Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 4/21/24

[Rob]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 1:34pm

Click below to access all the Broadway grosses from all the shows for the week ending 4/21/2024 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: PATRIOTS (10.7%), WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (10.1%), MARY JANE (9.2%), A BEAUTIFUL NOISE, THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL (7%), THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL (6.5%), THE WIZ (5.5%), SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET (3%), THE LION KING (2.5%), THE GREAT GATSBY (2.2%), MJ THE MUSICAL (2%), HADESTOWN (1.4%), HELL'S KITCHEN (1.4%), SIX (1.2%), THE BOOK OF MORMON (0.8%), THE NOTEBOOK (0.7%), ALADDIN (0.6%), AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE (0.4%), APPROPRIATE (0.4%), MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL (0.1%), CABARET AT THE KIT KAT CLUB (0.1%), UNCLE VANYA (0.1%),

Down for the week by attendance (% of capacity) was: LEMPICKA (-19.1%), SUFFS (-4.8%), HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD (-4.2%), CHICAGO (-4%), DOUBT: A PARABLE (-3.1%), KIMBERLY AKIMBO (-2.6%), THE WHO'S TOMMY (-1.9%), & JULIET (-1.8%), BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL (-1.7%), WICKED (-0.9%), THE OUTSIDERS (-0.8%), HAMILTON (-0.5%), MOTHER PLAY (-0.5%),

Click Here to Visit the BroadwayWorld Grosses...

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 1:39pm

JFC, Heart of Rock and Roll. Ouch. 

[barcelona20]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 1:41pm

A lot to parse through, but my main takeaway is that there are just too many shows right now.

[BdwyFan]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 1:42pm

Remember: Cabaret had only 4 selling performances this week.  2 openings and 2 benefits (Wintour and Grey) so that makes sense.  Numbers will jump next week! 

[GoldenGiggery]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 1:48pm

BdwyFan said: "Remember: Cabaret had only 4 selling performances this week. 2 openings and 2 benefits (Wintour and Grey) so that makes sense. Numbers will jump next week!"

Same with Stereophonic and Hell’s Kitchen having opening night performances. They’ll both have higher grosses next week. 
 

Heart of Rock and Roll also opened, but even with that, woof….thats low. If next week is this dire also, I think we can expect a closing notice for end of May. 
 

RIP Lempicka, you’re toast. A 20% attendance drop the week following an open, with VERY similar numbers, is entirely revealing.

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 1:53pm

Outsiders has the legs to hold on for quite a bit. Its grosses have increased each week and word of mouth is so strong that it could do some really strong business over the summer. I adore the show and am really rooting for it to become the hit I believe it deserves to be.

Gatsby intrigues me. I loved the show and am thrilled its doing well business-wise but I think it's too early to make any predication as to its fate. I would love for it to be the surprise hit of the season no one was expecting (myself included). The next two months will show whether it has staying power or not. Same goes with Suffs. Too early to tell but its strong chances at getting Tony love will give us a clearer picture.

I think Back to the Future will continue to run through the remainder of the year. It should get tremendous business over the summer but I could see them closing after the holiday season this year. I'm sure the producers know that the real money will be made for them on tour.

Also, completely surprised by the staying power of & Juliet. Do we know if it has recouped yet?

Updated On: 4/23/24 at 01:53 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 1:59pm

Lol at the $25 increase for Doubt. I guess they went out with a bang!

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:08pm

Water for Elephants- wow! Good for them. I was not expecting numbers like that. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:11pm

Great Gatsby and Wiz were always going to be money-makers in my mind, as they have two of the more recognizable new titles of the spring. No surprise whatsoever. 

Back to the Future is our next Lion King, like it or not.

Lempicka and Heart of Rock and Roll will both announce their May 12 closings next Tuesday, that's been known for months now. The only thing left to ask is at what time? I think Lempicka pulls the trigger around 1 PM, while Rock and Roll follows early that evening at an hour to places. 

35+ simultaneously running Broadway shows — most of them without big-name celebrities — seems to be way too much for a post-pandemic environment. If anything, I'm just glad we're getting lots of new cast recordings this season. 

 

 

[yyys]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:13pm

LOTS of older people at the Great Gatsby this past weekend - the name alone sells. 

 

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:15pm

yyys said: "LOTS of older people at the Great Gatsby this past weekend - the name alone sells.

"

It is so bad.  

[singer234]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:19pm

Gatsby’s average ticket price isn’t the greatest but it looks like they’re also selling some of the most seats per week on Broadway. I wonder whether this will become a Waitress/Chicago type situation where they can plug people in to continue renewed interest.

 

Water For Elephants is really shocking me. Good for them. A good jump for The Outsiders too. Suffs feels like it’s in the wrong season to me.

[GoldenGiggery]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:20pm

AKarp2013 said: "My predictions:

Lempickacloses by May 5 no matter the Tony Award nomination chances.Heart of Rock and Rollwill follow suit unless they get some decent Tony love (which they just might).

Heart of Rock and Roll got surprisingly good reviews, it’s possible it could at least stick around till Tony noms and go from there. Crazier things have happened! 

