Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 10/27/24- Page 2

[Ravanne_1]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 3:59am

PaigeTurner2 said: "Wouldn't these numbers be expected bythe MHE producers/investors though? I mean, when your average ticket price is so low and you're apparently papering like crazy, how could they be doing any better? I'm not saying this is a winning strategy or anything, just that given the (self-imposed) constraints, I don't think they're doing too badly. Obviously it can't continue beyond previews, but I don't think anything definitive can begleaned just yet."

There is only so long that a show, even a pretty modest one like MHE, can survive by selling tickets at below operating cost prices. The biggest issue is that even with selling the cheapest tickets that they're not getting butts in the seats. There  are a lot of things working against MYE. It's a pretty out there concept for Broadway and it's a relatively small show with no huge names to market or the kind of spectacle that the average Broadway audience expects. I know that Darren Criss has a following, but he's not Eddie Redmayne is his ability to bring in an audience (and it's not reasonable to expect that he would be able to). Add in the factors like the twice-delayed opening and it's not a surprise that the show is in the situation that it is.

Previews are valuable in gaging interest and buzz about a show and outside of boards like this, there just isn't a whole lot of interest in MHE. The next two weeks before opening night are going to be critical. Unless they can start filling the theater without nearly giving tickets away, it's not going to survive. 

Updated On: 10/30/24 at 03:59 AM

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 4:12am

I haven't seen ''Maybe Happy Ending,'' but I wish it all the best. The reality is: It's very hard to sell a completely original new musical. People have no idea what it is. It's got no recognizable title. It's not based on a hit movie or a best-selling book, so it's got no built-in audience. And the plot - a love story between robots - sounds decidedly offbeat, too. Right now, its biggest selling point is Darren Criss, a star of ''Glee'' (whose heyday was over a decade ago) and an Emmy-winning actor. Each time I've seen him onstage, he's been fantastic: ''How to Succeed,'' ''Hedwig'' and ''Little Shop of Horrors.'' But those were all established revivals. Yes, he's got a following, but is it big enough to open a new musical? Kudos to Criss & Co. for taking a risk. Fingers crossed!

Updated On: 10/30/24 at 04:12 AM

[Wick3]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 8:51am

@Wayman_Wong, hopefully you'll plan or get to see MHE. I had no expectations when I saw it last weekend but after watching it, I really preferred it over Sunset Blvd and Tammy Faye.

Quick question about TKTS. I know TKTS prices are up to 50% off but who gets the profit: TKTS/TDF or the show? If TDF gets the profit, then are tickets sold through TKTS part of the show's grosses as reported here?

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 10:14am

A TKTS surcharge is baked into the ticket price you see at the booth. The amount varies depending on the venue (Off-Bway will be different from Bway for instance) and ticket price, so I'm not totally sure just how much they receive per ticket for a Broadway show. For Off-Broadway it's usually around $7-10 per ticket depending on the price point. I would assume it's about double that for Broadway. So the productions get the bulk of the profit.

[bdn223]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 10:45am

Ravanne_1 said: "PaigeTurner2 said: "Wouldn't these numbers be expected bythe MHE producers/investors though? I mean, when your average ticket price is so low and you're apparently papering like crazy, how could they be doing any better? I'm not saying this is a winning strategy or anything, just that given the (self-imposed) constraints, I don't think they're doing too badly. Obviously it can't continue beyond previews, but I don't think anything definitive can begleaned just yet."

There is only so long that a show, even a pretty modest one like MHE, can survive by selling tickets at below operating cost prices. The biggest issue is that even with selling the cheapest tickets that they're not getting butts in the seats. There are a lot of things working against MYE. It's a pretty out there concept for Broadway and it's a relatively small show with no huge names to market or the kind of spectacle that the average Broadway audience expects. I know that Darren Criss has a following, but he's not Eddie Redmayne is his ability to bring in an audience (and it's not reasonable to expect that he would be able to). Add in the factors like the twice-delayed opening and it's not a surprise that the show is in the situation that it is.

Previews are valuable in gaging interest and buzz about a show and outside of boards like this, there just isn't a whole lot of interest in MHE. The next two weeks before opening night are going to be critical. Unless they can start filling the theater without nearly giving tickets away, it's not going to survive."

Unfortunately despite being a 4 person cast Maybe Happy Ending is not a modest show, its weekly nut is around $650K, which is more then Suffs, A Wonderful World, & Juliet, and The Notebook. The issue is it's set is massive and costs a pretty penny to be maintained each week. Similarly this is one of the reasons Redwood took the midsized Nederlander over the Booth or any of the  smaller broadway houses despite having a cast of 8, the production elements wouldn't fit in a small house, and even if they did they would make operating cost probative. 

Updated On: 10/30/24 at 10:45 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 11:26am

Last I heard MAYBE HAPPY's breakeven is quite a bit higher, between $750K and 800K per week, with an $18 million capitalization.

Selling tickets at that low price is not the goal, naturally, but goalposts often get moved in the interest of filling a house (which this show hasn't successfully done even with aggressive discounting & comping & influencers). It's easy to point to shows like DEH, CFA, and HTOWN as the poster children for original musicals, but those three came out of the gate strong, and for every one of those there are multiple IN TRANSITs or LEMPICKAs or GETTIN' THE BAND BACK TOGETHER or AMELIE or IN MY LIFE or HOW TO/OHIO.

It's a charming if not revelatory show and some of Will Aronson & Hue Park's score is really lovely.

Updated On: 10/30/24 at 11:26 AM

[IdinaBellFoster]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 11:45am

OH MARY has to be close to recouping right?

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 11:53am

IdinaBellFoster said: "OH MARY has to be close to recouping right?"

It may have already recouped, though I don't know the numbers. What is it, $6 mil capitalization, $500K running cost? Maybe less? They've been over $1 mil the past 15 weeks.

[Kad]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 11:55am

Considering their extremely active marketing and social media, I would think if Oh Mary recouped, they would publicly celebrate it.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/30/24 at 11:57am

Kad said: "Considering their extremely active marketing and social media, I would think if Oh Mary recouped, they would publicly celebrate it."

There are no rules. Post-pandemic, some producers prefer to be more modest and not announce recoupment too quickly. Could also be announced tied to a closing announcement, a final extension, etc.