Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 12/16/18

[Rob]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 3:07pm

Click below to access all the Broadway grosses from all the shows for the week ending 12/16/2018 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 was: HEAD OVER HEELS (6.7%), THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (4.8%), AMERICAN SON (2.3%), ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (1.7%), MEAN GIRLS (1.4%), WICKED (1.3%), THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT (0.5%), THE NEW ONE (0.4%), TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (0.3%), HAMILTON (0.2%), THE LION KING (0.2%), COME FROM AWAY (0.1%), NETWORK (0.1%),

Down for the week by attendance was: RUBEN & CLAY'S FIRST ANNUAL CHRISTMAS CAROL FAMILY FUN PAGEANT SPECTACULAR (-12.2%), MY FAIR LADY (-7.9%), BEAUTIFUL (-6.9%), KINKY BOOTS (-5.7%), THE BAND'S VISIT (-5.0%), WAITRESS (-4.8%), CHICAGO (-4.5%), KING KONG (-4.5%), ANASTASIA (-4.2%), PRETTY WOMAN: THE MUSICAL (-4.0%), THE ILLUSIONISTS - MAGIC OF THE HOLIDAYS (-3.3%), THE CHER SHOW (-2.9%), SUMMER (-2.6%), THE PROM (-2.4%), THE WAVERLY GALLERY (-2.0%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-1.8%), THE FERRYMAN (-1.6%), TORCH SONG (-1.4%), ALADDIN (-1.0%), FROZEN (-0.6%), SCHOOL OF ROCK (-0.3%), THE BOOK OF MORMON (-0.2%),

Click Here to Visit the BroadwayWorld Grosses...

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 3:54pm

Nothing too surprising here. Most of the shows that are struggling have either already announced their closing dates or were limited runs to begin with. Waitress is sure to get a bump when Sara pops back into the pie shop. Not sure how long The Prom can hang on though. As HoH and OOTI have proven, some shows can continue to run a long time despite poor box office if they get an angel investor or just continue to make poor financial decisions.

[little_sally]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 4:01pm

How much longer can The Band’s Visit last?

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 4:11pm

It’s clearly not going to have the longevity of a DEH or Hamilton or even Kinky Boots, but it has already recouped and I can’t imagine its weekly nut is that high. Still, I believe it will likely run most of 2019 unless the deadly Jan. - Mar. season sees unsustainable drops in box office.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 4:15pm

Miles2Go2 said: "Nothing too surprising here. Most of the shows that are struggling have either already announced their closing dates or were limited runs to begin with. Waitress is sure to get a bump when Sara pops back into the pie shop. Not sure how long The Prom can hang on though. As HoH and OOTI have proven, some shows can continue to run a long time despite poor box office if they get an angel investor or just continue to make poor financial decisions."

I really want The Prom to hang in there. I haven't seen it yet (going next week!), but it looks like the kind of show that is right up my alley. I'm crossing my fingers that the producers keep it open in hopes of Tony nominations. 

I saw The Band's Visit over the summer, and am really hoping it can continue to find an audience. The scale isn't as grand as other Best Musical winners, but it was beautiful, intimate, and unique. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 4:56pm

Miles2Go2 said: "It’s clearly not going to have the longevity of a DEH or Hamilton or even Kinky Boots, but it has already recouped and I can’t imagine its weekly nut is that high. Still, I believe it will likely run most of 2019 unless the deadly Jan. - Mar. season sees unsustainable drops in box office."

Given their pricing strategy for Jan - Mar, i.e., $65 orchestra, $35 mezzanine, no premium, I am assuming that they are hoping for sellout audiences so they can last through the winter.  I imagine they could gross $450K a week at sellout, which means they will still lose money (I assume); I assume they felt that this was a better option than hemorrhaging even at TKTS prices, given all the competition for those TKTS buyers.

