Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 10/8/23

[Rob]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 3:13pm

Click below to access all the Broadway grosses from all the shows for the week ending 10/8/2023 in BroadwayWorld's grosses section.

Also, you will find information on each show's historical grosses, cumulative grosses and other statistics on how each show stacked up this week and in the past.

Click Here to Visit the Broadway Grosses...

Up for the week by attendance (% of capacity) was: WICKED (16.6%), HERE LIES LOVE (13.8%), HADESTOWN (12.5%), BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL (11%), HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD (9.6%), SOME LIKE IT HOT (9.4%), SIX (8.3%), SHUCKED (8.2%), & JULIET (7.1%), KIMBERLY AKIMBO (7%), GUTENBERG! THE MUSICAL! (6.9%), A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL (6.3%), ALADDIN (5.9%), JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING (4.9%), MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL (4.9%), THE COTTAGE (4.4%), MJ THE MUSICAL (4.1%), THE BOOK OF MORMON (3.7%), CHICAGO (0.1%), THE LION KING (0.1%),

Down for the week by attendance (% of capacity) was: MELISSA ETHERIDGE: MY WINDOW (-17.4%), PURLIE VICTORIOUS: A NON-CONFEDERATE ROMP THROUGH THE COTTON PATCH (-12.5%), SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (-3%), THE SHARK IS BROKEN (-2.4%), HAMILTON (-0.1%),

Click Here to Visit the BroadwayWorld Grosses...

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 3:14pm

You've just started a duplicate thread.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1157684

[Voter]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 3:15pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "You've just started a duplicate thread.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1157684"

Rob is usually the one who reports on this weekly

[berniesb!tch]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 3:40pm

I have to assume David Byrne is personally shoveling his own money into Here Lies Love to keep it open. I also feel like I remember seeing someone saying the producers were looking for additional money? 

I know it's been said ad nauseum but I can't believe it is still running. It's my favorite show open right now, so I'm grateful it is, but baffled none the less.

Happy to see Kimberly have a good week.

Updated On: 10/10/23 at 03:40 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 3:48pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "You've just started a duplicate thread.

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=1157684"

This is the. Broadway World report for grosses. Playbill just happened to release theirs an hour earlier.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 3:51pm

Awesome to see so much green indicating a rise in sales though!

[MayAudraBlessYou2]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 3:52pm

I'm still shocked that Melissa Etheridge isn't pulling in more money/people. Perhaps it just isn't advertised well enough? Or perhaps her fanbase doesn't overlap enough w/ Broadway tourism? 

And I haven't poked around to check...but the fact that A Beautiful Noise has had such an upswing, yet is still leaving so many empty seats on the table, I have to think they thy have priced their house incorrectly. Usually if you see folks paying that kind of top dollar for a show when there are still a bunch of open seats, it means you have a sizeable portion of seats that look unappealing to the customer. I wonder if they restructured their price map if they would be closer to 100% capacity.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 4:54pm

Loving seeing these big increases for most show.

HLL is fighting hard to survive. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 4:55pm

Posted this in the other thread:

 

Some nice bumps these last several days for the long IPD weekend. 

Should be interesting to see how much Moulin Rouge! rises in the coming weeks with Burgess starting his little stint tonight.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:01pm

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "I'm still shocked that Melissa Etheridge isn't pulling in more money/people. Perhaps it just isn't advertised well enough? Or perhaps her fanbase doesn't overlap enough w/ Broadway tourism?"

Both, I think. Buyers just don't care enough to sit in a theater with her for 2.5+ hours at Broadway prices. It didn't have any buzz off-Bway either, so I was surprised when it made the leap to CITS. (Worth noting she only does 4 shows a week, but still, that's an awful number...)

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:02pm

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "I'm still shocked that Melissa Etheridge isn't pulling in more money/people. Perhaps it just isn't advertised well enough? Or perhaps her fanbase doesn't overlap enough w/ Broadway tourism?

