Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 11/17/24

[Rob]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:02pm

Click below to access all the Broadway grosses from all the shows for the week ending 11/17/2024 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: YELLOW FACE (6.7%), MAYBE HAPPY ENDING (4.9%), TAMMY FAYE (4.3%), HAMILTON (2.7%), OUR TOWN (2.5%), CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB (1.6%),

Down for the week by attendance (% of capacity) was: BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL (-23.2%), CHICAGO (-14.4%), THE GREAT GATSBY (-8.9%), MJ THE MUSICAL (-8.4%), & JULIET (-8.2%), MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL (-7.2%), THE NOTEBOOK (-7.1%), HELL'S KITCHEN (-5.9%), WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (-4.9%), THE BOOK OF MORMON (-4.9%), THE LION KING (-4.2%), ELF (-4%), LEFT ON TENTH (-3.8%), HADESTOWN (-3.3%), SWEPT AWAY (-2.2%), SUNSET BLVD. (-2%), ALADDIN (-2%), DEATH BECOMES HER (-1.9%), SUFFS (-1.9%), THE ROOMMATE (-1.8%), THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA (-1.5%), ONCE UPON A MATTRESS (-1.1%), SIX (-1%), THE OUTSIDERS (-0.6%), HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD (-0.4%), A WONDERFUL WORLD: THE LOUIS ARMSTRONG MUSICAL (-0.2%), STEREOPHONIC (-0.1%),

Click Here to Visit the BroadwayWorld Grosses...

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:13pm

And with that, we have officially reached the halfway point of the 2024-25 Broadway season. Total gross is up 12% compared to this point in 2023-24, but mainly because there are a higher number of shows playing and attendance has risen along with it.

The previous week coincided with a long holiday weekend, so expectedly, most shows saw a dip in their box office receipts. Nice to see a few plays and the still-unsustainable MAYBE HAPPY ENDING buck that trend.

I don't mean to get political, but dare I say Nicole's stunt may have actually increased attention and intrigue for SUNSET BOULEVARD?

 

 

[Ricey2]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:14pm

Maybe Happy Ending, baby, we are so proud of you. Keep going!!

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:16pm

When do Tammy Faye, Maybe Happy Ending close?  The cast, development and technical (MHE) costs have put these shows in a massive hole not to mention rent on a full month delay for the set.   Tiny 4% increases on both?   WOW.   Those tiny upticks are not enough at all.  Not sure how they are still running, or considering to, much longer.  The Shuberts are knocking at the door now...

Swept Away is doing a bit better.  Maybe reviews tonight will boost them.
Elf's numbers will grow with the holidays. Surprising Harry Potter is declining. 

Sunset is a hit regardless.  And should be.
Looks like Glengarry will end up at the Belasco.   And maybe Ragtime for Palace, if that rumor is true?

Updated On: 11/19/24 at 01:16 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:27pm

Tammy's uptick in attendance was due to its opening week- houses leading up to the opening were papered for critics and then of course the opening night itself. But the fact it only went up 4% in attendance is a terrible sign, on top of it grossing what I have to imagine is much less than half its weekly cost. I would be shocked if we don't get a closing announcement in the coming days, this just isn't even remotely sustainable, regardless of the deep pockets behind it.

MHE has a nice bounce that will likely encourage its producers to hold on, but it really needs to grow that substantially and very quickly. The holiday weeks could help, but it is really, really hard to emerge out of such a hole.

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:35pm

Does the capacity number reflect tickets sold, or people who actually attended?

[Kad]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:37pm

Attendance is recorded by tickets scanned upon entry.

[binau]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:38pm

It reflects the number of tickets booked, which also includes comps and does not reflect actual attendance (ie a no show would still count as a ticket booked). 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:38pm

MHE has a nice bounce that will likely encourage its producers to hold on, but it really needs to grow that substantially and very quickly. The holiday weeks could help, but it is really, really hard to emerge out of such a hole."

MHE did not have much of a bounce at all. 4.9% in attendance and a tiny adjustment in average ticket price.  We would be looking for a closing date.  The Shuberts won't go for those numbers.

Updated On: 11/19/24 at 01:38 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:42pm

CoffeeBreak said: "
We wouldn't find MHE to have much of a bounce at all. We would be looking for a closing date. The Shuberts won't go for those numbers."