On a separate note, I have wondered for some time if this board likes TBV much more than the typical regular theatergoer.  I know about 15 - 20 people who have seen it, and I may be the person among that number who liked it the most.  The problem is that -- despite being familiar with the score, which I really like -- I was restless on more than a few occasions, despite the fact that it is only 90 minutes long.  On the night that I went, the other three people with whom I attended the performance -- all of whom attend at least 12 - 15 performances a year (vs. my 40-50 a year, which is nothing compared to a lot of people on this board) -- all said they were pretty bored throughout, although all thought that Katrina Lenk was outstanding and the theme of the show was commendable.  I suspect that this show has pretty much run its course, although I do admire the producer's creative approach to getting through the winter.  

[haterobics]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 4:58pm

I guess all the people who painstakingly interpreted the grosses each week are the same people who abandoned the site?

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 5:02pm

Some left by choice, others were suspended (I assume), and others such as Hogan are still here, but only chime in when they feel their input is needed.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 5:08pm

Jarethan said: "On a separate note, I have wondered for some time if this board likes TBV much more than the typical regular theatergoer. I know about 15 - 20 peoplewho have seen it, and I may be the person among that numberwho liked it the most. The problem is that -- despite being familiar with the score, which I really like-- I was restless on more than a few occasions, despite the fact thatit is only 90 minutes long. On the night that I went, the other three people with whom I attended the performance-- all of whom attend at least 12 - 15 performances a year (vs. my 40-50 a year, which is nothing compared to a lot of people on this board) -- all said they were pretty bored throughout, although all thought that Katrina Lenk was outstanding and the theme of the show was commendable. I suspect that this show has pretty much run its course, although I do admire the producer's creative approach to getting through the winter."

I can only speak for myself here, but I thought TBV was slow until it got to "Beat of a Heart." For me, that's when I was really pulled in to stories that were going on with the characters.

I describe TBV to friends in a few ways. One is that it's about what happens when strangers see parts of each other's lives they normally don't. Another is that it's like watching an indie or foreign film - some days you're in the mood for that, and some days you're in the mood for a blockbuster. Neither is inherently good or bad, but indie movies do tend to have more a niche audience.

Just my two cents.

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 5:13pm

Jarethan said: "I have wondered for some time if this board likes TBV much more than the typical regular theatergoer."

I think you’re probably correct. I personally loved TBV when I saw it November 2017 and if I can fit in into my schedule (I prefer to see new-to-me productions when I’m in NYC) before it closes I’d gladly see it again. However, I think this is the antithesis of what most tourists think of when they want to see the stereotypical Broadway show (big sets, big songs, big emotions, special effects, big themes spelled out in ALL CAPS). TBV is none of that. It’s substitutes minimal sets, intimate songs, nuanced emotions and themes instead. In that way, it has earned its comparisons to Fun Home, which also had a respectable run for such an intimate show. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 5:18pm

Kitsune said: "Jarethan said: "On a separate note, I have wondered for some time if this board likes TBV much more than the typical regular theatergoer. I know about 15 - 20 peoplewho have seen it, and I may be the person among that numberwho liked it the most. The problem is that -- despite being familiar with the score, which I really like-- I was restless on more than a few occasions, despite the fact thatit is only 90 minutes long. On the night that I went, the other three people with whom I attended the performance-- all of whom attend at least 12 - 15 performances a year (vs. my 40-50 a year, which is nothing compared to a lot of people on this board) -- all said they were pretty bored throughout, although all thought that Katrina Lenk was outstanding and the theme of the show was commendable. I suspect that this show has pretty much run its course, although I do admire the producer's creative approach to getting through the winter."

I can only speak for myself here, but I thought TBV was slow until it got to "Beat of a Heart." For me, that's when I was really pulled in to stories that were going on with the characters.

I describe TBV to friends in a few ways. One is that it's about what happens when strangers see parts of each other's lives they normally don't. Another is that it's like watching an indie or foreign film - some days you're in the mood for that, and some days you're in the mood for a blockbuster. Neither is inherently good or bad, but indie movies do tend to have more a niche audience.

Just my two cents."

