Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 7/2/23- Page 2

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 6:11pm

BETTY22 said: "I'm surprisedHere Lies Love isn't doing better.

I wonder what it's break even is each week?"

It hasn't even opened yet and it's a holiday week where most NYC-ers are out of town. 

[pethian]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 8:51pm

RippedMan said: "BETTY22 said: "I'm surprisedHere Lies Love isn't doing better.

I wonder what it's break even is each week?"

It hasn't even opened yet and it's a holiday week where most NYC-ers are out of town."

True. But I had assumed that any show opening in the summer was doing so to grab the summer tourist market. As others have noted, the touristy shows did well last week. BTTF did exceptionally well and it too has yet to open. I also thought HLL would have done better. But as you say, it's early and a difficult week to deduce much from.

Updated On: 7/5/23 at 08:51 PM

[Ensemble1686998462]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 9:30pm

pethian said: "RippedMan said: "BETTY22 said: "I'm surprisedHere Lies Love isn't doing better.

I wonder what it's break even is each week?"

It hasn't even opened yet and it's a holiday week where most NYC-ers are out of town."

True. But I had assumed that any show opening in the summer was doing so to grab the summer tourist market. As others have noted, the touristy shows did well last week. BTTF did exceptionally well and it too has yet to open. I also thought HLL would have done better. But as you say, it's early and a difficult week to deduce much from."

That's exactly what ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME was going for. I know Britney isn't Michael Jackson, but one would have thought she had enough of a fanatical following to achieve something similar on a smaller scale and at least make the show a summer hit. Where are all the out of state/foreign Britney fans? And where is the promo in general? They didn't even take advantage of Pride month which, along with women, is the shows main audience target. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 9:52pm

Where are all the out of state/foreign Britney fans?

Oh, they're at MJ because it's not garbage. 

[Ke3]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 10:13pm

The thing is, Britney fans like Britney. The music is part of the cultural consciousness and many of us love it, but the major major fans are devoted to the person. OUAOMT has zero connection to Britney the woman beyond using her music. If it was a bio musical it'd likely be doing world's better. The other option (and less salacious) is what they went with, fashioning a show around the hits. I just think the show they landed on doesn't gel with the Britney idea. Fairytales but "modern"? Done to death. Britney, like Madonna, is Americana to her core even with the european producers in the background. I would've done something more directly related to the 90s/00s. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 10:15pm

 If it was a bio musical it'd likely be doing world's better.

She didn't want that and would anybody actually want to see all that sexism/control/obsession with her virginity/abuse from her family on stage? 

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 11:16pm

Yeah there's no way to do a Britney bio-musical that isn't just sad. If you try to ignore the tragedy in her life, you'd just end up causing an uproar among the fans. 

Updated On: 7/5/23 at 11:16 PM

[JSquared2]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 11:30pm

: "If it was a bio musical it'd likely be doing world's better.

Yeah right —because people would be beating down the doors to hear the big Act I showstopper —-“LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE!!!”
 

 

[broadfan327]

Posted: 7/5/23 at 11:34pm

RippedMan said: "Why is everyone clutching their pearls over KA? It’s making money. It’s the smallest theater. It’s not gonna be making money on the scale of Back to the Future. It’s doing great business! Happy to see it making some $$."

They essentially stayed open to win the award, and best winners of Best Musical have had their fortunes go up a lot as a result of the win, which does not seem to be happening.  There is a lot of posts on this board worrying about the Tonys, and it is disheartening to some here that they don't have the power they once did.

[Dusoleilcanwhistle]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 12:28am

I would be concerned if I was "Here Lies Love" - yes, it's a tourism driven week and people leave town, but for a show that is supposed have a cult following from it's previous life, you would expect the grosses to be somewhat frontloaded pre-reviews and that is not the case here.

I did enjoy seeing the show recently, but it is NOT for everyone and very much not for most tourists (who aren't seeking out challenging art for the most part). This show was always going to be a tough sell on Broadway, and while I'm sure they'll get a boost from positive reviews and Lea Salonga's guest appearance, I would be genuinely surprised if this was still running in February. 

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:05am

Are they advertising? TV wise that is? (HLL)

im actually more worried about Once Upon A One More Time!! I thoroughly enjoyed the show (it’s fun and has a good message) but from these grosses I don’t see it lasting past Labor Day! 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 7:22am

broadfan327 said: "RippedMan said: "Why is everyone clutching their pearls over KA? It’s making money. It’s the smallest theater. It’s not gonna be making money on the scale of Back to the Future. It’s doing great business! Happy to see it making some $$."