She had a very successful off Broadway run that many of her fans travelled for. I was a little confused why she wanted to open on Broadway. Even diehard fans aren’t made of money-they can’t  just turn around and come back. I know two couples obsessed with her (they do her cruises) and they won’t come back for Broadway after seeing her off Broadway. Tickets are more expensive on Broadway too. 
 

She has a healthy fan base, but she hasn’t had a hit in a very long time and she’s really not a legacy artist that would warrant non-fans lining up to see her. 

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:03pm

From the other thread:

A good bump for PURLIE, but still a bad number. Wonder if this is its peak.

Continually (pleasantly) surprised by SHUCKED.

Poor HLL. I assume they've received a priority loan or some infusion of cash?

SHARK IS BROKEN has more than a month left in its schedule run, which...woof.

I wonder if Jeffrey Seller regrets that SWEENEY isn't doing an 8th showeach week with De Waal/Nick Christopher (or Nick Christopher/Annaleigh) just to sell tickets to the casual buyer?

ABN's strategy seems to be working quite well because they aren't diluting the average ticket price. They seem to have narrowed in on a price point that appeals to enough buyers, at least for now. And I assume with that 74% number, the weekends & mats are much fuller than weeknights

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:06pm

Nice to see that even with Josh Gad out Gutenberg continues to climb. I think this could be a Million Dollar a week show by the end of its run (most weekends are sold out)

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:07pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Nice to see that even with Josh Gad out Gutenberg continues to climb. I think this could be a Million Dollar a week show by the end of its run (most weekends are sold out)"

Wasn't Gad only out for one performance (Sat matinee and then returned for the evening show)?

[steve.sometime]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:18pm

For those wondering where does HLL get the money to keep running, they're clearly going all out on marketing to reach the audiences. There have been multiple TV performances in the past week, David Byrne is doing late night talk show, I've seen YouTube/podcast interviews with Conrad, Arielle, Jose, they got The Black Eyed Peas to do DJ gigs, they put out new ticketing packages. They're fighting to keep it open. And I hope it works!!!

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:19pm

Yes he was only out for one show but someone posted there were alot of people lining up for refunds (how true that was who knows) but I think it bodes well for people being willing to stick around if only one is out ect

 

 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:23pm

steve.sometime said: "For those wondering where does HLL get the money to keep running, they're clearly going all out on marketing to reach the audiences. There have been multiple TV performances in the past week, David Byrne is doing late night talk show, I've seen YouTube/podcast interviews with Conrad, Arielle, Jose, they got The Black Eyed Peas to do DJ gigs, they put out new ticketing packages. They're fighting to keep it open. And I hope it works!!!"

 

This is a clear example of hemorrhaging money on a show that simply does not work. I understand some people love it and that's great but GP does not care about it. They're just postponing the inevitable imo

Updated On: 10/10/23 at 05:23 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:24pm

steve.sometime said: "For those wondering where does HLL get the money to keep running, they're clearly going all out on marketing to reach the audiences. There have been multiple TV performances in the past week, David Byrne is doing late night talk show, I've seen YouTube/podcast interviews with Conrad, Arielle, Jose, they got The Black Eyed Peas to do DJ gigs, they put out new ticketing packages. They're fighting to keep it open. And I hope it works!!!"

Yes, that's great that they're working every angle. I just wonder where the funds are coming from to keep running; they're bleeding money even if the creative team & service providers are have waived weekly fees/royalties to get the running cost down.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 5:59pm

ABN continues to remain in the top ten for average ticket prices. Those (4) matinees are selling extremely well now.

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 10/10/23 at 10:54pm

steve.sometime said: "For those wondering where does HLL get the money to keep running, they're clearly going all out on marketing to reach the audiences. There have been multiple TV performances in the past week, David Byrne is doing late night talk show, I've seen YouTube/podcast interviews with Conrad, Arielle, Jose, they got The Black Eyed Peas to do DJ gigs, they put out new ticketing packages. They're fighting to keep it open. And I hope it works!!!"