Okay, Queen Victoria.

[TigerBait88]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 1:49pm

Just moved a trip from April to January to try and see Maybe Happy Ending before it closes but it seems closing will be announced soon. These numbers even after all the great reviews still indicate a big financial loss. I am so heartbroken. Don’t think I can afford a trip any sooner than first week of January…

I am so confused though, as others have suggested, the capacity number seems odd. MHE seemed to sell out at least three shows this week through several points of evidence. The capacity seems quite low then because the ticket maps and TKTS availability didn’t suggest 70% houses for the other half of the performances. Just…odd. 

Updated On: 11/19/24 at 01:49 PM

[Dkinny23]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 2:09pm

TigerBait88 said: "Just moved a trip from April to January to try and see Maybe Happy Ending before it closes but it seems closing will be announced soon. These numbers evenafter all the great reviews still indicatea big financial loss. I am so heartbroken.Don’t think I can afford a trip any sooner than first week of January…

I am so confused though, as others have suggested, the capacity number seems odd. MHEseemed to sell out at least three shows this week through several points of evidence. The capacity seems quite low then because the ticket maps and TKTS availability didn’t suggest 70% houses for the other half of the performances. Just…odd."

Don't quote me, but I believe it's because they don't sell all of the seats in the theater. If you look at almost any future show, all of the extreme sides are greyed out for every single show, in addition to a few other seats that are directly behind poles. I don't think it's because those tickets have been bought. I think it's because of the sightlines. 

Fingers crossed this stays open for you, it's such an incredible show! I am so overly stressed about a potential closing announcement. I have tickets for my whole family around Christmas time and am praying it lasts at least long enough for them to experience this beauty of a show! 

[Ravanne_1]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 2:14pm

MHE is on life support. The reviews are basically the ventilator, but these numbers just are not good for a brand new show that got strong reviews. They have not made back their operating costs since previews started and if numbers trend like this for the next week or so, I'll expect a closing announcement before the end of the year.

It wasn't a great week because a lot of shows are down, but when shows are regularly pulling in $1 million plus per week, they can stand the occasional weaker week. But it looks like all of the recently opened shows are just barely treading water. This is a really strange season and the new few weeks are going to be critical to see if any of them survive past the holidays.

[carolinaguy]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 2:21pm

binau said: "It reflects the number of tickets booked, which also includes comps and does not reflect actual attendance (ie a no show would still count as a ticket booked)."

OK, that makes sense. I attended McNeal the other week and they reported 100% capacity, but I could count at least 12 seats that remained empty for the entire performance from where I was sitting. They were in groups of two and four, so I assumed they were parties that just didn't make it to the show.

[Ravanne_1]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 2:38pm

Dkinny23 said: "Don't quote me, but I believe it's because they don't sell all of the seats in the theater. If you look at almost any future show, all of the extreme sides are greyed out for every single show, in addition to a few other seats that are directly behind poles. I don't think it's because those tickets have been bought. I think it's because of the sightlines.!"

The Belasco has a maximum capacity of 1,016 seats, but given the obstruction issues cause by the set they have blocked off sections as unsellable. The grosses table show a maximum capacity of 7,904 seats for the week, and when you divide that by the 8 performances, that ends up being 988 seats per performance as their maximum. I then look at the number of unsold seats to get a better sense of how the show is selling. There are currently (as of 11am when I last checked) 388 seats available for the 7pm show on Friday and 423 seats for 7pm on Saturday. No matter how you break it down, these are not good capacity numbers. Obviously, I do expect a good percentage of the seats to sell before showtime, but this is not a show that is selling out by any stretch of the imagination. Even with the regulars discounts being made available. 

[CJRochester]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 3:12pm

CoffeeBreak said: "MHE did not have much of a bounce at all. We would be looking for a closing date. The Shuberts won't go for those numbers."

What are you talking about? MHE had a 53% bounce, way more than the 4% you stated in a previous post. That number still isn't great, but it shows upward momentum. 

 

[CJRochester]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 3:14pm

I just noticed Sunset beat Lion King, wow! 