They essentially stayed open to win the award, and best winners of Best Musical have had their fortunes go up a lot as a result of the win, which does not seem to be happening. There is a lot of posts on this board worrying about the Tonys, and it is disheartening to some here that they don't have the power they once did."

But how is that happening? It’s grosses did go up… 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 8:21am

Ke3 said: "The thing is, Britney fans like Britney. The music is part of the cultural consciousness and many of us love it, but the major major fans are devoted to the person. OUAOMT has zero connection to Britney the woman beyond using her music. If it was a bio musical it'd likely be doing world's better. The other option (and less salacious) is what they went with, fashioning a show around the hits. I just think the show they landed on doesn't gel with the Britney idea. Fairytales but "modern"? Done to death. Britney, like Madonna, is Americana to her core even with the european producers in the background. I would've done something more directly related to the 90s/00s."

Britney has said over and over again she does not want her story to be told from somebody else's perspective. She's in her 40s so she still has a long way to go in her career (if she wants to of course) so a bio-musical at this point is a terrible idea. In fact, Baz Luhrmann while promoting Elvis hinted he'd love to make a movie based on Britney's life but she's not easy to convince. Perhaps once her memoir is released next year, she might sell the rights for an adaptation and her story will be told from her own eyes.

As a huge Britney fan, I can tell you the idea of princesses make perfect sense to me since she'll be forever known as 'Princess of pop' and she's always loved fairy tales as well. I think one of the main problems is that most fans were waiting for Britney's approval before seeing this musical, and I know a few of them are planning to see in the coming months. Another problem is the title. Even though I love it I think it does not sell as expected. I would have re-titled the musical before hitting Broadway, perhaps something like 'One more time: a Britney Spears fairy tale'

 

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 8:45am

Sutton Ross said: "Where are all the out of state/foreign Britney fans?

Oh, they're at MJ because it's not garbage."

I'm actually pretty surprised a man with a very questionable past has a musical on Broadway. He was a music genius for sure but it's like having a musical based on Roman Polanski imo

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 9:23am

pablitonizer said: "Sutton Ross said: "Where are all the out of state/foreign Britney fans?

Oh, they're at MJ because it's not garbage."

I'm actually pretty surprised a man with a very questionable past has a musical on Broadway. He was a music genius for sure but it's like having a musical based on Roman Polanski imo"

I'm not surprised in the slightest. If there is even an off chance for money to be made, a Broadway producer will produce it. They aren't known for thinking before spending, whether that means making questionable financial decisions or producing a problematic show that they know will make money. 

I have made a conscious effort to avoid MJ (even turned down a free ticket). But, it's undeniable there is a huge number of people who truly believe that the claims against him are completely false and huge number of people who just don't care about them. 

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 9:25am

broadfan327 said: "RippedMan said: "Why is everyone clutching their pearls over KA? It’s making money. It’s the smallest theater. It’s not gonna be making money on the scale of Back to the Future. It’s doing great business! Happy to see it making some $$."

They essentially stayed open to win the award, and best winners of Best Musical have had their fortunes go up a lot as a result of the win, which does not seem to be happening. There is a lot of posts on this board worrying about the Tonys, and it is disheartening to some here that they don't have the power they once did."

It has had 3 of its 4 best weeks ever since the Tonys (the other week being between Christmas and New Years) so I'm not sure what you're talking about...

[lapinitsa]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 11:32am

Dusoleilcanwhistle said: "I would be concerned if I was "Here Lies Love" - yes, it's a tourism driven week and people leave town, but for a show that is supposed have a cult following from it's previous life, you would expect the grosses to be somewhat frontloaded pre-reviews and that is not the case here.

I did enjoy seeing the show recently, but it is NOT for everyone and very much not for most tourists (who aren't seeking out challenging art for the most part). This show was always going to be a tough sell on Broadway, and while I'm sure they'll get a boost from positive reviews and Lea Salonga's guest appearance, I would be genuinely surprised if this was still running in February."

But if it's "not for everyone and very much not for most tourists"--and I suspect you are right--why would they choose to open in the summer?

