Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 9/17/23- Page 2

[seaweedjstubbs]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 5:51pm

Bill Snibson said:

“Let's not forget that productions are incurring big costs due to covid testing and taking on covid management teams."

Most shows dropped weekly testing requirements and let go their COVID management teams back in the spring. People only test now if they’re feeling sick.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 6:47pm

Similar grosses to last week.

It's great to see Kimberly holding steady and Shucked finding it's way.

I worry about Here Lies Love....not sure how long they can hold on. Maybe it's time to follow Ken Davenport and shake up the schedule......

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 6:50pm

I know it is hard to judge its prospects after three performances but it is kind of wild that Gutenberg made more in three shows then several shows made in an entire 8 show week. 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 6:50pm

I don’t think a schedule change will help HLL- nobody is skipping it because of when it’s performing. 
 

It is another victim of nearly ineffectual marketing: no televised performances, vague advertising. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 6:53pm

Kad said: "I don’t think a schedule change will help HLL- nobody is skipping it because of when it’s performing.


It is another victim of nearly ineffectual marketing: no televised performances, vague advertising."

 

And star Lea Salonga left and is no longer in the show. She was the big draw for many including us to see this! They need to do something with casting or it will be gone by the new year!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 6:56pm

hearthemsing22 said: "ElephantLoveMedley said: "RippedMan said: "Saddens my heart that crap shows like Back to the Future are thriving but the new interesting musicals are all struggling."

I loathedBack to the Futureon almost all levels artistically but I will always commend successful commercial theatre."

At least you do-some people on this board apparently don't want to see it succeed. How is reaching $1M bad? What do others expect it to be? Someone business savvy please explain, not someone who just wants to bad mouth the show"

It has a very high weekly running cost closer or at $1M so while it’s making a little money it’s going to have to run a very long time to make any money back. For example a show like Hamilton or Funny Girl which had moderately normal running costs for a musical but we’re making double or more so they paid back their investors quicker. 

[RUkiddingme]

Posted: 9/19/23 at 10:58pm

Supporting bad theater is not good for theater

Back To The Future is really bad!  Sure, some people might like it, but that doesn't change the face that it's really bad.

And word of mouth might be why their numbers are already sliding in the wrong direction.

The show is not gonna be a long running hit. 

Updated On: 9/20/23 at 10:58 PM

[uncamark]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 11:19am

And you are an elitist snob.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 11:41am

RUkiddingme said: "Supporting bad theater is not good for theater

Back To The Future is really bad! Sure, some people might like it, but that doesn't change the face that it's really bad.

And word of mouth might be why their numbers are already sliding in the wrong direction.

The show is not gonna be a long running hit."

Theater is subjective. Just because YOU think it's bad, doesn't mean it actually is bad. Your opinion is your opinion and no one cares. 

 

[saxpower]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 12:48pm

Kimberly Akimbo is still making money, but barely. It likely won't make it past January, but for that's in line with what you would expect for a run for such a quirky little musical that could.I am going to assume they announce in October a January closing and try ride out "Last chance to see this year's Tony Winner for best musical."While 14 months is less than the runs forFun HomeandThe Band's Visit, which both ran for about 16 months with how the calendar shaped up it still respectable for a musical with no recognizable names, IP, and a concept that's hard to convey through marketing materials.
 

Has there been any word about what's going on cast-wise after the one-year anniversay in November?  If the original leads don't stay on, an announcement in October can't note  "last chance to see Tony winners Victoria Clark or Bonnie Miligan" which may affect how long it stays open. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 12:51pm

I get that theater is subjective, but I also think it's okay to want more. I don't think everything needs to be Fun Home or A Band's Visit to be "good." But I think we can want more out of a well-known IP and expect more. Look at "The Lion King" and "Shrek." Both have excellent scores and were terrific productions. 

[DrMonicaDeMoneco]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 1:10pm

saxpower said: "Kimberly Akimbo is still making money, but barely. It likely won't make it past January, but for that's in line with what you would expect for a run for such a quirky little musical that could.I am going to assume they announce in October a January closing and try ride out "Last chance to see this year's Tony Winner for best musical."While 14 months is less than the runs forFun HomeandThe Band's Visit, which both ran for about 16 months with how the calendar shaped up it still respectable for a musical with no recognizable names, IP, and a concept that's hard to convey through marketing materials.


Has there been any word about what's going on cast-wise after the one-year anniversay in November? If the original leads don't stay on, an announcement in October can't note "last chance to see Tony winners Victoria Clarkor Bonnie Miligan" which may affect how long it stays open."