Extremely well put on both points.  Re the latter point, the thing that is interesting FOR ME is that I have much more patience sitting though slowly paced indie films than through slowly paced Broadway shows.  I hate to admit it, but I think it has to do with comfort.  In a live performance, I always have to sit up straight, I sometimes have a problem with the heads in front of me; bottom line, I am rarely comfortable.  When I watch an indie, I am usually in a movie theatre that is not super-crowded, so I can find a seat where I am likely to not have someone right next to me (or in front), and I can slouch to my heart's content.  If I am home, I will stretch out on the sofa, although there are not as many indies available from home.  Being comfortable makes a big difference, and -- at least with TBV -- I was not comfortable.

[bdn223]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 5:36pm

Whats also working against TBV is the current Broadway Market place. When it won the Tony it was already competing against 2 Critic-Proof sell out musical adaptations of Pop pop culture icons (Frozen and Mean Girls, a play thats managing to sell $2M in tickets a week (HP), have several shows from the previous season that are also relatively unknow properties doing SRO bussiness, and then an unusually busy Fall with 6 new musicals and 6 new plays that are selling above 80% capacity weekly. It’s Tony award winning Buzz was gone by August when Pretty Woman with million dollar grosses despite being mostly panned.

I’d say the Fun Home comparison is pretty spot on, as Fun Home’s Tony Win was immediately overshadowed by Hamilton’s Broadway transfer.

[BJR]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 6:23pm

Don't think BAND's VISIT was ever competing with a PRETTY WOMAN audience. It definitely was appealing to the ticketbuyers giving FERRYMAN and NETWORK $1 million-weeks, however.

[AntV]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 7:14pm

Alec Baldwin really helped sell tickets for Celebrity Autobiography compared to it's previous performance.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 7:28pm

Yeah for THE CHER SHOW!!!

[Jarethan]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 9:17pm

bdn223 said: "Whats also working against TBV is the current Broadway Market place. When it won the Tony it was already competing against 2 Critic-Proof sell out musical adaptations of Pop pop culture icons (Frozen and Mean Girls, a play thats managing to sell $2M in tickets a week (HP), have several shows from the previous season that are also relatively unknow properties doing SRO bussiness, and then an unusually busy Fall with 6 new musicals and 6 new plays that are selling above 80% capacity weekly. It’s Tony award winning Buzz was gone by August when Pretty Woman with million dollar grosses despite being mostly panned.

I’d say the Fun Home comparison is pretty spot on, as Fun Home’s Tony Win was immediately overshadowed by Hamilton’s Broadway transfer."

I think you are correct re the analogy to Fun Home, but I pretty much disagree with everything else.  I Think Miles2Go2 hit it on the head.  It just doesn't appeal to the largest segment of the audience.  It is not really competing with Mean Girls and Frozen, etc; it is attracting a largely different audience, which is much smaller.  

The larger audience -- and there are ALWAYS EXCEPTIONS to any generalization -- just doesn't like TBV, that much, just like they didn't like Fun Home that much.  Let's face it, Best Musical or not, Fun Home was in a small theatre and it still couldn't fill the theatre at full price for most of the run it did have.  

I am guessing that, despite some advanced raves and a lot of excitement on this board, the same thing will happen with Hadestown...it will attract a very fervent and relatively small audience.  And it won't because it will have to compete with, say, Tootsie (and all the big shows in their Xth year), it will be because they will think it does not sound like their cup of tea, and they will decide to save the money on tickets, coming into the city, paying for dinner and parking, dealing with before and after theatre traffic, and instead go to dinner with friends or watch TV.

[Mike66]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 9:18pm

TBV is ONCE with a Mideast accent.

Nothing happens in the most interesting ways, in lives lived by very normal and yet interesting people. Just like the people we meet every day.  The people meet, they connect and they separate.

Then life goes on.

Maybe they learned something that makes the rest of life better.  Maybe not.  That's not the point.  It's 'a moment in the woods' and that's worth remembering.  By them.  And by us.