[Ke3]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 1:06pm

If everybody could like read instead of reflexively responding to what you think I said, you'll see that I never suggested that OUAOMT should be a bio musical. The question was asked why aren't the Britney diehards turning up for it and I merely presented a theory. Fans of pop cultural figures feel deeply connected to them and they are always seeking ways to deepen that connection. Biopics give audiences that connection they're always craving. MJ is a great example. That is perhaps the most famous catalog of songs ever. They could've fashioned anything around them and filled the theatre. There's a reason they still landed on a biographical piece despite the challenges that left the creative team facing.

 

As I was getting at in the second part of my message though, if anybody's music could stand up to Mama Mia-fication it's Britney's. I think the story they landed on just falls flat to both die hards and regular people. The elevator pitch for it stinks and apparently the show itself stinks too. What about "Snow White sings Britney Spears" is supposed to appeal to the millennial audience that 90s nostalgia is aimed at. Make it gayer. Make it sillier. Make it smarter.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:15pm

I saw it last night and it was a lot of fun. But, the story was simultaneously predictable and confusing. We knew exactly where it was going from the opening scene. But, we were very frequently confused by what we were watching.

We laughed a lot. But we were laughing at the show and how absurd it was and not at anything in the book. I honestly couldn't tell if they were in on the joke or not. 

[Dusoleilcanwhistle]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:41pm

lapinitsa said: "Dusoleilcanwhistle said: "I would be concerned if I was "Here Lies Love" - yes, it's a tourism driven week and people leave town, but for a show that is supposed have a cult following from it's previous life, you would expect the grosses to be somewhat frontloaded pre-reviews and that is not the case here.

I did enjoy seeing the show recently, but it is NOT for everyone and very much not for most tourists (who aren't seeking out challenging art for the most part). This show was always going to be a tough sell on Broadway, and while I'm sure they'll get a boost from positive reviews and Lea Salonga's guest appearance, I would be genuinely surprised if this was still running in February."

But if it's "not for everyone and very much not for most tourists"--and I suspect you are right--why would they choose to open in the summer?"

Honestly, I think it was a big mistake. They should have opened in the spring and tried to win some Tonys and used that buzz to keep afloat for a lot longer. The Broadway had been dark for over a year while they transformed the theater so perhaps they were told they had to open by a certain date by the Shuberts in their agreement to give them the space? Whatever the reason, barring some miracle that turns this into a pop-culture phenomenon, it will be challenging to keep the show open past the end of the year IMHO. Not rooting against the show, just trying to be honest about where everything seems to be heading. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 2:57pm

lapinitsa said: "Dusoleilcanwhistle said: "I would be concerned if I was "Here Lies Love" - yes, it's a tourism driven week and people leave town, but for a show that is supposed have a cult following from it's previous life, you would expect the grosses to be somewhat frontloaded pre-reviews and that is not the case here.

I did enjoy seeing the show recently, but it is NOT for everyone and very much not for most tourists (who aren't seeking out challenging art for the most part). This show was always going to be a tough sell on Broadway, and while I'm sure they'll get a boost from positive reviews and Lea Salonga's guest appearance, I would be genuinely surprised if this was still running in February."

But if it's "not for everyone and very much not for most tourists"--and I suspect you are right--why would they choose to open in the summer?"

 

We have a friend that works for a Times Square hotel as concierge-tickets for Broadway and the top 5 new shows tourists want to see are: 

• Sweeney Todd
• & Juliet
• Shucked
• Parade
• Back to the Future

Followed by:

• Hamilton
• Moulin Rouge
• MJ
• Wicked
• Aladdin
• Lion King

Updated On: 7/6/23 at 02:57 PM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:09pm

Has Once Upon A One More Time done any press performances yet? Like GMA or the Today Show? 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:11pm

HERE LIES LOVE is opening at a weird time of year and I'm sure they expect some losses during previews. The key now is that they will need love letter reviews to tell people "this is an experience worth seeing," so the show can build a sales narrative around that. As with KPOP (another high-concept experiential show), its off-bway run happened so long ago that there isn't any buzz from the previous incarnations.

There are savvy people amongst its laundry list of producers. They must focus more on the show as an experience, the pedigree of the 4 creators, and less on any sort of "groundbreaking" element, which is fine for press but bad for sales.

Good video content and the budget to spread it around will go a long way.

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:21pm

Call_me_jorge said: "Has Once Upon A One More Time done any press performances yet? Like GMA or the Today Show?"

Not yet but It's coming soon. It's been already booked as a cast member confirmed

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 7/6/23 at 3:28pm

It warms my heart to see Shucked on that list! I'm hoping Shucked can be a surprise hit!