I thinkNotebookand Water for Elephantswill both closeby Labor Day weekend if not sooner.

Water for Elephants just extended ticket sales to Feb 2025, which seems about right, given that their attendance could be better, but they’ve got a sturdy gross and avg ticket price. Tony Noms will be crucial to their realistic longevity, but I think they’re in a more secure spot than Notebook, which seems to have already passed its peak. Summer tourist business will definitely determine if they survive into the Holidays.

Outsidershas the legs to hold on for quite a bit. Its grosses have increased each week and word of mouth is so strong that it could do some really strong business over the summer. I adore the show and am really rooting for it to become the hit I believe it deserves to be.

SAME! I really want this show to succeed, and of all the Book/Movie to Theatre shows running right now, it looks like it has the strongest shot with audiences. 

Gatsbyintrigues me. I loved the show and am thrilled it’s doing well business-wise but I think it's too early to make any predication as to its fate. I would love for it to be the surprise hit of the season no one was expecting (myself included). The next two months will show whether it has staying power or not. Same goes withSuffs.Too early to tell but its strong chances at getting Tony love will give us a clearer picture.

Suffs absolutely needs Tony love to prosper. I don’t think it snubbing or failing to get much recognition would cause it to collapse, but with so much casual fare out for the coming summer, it needs all the added buzz it can get. 
 

Gatsby I think will stick around for a while. Audiences REALLY seem to respond well to it, and I’m sure the Shuberts are just relieved to have a decent show running there for now (RIP Here Lies Love 🩷).


I thinkBack to the Futurewill continue to run through the remainder of the year. It should get tremendous business over the summer but I could see them closing after the holiday season this year. I'm sure the producers know that the real money will be made for them on tour.

That’s what I’ve been thinking. With that tour coming up, I think they’ll stick it out until January and then call it quits. It’s too expensive to run, and they made a big mistake opening so early in the season. I foresee it getting very overlooked for the Tony’s. 

Also, completely surprised by the staying power of& Juliet.Do we know if it has recouped yet?"

Last I heard, they were fairly close to recouping. I’m not surprised this one has stuck around. Millenials LOVE it, and it’s got a strong following with LGBTQIA peeps. 

 

[binau]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:26pm

With today's costs I wouldn't say the Gatsby numbers are THAT encouraging. Ok it might not be dead on arrival (cf. Lempicka) but the producers still have their work cut out for them to sell tickets. 

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:39pm

When I saw Gatsby the audience was restless and bored.  Word of mouth will kill it off .  WE SHALL SEE.  

[OrchardAndRivington]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:40pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Back to the Future is our next Lion King, like it or not."

Not with those grosses it isn't. BttF has been struggling to elevate to bonafide hit status since it opened. It is probably barely breaking even most weeks and has only played to sold out houses 3 weeks since it opened.

The Winter Garden has too much potential profit for the Shuberts to let an underperforming show stay there long term. They kicked Mamma Mia out for Rocky thinking a new show would be more profitable for them, they will do the same to Back to the Future, which will not have a 12 year run and Millions of dollars in profit... 

Updated On: 4/24/24 at 02:40 PM

[Wick3]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:44pm

BdwyFan said: "Remember: Cabaret had only 4 selling performances this week. 2 openings and 2 benefits (Wintour and Grey) so that makes sense. Numbers will jump next week!"

So the 2 benefits were comp’d? I see the average ticket price for the 6 shows is around $130, a drop from around $230 last week. 

Also, is there standing room at August Wilson for this revival of Cabaret? This week it stated capacity is over 100%.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:45pm

My overall take away is that this season is just too full. Too crowded. They're trying to do too much. It's overwhelming. Really disappointing because it means a lot of shows will close within the next few weeks/months. 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 2:50pm

I find it positively sad that the top 3 grossing shows have run an average of 17 years each, with Hamilton only bringing in 7 years into that average (I even netted out the time they were closed due to Covid).  Further, 10 out of the top 10 grossers are either long-runs or revivals.  The shortest run for the newer shows is MJ at 964 performances, including 5 weeks of previews.  

I just don't understand why the Lempicka producers don't close now and cut their losses.  I guess they are assuming that tourists will flock to see it in droves after it wins the Tony for Best Musical of the Season.  Snarky, I admit, but what are they thinking.

I certainly hope that Suffs sees some big improvements in the coming weeks.  That $76 average ticket price has to go up substantially in a theater as small as the Music Box.

I guess the producers of The Wiz did one really smart thing.  They booked a huge, not in demand, theatre, and probably got a good deal on it; as a result, they can heavily discount tickets ($117 average ticket price) and still have big grosses ($1.49 Mill).  I suspect this will do great business over the course of the summer, as it is one only two shows that should heavily target black family adiences, and the other one has been open for 25 years and carries a much higher ticket price.

