[JBroadway]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 8:37am

haterobics said: "itsjustmejonhotmailcom said: "Spectacle is a category on IBDB"

Until there a Tony categoryfor it, it doesn't much matter..."

 

I agree that Harry Potter should be considered a play, but if I could play devil’s advocate for a sec:

 

Why should the Tony awards be our primary means of classifying Broadway shows? They (and the producers that petition) make approximations all the time to fit shows within their specific set boxes. There is quite a lot of theatre out there that is neither a play, nor a musical, but for the sake of the Tonys it gets shoved into one box or the other, or it is deemed ineligible. We have “musicals” that you could argue are actually plays with music, or vice verse. We have “supporting” actors who are clearly the lead, and vice versa. And so on, and so forth. The Tonys aren’t the final say in show classification, they are just the final say in show classification FOR THE TONYS. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 9:10am

who suggested otherwise?

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 9:26am

haterobics said: "Jarethan said: "My point was simply that, as a play, it is pretty mediocre. The outstanding staging has made it the hit that it is."

You're entirely skipping over the whole idea that it is also a stage version of Harry Potter, and the continuation of a series of seven books that sold more than 500 million copies, with a movie franchise that was estimated to be worth $35B, so itsginormous built-in audience is even more of a factor than what actually happens on the stage.

What happens onstage is almost secondary to them going to see it happen..."

Absolutely agree.  In my original post, I proposed that HP and TKAM are in a unique position in that they are both based on / are followup to 2 of the most loved books (series) in the 20th / 21st century.  Couple that with a great production...the fact that the play itself is pretty mediocre (IMO) doesn't matter to audiences.  

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 9:29am

JBroadway said: "Why should the Tony awards be our primary means of classifying Broadway shows?"

Well, none of the other theater awards break too far from that pattern, either. But I don't think King Kong should be considered good spectacle just because it is a bad musical. 

[Kad]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 10:21am

I'm not sure I understand the point of this discussion. Cursed Child being a lavish production and part of a franchise doesn't mean it's any less of a play than To Kill a Mockingbird, or, frankly, any other play. Why must we add caveats to major success? 

[Impossible2]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 10:26am

Jarethan said: "haterobics said: "Jarethan said: "My point was simply that, as a play, it is pretty mediocre. The outstanding staging has made it the hit that it is."

You're entirely skipping over the whole idea that it is also a stage version of Harry Potter, and the continuation of a series of seven books that sold more than 500 million copies, with a movie franchise that was estimated to be worth $35B, so itsginormous built-in audience is even more of a factor than what actually happens on the stage.

What happens onstage is almost secondary to them going to see it happen..."

Absolutely agree. In my original post, I proposed that HP and TKAM are in a unique position in that they are both based on / are followup to 2 of the most loved books (series) in the 20th / 21st century. Couple that with a great production...the fact that theplay itself is pretty mediocre (IMO) doesn't matter to audiences."

If you are over the age of 12 it isn't really marketed at you.

I've seen it twice and thought it was an amazing night at the theatre. Is it a great play, probably not, but it's entertainment and worth it's hefty admission price.

[Kad]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 10:31am

For the record, the longest-running plays on Broadway remain 1939's Life With Father, 1933's Tobacco Road, and 1923's Abie's Irish Rose. And I can guarantee that Cursed Child is a better play than all three, and will almost certainly surpass their runs. 

Updated On: 12/28/18 at 10:31 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 12:42pm

Impossible2 said: "If you are over the age of 12 it isn't really marketed at you."

That statement couldn't be further from the truth. The people that WERE 12 when the books first hit are now, what...34?    So people from the age of 12 all the way up to dead are the target audience.    HP has no age target.  

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 2:33pm

dramamama611 said: "Impossible2 said: "If you are over the age of 12 it isn't really marketed at you."

That statement couldn't be further from the truth. The people that WERE 12 when the books first hit are now, what...34? So people from the age of 12 all the way up to dead are the target audience. HP has no age target."

That over 12 notion is incredibly naive. In addition to the up to 34 y/o crowd, there are the parents who grew up sharing the books with their children. so that gets us to what, 70? Toss in a few grandparents and you start approaching the Methuselah market. 

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/28/18 at 2:49pm

Even if the show were meant for people 12 and under, the marketing would still target the people who could afford the tickets to take their youngsters.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 1/2/19 at 3:53pm

Any idea when we're getting grosses for the week ending 12/30/18? I assumed we didn't get them 12/31 or 1/1 because of the holiday, but I was surprised not to see them today.

 

(PLEASE DELETE)

Updated On: 1/2/19 at 03:53 PM