[Dkinny23]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 3:22pm

Ravanne_1 said: "Dkinny23 said: "Don't quote me, but I believe it's because they don't sell all of the seats in the theater. If you look at almost any future show, all of the extreme sides are greyed out for every single show, in addition to a few other seats that are directly behind poles. I don't think it's because those tickets have been bought. I think it's because of the sightlines.!"

The Belasco has a maximum capacity of 1,016 seats, but given the obstruction issues cause by the set they have blocked off sections as unsellable. The grosses table show a maximum capacity of 7,904 seats for the week, and when you divide that by the 8 performances, that ends up being 988 seats per performance as their maximum. I then look at the number of unsold seats to get a better sense of how the show is selling. There are currently (as of 11am when I last checked) 388 seats available for the 7pm show on Friday and 423 seats for 7pm on Saturday. No matter how you break it down, these are not good capacity numbers. Obviously, I do expect a good percentage of the seats to sell before showtime, but this is not a show that is selling out by any stretch of the imagination. Even with the regulars discounts being made available."

Ahh thanks for that explanation, I am not as nuanced in the specifics. Agreed advanced sales are not great, but I've been watching sales on ticketmaster daily and almost every night it becomes sold out or just about sold out. So it's selling well, just not in advance yet. I think the momentum has started to pick up (well clearly, based on the recent Grosses report) but it obviously needs to do better. I'm doing everything I can to try and spread the love and spread the knowledge of this show to others. It deserves to stay on and be seen by many. 

[jordgoldberg]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 3:39pm

Closing notice for Tammy Faye is up. 12/8

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 3:42pm

If only MHE could hold on until nominations, they would have a good chance.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 3:48pm

Hold on until noms? They're fighting to make it to the first of the year. 

[Sauja]

Posted: 11/19/24 at 3:55pm

MHE needs a lot of help, but it’s likely that not everyone who bought a ticket after seeing the reviews bought for a performance right away. A 60% increase over the previous week is significant. It might not be enough, but it MIGHT herald brighter days ahead. I’m rooting for it. I suspect the next two weeks will answer all of our questions about whether there’s going to be a significant enough bump to save it.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/20/24 at 2:57pm

I had mentioned yesterday that our total gross at the season's midway point was 12% higher than the same point in 2023-24... out of curiosity, I just did the math and our current total gross marks just over a 2.5% decrease from the first half of 2019-20. (It concluded the week ending November 24, 2019, before COVID cases were first reported in Wuhan and the pandemic started to escalate.)

37 shows were running last week, compared to 35 of them five years ago at this time.

 

Updated On: 11/20/24 at 02:57 PM

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 11/20/24 at 3:51pm

A friend commented this week that rush for Maybe Happy Ending is in the balcony with an extremely obstructed view because of the set. He still loved the show, but I couldn't help but think - for a show that is struggling, wouldn't it be a better idea to offer better seats for rush? I feel like people who rush shows are some of the people who speak most passionately about it afterwards. They need all the good PR they can get...

[Dkinny23]

Posted: 11/20/24 at 4:19pm

QueenAlice said: "A friend commented this week that rush for Maybe Happy Ending is in the balcony with an extremely obstructed view because of the set. He still loved the show, but I couldn't help but think - for a show that is struggling, wouldn't it be a better idea to offer better seats for rush? I feel like people who rush shows are some of the people who speak most passionately about it afterwards. They need all the good PR they can get..."

I would assume their plan is to use the cheaper tickets for rush (which end up being obstructed view) to allow people to actually purchase the more expensive and full price tickets. Also the people who end up getting rush, undoubtedly loving the show, will then want to splurge on a full price ticket for a much better view. I get your sentiment but believe this is their strategy for a reason. 

I can speak on my own balcony rush ticket (center balcony row F seat 101). I actually didn't find it all that terrible. It definitely wasn't the best seat in the house and I felt very far away. I had to lean forward anytime they went to the front of the stage, but truthfully nothing all that important happens when they are up there and it's not all that often. The majority of what you want to see (the amazing set, transition scenes, and hologram screens) are all fully visible from the balcony. Obviously center balcony being better than the sides. I was bummed when I got balcony for rush and attempted to exchange it or even stand (which they didn't let me do) but by the end of the show I was actually quite pleased with my seat. That being said, I just bought seats for center mezzanine for next month (hopefully it stays open) to get a better, more direct view.