BACK TO THE FUTURE will close January 5, 2025

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:03pm

The Winter Garden is now officially available for a Spring tenant (long rumored to be George Clooney's Good Night & Good Luck).

The production will move to Germany in the 2025-2026 season for an open-ended run with more territories to be announced soon. Now in its 4th year in London’s West End, BACK TO THE FUTURE – The Musical will open four productions in major markets in the next 18 months including Germany, Japan and recently announced an 8-year deal with Royal Caribbean to play the musical in its full physical form on Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world.

BACK TO THE FUTURE will play its final Broadway performance on Sunday, January 5, 2025. The production has sold $80 million of tickets and by the end of its 18-month run, it will have been seen by over 900,000 people and played over 500 performances at the Winter Garden Theatre.

Updated On: 10/24/24 at 02:03 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:07pm

With its current grosses, it was only a matter of time (ha).

Solid run though.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:09pm

Not surprised. This will do well over in Europe. It'll also be heading onto the new Royal Caribbean cruise ship next year.

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:09pm

Did the Broadway production recoup?

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:11pm

Wick3 said: "Did the Broadway production recoup?"

I'd be surprised if it wasn't a mega flop.

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:15pm

Wick3 said: "Did the Broadway production recoup?"

Definitely not.

It wasn't a great show by any stretch of the imagination but I did have fun watching it.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:17pm

An outcome predicted by many here. It was just too expensive to be sustainable, short of becoming a runaway hit. At least they'll undoubtedly go out on a holiday season high.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:26pm

This left me numb in London I'm sorry to say. The Winter Garden will be available for Clooney (for a short run based on the casting notice) and any other quality theatre beyond. 

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:26pm

If I were in charge of marketing for this show, I’d use a similar tagline to the one the Universal themes parks used in the weeks leading up to the ride’s closure: “See it before it’s history!”

[SongandDance2]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:27pm

In the end, the Broadway production will probably have lost its entire $23.5 million capitalization. But an 18-month run on Broadway is a very solid amount of exposure which gives it big branding for worldwide theatre markets. And they get to amortize a lot of the cost of the physical production if it is in fact moving to Germany. Not insignificant!

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:28pm

Wick3 said: "Did the Broadway production recoup?"

No, but they probably returned something to investors. 10%? 15%? Assuming the weekly running cost was about $1 million, it lost money 21 weeks but made a profit 48 weeks (some of those weeks being more profitable than others).

Has it recouped in London yet? Investors who've been in since London (aka the "mother company" from a royalty standpoint) and reinvested for future companies might stand to clean up decently when all is said and done.

Updated On: 10/24/24 at 02:28 PM

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:38pm

Well, we all saw it coming! I'm still surprised that a huge name like 'Back to the future' could not make it on Broadway. 

 

Having said that, I think that not every movie or novel needs to be turned into a musical. 

Updated On: 10/24/24 at 02:38 PM

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:44pm

I feel like one great original song can make up for a lot. Back to the Future erased its middling original score from memory when Marty sang "The Power of Love."

[BossBroadway]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:46pm

At a minimum is recouped $8 million. 

[Kad]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:46pm

pablitonizer said: "Well, we all sawit coming! I'm still surprised that a huge name like 'Back to the future' could not make it on Broadway.



Having said that, I think that not every movie or novelneeds to be turned into a musical."

Well, if it had been a less costly production, it would've likely been a hit! It never did badly at the box office (aside from last month, when its grosses abruptly tanked)- but it was a production that needed grosses to be continuously exceptional just to break even.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:52pm

Expect the Clooney announcement any day now. It’s happening.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 2:54pm

Kad said: "pablitonizer said: "Well, we all sawit coming! I'm still surprised that a huge name like 'Back to the future' could not make it on Broadway.



Having said that, I think that not every movie or novelneeds to be turned into a musical."

Well, if it had been a less costly production, it would've likely been a hit! It never did badly at the box office (aside from last month, when its grosses abruptly tanked)- but it was a production that needed grosses to be continuously exceptional just to break even."

You are making a big assumption. I have not seen it, but the most consistent positives I have heard about this production were Casey Likes' performance and the car flying ver the audience during the curtain call.  I assume that cost a lot of money.

[verywellthensigh]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 4:32pm

When producers throw money at a meretricious theme-park musical on Broadway.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 4:36pm

Yeah, the production value is part of what sold it and sustained it this long, and even a $23 mil budget is not THAAAAT crazy nowadays.

[LuckyDipster]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 4:45pm

I had been preparing for this possible outcome, but I am still gutted that it is closing the day before I fly over to NY.  I'm sure I'll have fun seeing other shows (we have tickets for Oh, Mary) but seeing Roger as Doc was the main reason for flying from the UK.  Talk about bad timing.

[witchoftheeast2]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 4:49pm

I have no idea how they'll stage it, but I think this will do very well regionally 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 10:32pm

Here comes Clooney https://goodnightgoodluckbroadway.com/

[chernjam]

Posted: 10/24/24 at 10:48pm

Wick3 said: "Did the Broadway production recoup?"

The way they touted all these other numbers and conspicuously did not even mention that made me think not 

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 8:34am

This shows every sign to me of a “redeemable flop” in the financial sense: crowd pleasing and popular but an absolute money pit. A less expensive tour, and then licensing, will reel people in now that the hook has been set with a Broadway run to legitimize the show.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 8:50pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "With its current grosses, it was only a matter of time (ha).

Solid run though."   Ha? You must have ice in your veins to mock a show that is ending.  Rude.