PS -- Back to the Future is NOT our next Lion King.  Lion King has been playing to (at worst, close to) full houses for the entirety of its run and has never been on TKTS (I am sure someone will correct me and say that they were on TKTS right after reopening).  Its average ticket price has always been at or close to the top of the shows open.  It was highly praised -- even if it has its detractors (including me) who long ago concluded that it doesn't hold up to repeated viewings the way some shows have -- and it has won a bunch of accolades.  Back to the Future is almost always at TKTS and discounts lots of tickets beyond that venue.  Its average ticket price this week was $100, compared to Lion King's $170, the latter after running for25 years (again leaving out the 18 months that were closed due to Covid).  ITs reviews were pretty bad overall and, while I don't know for sure, I suspect that in its first year it has probably already had some weeks where it did not make its nut.  The most exciting thing I have heard about it (I have not seen it and doubt that I ever will, admittedly) is the car's curtain call.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 3:02pm

The mixed reviews for The Wiz won't matter, it'll be a hot ticket this summer . 

Gatsby will be doing Thursday matinees beginning next week, which will appeal to the older crowd.  Them and A Beautiful Noise will be the only shows offering them this Spring.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 3:06pm

singer234 said: "Gatsby’s average ticket price isn’t the greatest but it looks like they’re also selling some of the most seats per week on Broadway. I wonder whether this will become a Waitress/Chicago type situation where they can plug people in to continue renewed interest.



Water For Elephants is really shocking me. Good for them. A good jump for The Outsiders too. Suffs feels like it’s in the wrong season to me."

I thought that I read on this board that WFE's weekly nut is $950K.  If that is the case, they are probably in big trouble, as they have already been open a month and haven't really gotten any sort of consistent uptick.  If they can hold out a while, they may be able to eek out a summer run, but that presumes that enough of their competition closes quickly. 

[Kad]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 3:10pm

Lempicka is toast regardless of what happens with Tony nominations, and it seems unlikely it’ll pick up a nod for Best Musical anyway. The best it can hope for is best actress, best featured actress, maybe score, and one or two technical elements, and that’s most plausible best case scenario. None will change the dial for it. 
 

Heart of RnR is better positioned to score a Best Musical nod and in theory a fun performance on the telecast could help it, particularly when fun is in short supply this season. However it’s so far in a hole right now I’m not sure anything can really dig it out, nor am I sure it can hold out for five or six more weeks at these numbers to even make it to the Tonys.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 3:12pm

GoldenGiggery said: "AKarp2013 said: "My predictions:

Lempickacloses by May 5 no matter the Tony Award nomination chances.Heart of Rock and Rollwill follow suit unless they get some decent Tony love (which they just might).

Heart of Rock and Roll got surprisingly good reviews, it’s possible it could at least stick around till Tony noms and go from there. Crazier things have happened!

I thinkNotebookand Water for Elephantswill both closeby Labor Day weekend if not sooner.

Water for Elephants just extended ticket sales to Feb 2025, which seems about right, given that their attendance could be better, but they’ve got a sturdygross and avg ticket price. Tony Noms will be crucial to their realistic longevity, but I think they’re in a more secure spot than Notebook, which seems to have already passed its peak. Summer tourist business will definitely determine if they survive into the Holidays.

Outsidershas the legs to hold on for quite a bit. Its grosses have increased each week and word of mouth is so strong that it could do some really strong business over the summer. I adore the show and am really rooting for it to become the hit I believe it deserves to be.

SAME! I really want this show to succeed, and of all the Book/Movie to Theatre shows running right now, it looks like it has the strongest shot with audiences.

Gatsbyintrigues me. I loved the show and am thrilled it’sdoing well business-wise but I think it's too early to make any predication as to its fate. I would love for it to be the surprise hit of the season no one was expecting (myself included). The next two months will show whether it has staying power or not. Same goes withSuffs.Too early to tell but its strong chances at getting Tony love will give us a clearer picture.

Suffs absolutely needs Tony love to prosper. I don’t think it snubbing or failing to get much recognition would cause it to collapse, but with so much casual fare out for the coming summer, it needs all the added buzz it can get.


Gatsby I think will stick around for a while. Audiences REALLY seem to respond well to it, and I’m sure the Shuberts are just relieved to have a decent show running there for now (RIP Here Lies Love 🩷).


I thinkBack to the Futurewill continue to run through the remainder of the year. It should get tremendous business over the summer but I could see them closing after the holiday season this year. I'm sure the producers know that the real money will be made for them on tour.

That’s what I’ve been thinking. With that tour coming up, I think they’ll stick it out until January and then call it quits. It’s too expensive to run, and they made a big mistake opening so early in the season. I foresee it getting very overlooked for the Tony’s.

Also, completely surprised by the staying power of& Juliet.Do we know if it has recouped yet?"

Last I heard, they were fairly close to recouping. I’m not surprised this one has stuck around. Millenials LOVE it, and it’s got a strong following with LGBTQIA peeps.

I don't think their opening date would impact their chances at all.  Its reviews were mediocre, probably worse than any of the current batch (with the exception of Lempicka).  None of the performances received much praise in a season in which a lot of really well reviewed performances are not going to get nominated.  What categories do you think it would have been a serious contender for by opening now vs. August??  I don't see it at all.

 

[Hope Lombardo]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 4:52pm

thanks for these great reports, Rob...super interesting to read. 

[MerchMan]

Posted: 4/23/24 at 5:39pm

Oh Huey, this is NOT good News!!!