I think it's too late... they should have been advertising and doing the talk show circuit a long ass time ago.  I'm really surprised they haven't posted closing yet.  

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/11/23 at 12:11am

Late Night talk shows haven't been happening because of the WGA strike, they just came back last week, thus the influx of Broadway guests the first week and a half back

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/11/23 at 12:23am

MayAudraBlessYou2 said: "I'm still shocked that Melissa Etheridge isn't pulling in more money/people. Perhaps it just isn't advertised well enough? Or perhaps her fanbase doesn't overlap enough w/ Broadway tourism?

And I haven't poked around to check...but the fact that A Beautiful Noise has had such an upswing, yet is still leaving so many empty seats on the table, I have to think they thy have priced their house incorrectly. Usually if you see folks paying that kind of top dollar for a show when there are still a bunch of open seats, it means you have a sizeable portion of seats that look unappealing to the customer. I wonder if they restructured their price map if they would be closer to 100% capacity."

I disagree.  I think they have a niche of boomers who don't go to the theatre often, are Neil Diamond fans, and have the money to pay full-price for the most part.  However, there are not enough of then to fill up the theatre, and there is very little demand beyond them.  As long as they continue to buy tickets, it'll be fine (certainly a lot finer than I would have expected, since it's a lousy show).  IT will be very interesting to see how long this contradictory situation lasts.

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/11/23 at 1:33am

“They should have been advertising” is such an ignorant and unhelpful thing to say. The show has a weekly advertising budget and agencies overseeing it all, and if you’re not seeing the efforts directly that is fine - you’re probably not the target audience.

With regard to Press, a show does not simply “do the talkshow circuit.” The talkshows all have bookers & producers. They’re deciding between every musical (and non-theatre things). Colbert doesn’t want to be sloppy seconds if a show has already done Fallon, etc. Talent costs & travel all add up, and there are logistical things too. Almost every musical *wants* to do TV appearances, few get to do it. And at the end of the day it doesn’t move the needle significantly, not in the long run.


Press and advertising are entirely different things and sometimes get mislabeled. Here's the most bare-bones explanation of each of the 4 areas of Broadway communications:

PRESS is arranging appearances with third-party outlets: interviews or performances on TV talkshows shows/online videos, news stories, critics, etc. The show does not pay the outlet for this coverage.

ADVERTISING is developing the logos and advertising creative, buying/scheduling 15-second/30-second ad spots, print ads, digital programmatic ads, paid social ads, search, developing copy, the website, email blasts, analyzing sales in relation to advertising spend, etc.

MARKETING is stuff like the free babysitter with the purchase of a ticket, or a partnership with Uber, or hotel concierge outreach.

SOCIAL MEDIA is the content put out by the show on FB, TikTok, Insta, etc.

Sometimes the same agency handles more than one of the above departments. such as AKA doing Advertising & Marketing, Situation Interactive doing Social & Digital, and O&M doing Press.

Updated On: 10/11/23 at 01:33 AM

[JasonC3]

Posted: 10/11/23 at 2:06am

^ A very informative post, but you know what also is unhelpful?  When you open with and unnecessarily insult another person's comment as "ignorant."  I don't get why someone does this as I can't imagine it makes that person receptive to your otherwise useful information.

Updated On: 10/11/23 at 02:06 AM

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 10/11/23 at 2:36am

You've just started a duplicate thread.

The name Rob is different than the name Jorge. The fact that you didn't delete/edit that mistake is such an ignorant and unhelpful thing to say. You'd think someone who does nothing but post 24/7 would know where the edit button is. Weird. 

Anyways, so happy that Jaja's African Hair Braiding and Purlie Victorious have both improved but they need a bigger attendance. Hey Fellow Whites: See a Black play, it won't hurt I promise!

Here Lies Love has a choice to make: Either they stick with it through the holidays, or they call it. They have offered everything from babysitting to DJ club nights, nothing is working. This isn't 10 years ago and its time has passed, sadly. 

Updated On: 10/11/23 at 02:36 AM