Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 5/7/23- Page 3

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 4:39am

Sebastian said: "Honestly, even if Kimberly Akimbo wins the 8 categories it is nominated on I don't see it as the kind of show to even surpass 1 million weekly grosses, but as with Spring Awakening I hope that doesn't mean it won't become a runaway hit."

Agreed. It's a small theatre and I don't think people will pay the prices necessary for $1 mil, even if they do start to pay a lot more. In order to pass $1 mil, they'd need to make $161.71 per seat (average price across both sold and unsold seats to control for attendance fluctuations). Their best week (Christmas/New Years week) they made $109.04 per seat ($674,356 in total grosses). I could see them doing better for a while post-Tonys, but not over $50 better. 

[WestEndGal]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 6:02am

BWNUT said: "RippedMan said: "Sutton Ross said: "For the most part, high art wins Tonys, and high entertainment sells more tickets. Rarely do the two intersect these days...

Correct.The Academy Awards gave Best Picture to a brilliant but not popular film. Meanwhile, it was Top Gun: Maverick that brought people back to cinemas and made over a billion dollars."

I see your point but Everything Everywhere All At Once was made for $14m and made $140m...so I'd say it was both - high art and hight entertainment."

Everything Everywhere All At Once high art? A lot of people will disagree."

Yeah I thought EEAAO was dreadful - such a slog to get through! lol

[MadsonMelo]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 12:58pm

I don't think ''Kimberly'' can do $1m a week in such a small theater. Even huge stars like Bradley Cooper and Steve Martin (as a writer) only did two or three times in their runs.

I believe the only show to consistently do that was the revival of ''Boys in the Band'' and that was HUGE.

What I would like to know is how much cost to run, I believe is something around $450-500k.

[Penna2]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 3:34pm

bear88 said: "Jarethan said: "Icon it amazing that Funny Girl managed to have the highest average ticket price while only selling 3/4 of its seats. I do imagine it will pick up significantly once tourists start hitting town in numbers and people begin to focus on its early September closing."

Things have gotten a little unusual, with the much lower prices recently and the show available on TKTS even when Lea Michele is on.

I assume you’re right, as you guessed on theFunny Girlthread, that prices will go up during the summer and as the closing approaches. Late August ticket prices are a lot higher on that assumption. It’s too rich for my blood. I am willing to overpay to a certain extent, but not $335 for side orchestra seats on a weeknight. I wonder if others have sticker shock too, or if the tickets toward the end will get snapped up even by people who have seen it before."

This production is worth it - with this cast (the chemistry is magical) - and may not come around again for another 50 years, if then. That's why the ticket prices are high and are going to stay high. Once it's gone - it's gone - forget the DC or tour productions unless there is a miracle. It isn't about seeing a show, but seeing an event.

[bear88]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 4:27pm

Penna2 said: "bear88 said: "Jarethan said: "Icon it amazing that Funny Girl managed to have the highest average ticket price while only selling 3/4 of its seats. I do imagine it will pick up significantly once tourists start hitting town in numbers and people begin to focus on its early September closing."

Things have gotten a little unusual, with the much lower prices recently and the show available on TKTS even when Lea Michele is on.

I assume you’re right, as you guessed on theFunny Girlthread, that prices will go up during the summer and as the closing approaches. Late August ticket prices are a lot higher on that assumption. It’s too rich for my blood. I am willing to overpay to a certain extent, but not $335 for side orchestra seats on a weeknight. I wonder if others have sticker shock too, or if the tickets toward the end will get snapped up even by people who have seen it before."

This production is worth it - with this cast (the chemistry is magical) - and may not come around again for another 50 years, if then. That's why the ticket prices are high and are going to stay high. Once it's gone - it's gone - forget the DC or tour productions unless there is a miracle. It isn't about seeing a show, but seeing an event."

I am not questioning any of that. I was planning to see the show on my March trip. (Lea Michele was out, so we canceled.)

But while prices are still high, they’re down. The percentage of occupied seats have dropped a fair amount. The musical is now available at the TKTS booth almost every day, not just on Thursdays. This is the best time to see Funny Girl since Michele started with the show. Prices remain reasonable through the end of July.

And then we hit August, and prices soar. None of this may help me, because my quick trip to New York City for a different reason is in the revival’s final week. And the show, with Michele, has been a huge success.

I’m just noting that it seems to be running out of steam, with the producers not hiking prices until the revival’s last month. Are people really going to pay huge premiums to see the show in August when they can see it for half the price before then? I guess so, but that seems foolish. I can’t justify spending more than $200 extra for a pair of tickets than I was going to pay in March [when it was going to be the most expensive show on a trip that included Sweeney Todd]. If the producers are guessing right, more power to them.

[Huss417]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 6:25pm

@bear88

I was able to grab seats last week on TKTS for about 120.00 a ticket. I asked several times if Lea Michele was in as it was one of the first times I have seen it up on the board. Ended up with Orchestra 8th row two in from the middle aisle seats. They seemed like house seats to me.

Updated On: 5/12/23 at 06:25 PM

[bear88]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 8:10pm

Sounds like it, and good for you. My timing and luck just haven’t worked out as far as seeing Funny Girl even though I will be in New York City twice this year (and possibly a third time this fall). 

The Music Man and Hello, Dolly! were exceptions, but most revivals lose steam after a year or before. That seems to be happening with Funny Girl, though it’s still doing fine and will probably pick up this summer. But demand has gotten a little soft for the first time since September. I was surprised to see it on TKTS.

Unfortunately, that probably won’t help me in late August, when prices are quite high already and may not come down because it’s the last week.

[ChorusKitty]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 1:08am

The most magical cast on Broadway in 50 years??? At "Funny Girl"?!?!?  

Well, I'm glad you found your bagel on a plate of onion rolls then.  LOL

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 1:28am

A BUNCH of dates for Kimberly Akimbo just went up on a notable papering site...

[mshalo18]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 8:31pm

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "A BUNCH of dates for Kimberly Akimbo just went up on a notable papering site..."

I'm sad to say I'm not surprised. I was at the matinee today, and the people around me either bought at TKTS or like me, had won the lottery. It's sad, because I enjoyed the show far more than I expected to- it deserves a bigger audience.