Every few years it's a good thing to settle back for an evening into remembering how good it is to just to be alive.  Then we can go back to the bombast of Broadway.

[HogansHero]

Posted: 12/17/18 at 9:56pm

why do these things always seem to devolve into a discussion of what individual people here think of a show. TBV has an audience, it has very positive reviews. who cares if someone here doesn't like it? This is a discussion of business, not taste. 

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 12/18/18 at 12:53am

I think a good show is a good show but I do wonder if I would have loved The Band's Visit as much if it hadn't been such an off-Broadway gem. I haven't seen the Broadway production. Framing and context matter. I have no criticism for the show's marketing. I can't say I've ever seen them pretend it's a big, flashy musical. And they can't really adapt the size of the theater or the pricing any more than they have to perhaps line up with the audience's expectations of this kind of "indie movie" storytelling. 

[Kitsune]

Posted: 12/18/18 at 1:05am

VintageSnarker said: "I think a good show is a good show but I do wonder if I would have loved The Band's Visit as much if it hadn't been such an off-Broadway gem. I haven't seen the Broadway production. Framing and context matter. I have no criticism for the show's marketing. I can't say I've ever seen them pretend it's a big, flashy musical. And they can't really adapt the size of the theater or the pricing any more than they have to perhaps line up with the audience's expectations of this kind of "indie movie" storytelling."

Prior to seeing TBV, I had read on this board about how it was a subtle, intimate piece. I think that really helped frame my expectations (well, that and I had seen the original movie ).

I agree that the marketing has never tried to pretend it's a big, flashy musical, but I wonder how many audience members got tickets without knowing anything other than that it won the Tony.

[mordav]

Posted: 12/18/18 at 4:28pm

Not a great start for Choir Boy. But i wonder if it will be another A Doll’s House, Part 2 - a slow start, although it was well received on the boards here, and when the critic’s reviews came in, the grosses increased sharply

[Miles2Go2]

Posted: 12/18/18 at 4:40pm

mordav said: "Not a great start for Choir Boy. But i wonder if it will be another A Doll’s House, Part 2 - a slow start, although it was well received on the boards here, and when the critic’s reviews came in, the grosses increased sharply"

But A Doll House, Part 2 was an open run, correct. Choir Boy has a closing date of February 17th so every week counts even more. 

[raddersons]

Posted: 12/18/18 at 4:48pm

HogansHero said: "why do these things always seem to devolve into a discussion of what individual people here think of a show. TBV has an audience, it has very positive reviews. who cares if someone here doesn't like it? This is a discussion of business, not taste."

Because we are humans and not robots. Human's greatest gift and is their ability to go off on tangents. It brings us together.

[Fordham2015]

Posted: 12/18/18 at 5:08pm

Miles2Go2 said: "mordav said: "Not a great start for Choir Boy. But i wonder if it will be another A Doll’s House, Part 2 - a slow start, although it was well received on the boards here, and when the critic’s reviews came in, the grosses increased sharply"

But A Doll House, Part 2 was an open run, correct. Choir Boy has a closing date of February 17th so every week counts even more."

Doll's House wasn't quite an open run- scheduled to close in July, but a new cast came in and was supposed to stay through January. But they weren't nearly as good as the original cast, so it closed in September.

Choir Boy was excellent and I hope it finds an audience soon. I've been recommending it far and wide.

[mordav]

Posted: 12/18/18 at 5:14pm

Miles2Go2 said: "mordav said: "Not a great start for Choir Boy. But i wonder if it will be another A Doll’s House, Part 2 - a slow start, although it was well received on the boards here, and when the critic’s reviews came in, the grosses increased sharply"

But A Doll House, Part 2 was an open run, correct. Choir Boy has a closing date of February 17th so every week counts even more."

 I could be wrong, but I think A Doll’s House, Part 2 was initially a limited engagement, that then extended (with the grosses falling off as the opening cast left). But anyway, hopefully the critics responses for Choir Boy will match the acclaim it has received here, and the grosses will increase accordingly.