This is not a dig at Bonnie and Victoria, but I highly doubt people are seeing this show specifically to see them. 

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 2:48pm

RippedMan said: "I get that theater is subjective, but I also think it's okay to want more. I don't think everything needs to be Fun Home or A Band's Visit to be "good." But I think we can want more out of a well-known IP and expect more. Look at "The Lion King" and "Shrek." Both have excellent scores and were terrific productions."

Of course it's okay to want more, but that's what YOU want. Others are satisfied with the production. A friend recently saw BTF and raved about it. Ironically, this same friend hates the Lion King. Her opinion. I don't like Shrek at all and "wanted more." My opinion. Different from your opinion. That's okay. 

[LuckyDipster]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 4:47pm

I can appreciate that Back To The Future isn't for everyone, but here's a thing: I love it enough that I am flying over from the UK to see the Broadway cast after enjoying the London production a couple of times.  While I'm here, I'll see some other shows that I wouldn't have otherwise made the trip for.  So it may be very low brow in the eyes of some, but it is bringing people like me, who see it as a really fun time with like-minded fans, onto Broadway.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 5:11pm

That's amazing. People should see what makes them happy and people's opinions (who didn't even see it!) should not/do not matter. 

Have the best time, LuckyDipster!

 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 5:15pm

LuckyDipster said: "I can appreciate thatBack To The Futureisn't for everyone, but here's a thing: I love it enough that I am flying over from the UK to see the Broadway cast after enjoying the London production a couple of times. While I'm here, I'll see some other shows that I wouldn't have otherwise made the trip for. So it may be very low brow in the eyes of some, but it is bringing people like me, who see it as a really fun time with like-minded fans, onto Broadway."

And we have got to understand that not every show is for every person. I'm so thrilled you love it enough to come to the US. I completely support you. It's the snobs who think everything has to be *Insert show here*, when really, the great thing about theater is that there will always be shows that might target specific audiences, and some shows that won't. But there are always other options. It's not like Broadway only has one show. So there's no need for other people -not you, LuckyDipster- to badmouth a show. Just move on and let people enjoy it. You're wasting your time putting it down. 

[saxpower]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 5:27pm

DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "saxpower said: "Kimberly Akimbo is still making money, but barely. It likely won't make it past January, but for that's in line with what you would expect for a run for such a quirky little musical that could.I am going to assume they announce in October a January closing and try ride out "Last chance to see this year's Tony Winner for best musical."While 14 months is less than the runs forFun HomeandThe Band's Visit, which both ran for about 16 months with how the calendar shaped up it still respectable for a musical with no recognizable names, IP, and a concept that's hard to convey through marketing materials.


Has there been any word about what's going on cast-wise after the one-year anniversay in November? If the original leads don't stay on, an announcement in October can't note "last chance to see Tony winners Victoria Clarkor Bonnie Miligan" which may affect how long it stays open."

This is not a dig at Bonnie and Victoria, but I highly doubt people are seeing this show specifically to see them."

Its still an advertising point for people seeing to just "see a show".  The other question, from a practical standpoint, is how much of an expense/hassle would it be to hire/train new cast members for just a few months.   BTW I'm not looking for ways to predict KA's demise, just noting the anniversary (assuming one year contracts) may play a role in the schedule. (Actually I'm seeking KA one week after the anniversary). 

[LuckyDipster]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 5:33pm

Sutton Ross said: "Have the best time, LuckyDipster!"

😊 Thank you.  Will do!

 

[Kad]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 5:57pm

Hilarious that the only people going on about how everybody’s opinions are different are the ones jumping down the throat of somebody for expressing their opinion.  

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 6:42pm

I could understand someone looking down their nose at a tourist trap like BTTF in a universe where "better" shows were clamoring to snag the Winter Garden, with producer $$ all lined up, but couldnt because BTTF was in the way. What a nice world it would be, in my opinion, if millions of people wanted to pay money to see shows like Kimberly Akimbo and Here Lies Love and Purlie Victorious, which would run for years in enormous theaters. 

But since those three "better" shows are struggling to sell tickets, shouldn't we WANT big shows like BTTF to generate money, and employ hundreds of people? On what planet is its success not helpful BOTH for the people who seem to enjoy it, AND for the snobs (of which I am one, as I have zero desire to see it) who don't? 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 7:27pm

Kad said: "Hilarious that the only people going on about how everybody’s opinions are different are the ones jumping down the throat of somebody for expressing their opinion."

Hilarious that you have called out Ripped Man and told him he should see all the shows he talks about constantly a few months ago. Weird. 

 

 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 8:38pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "I could understand someone looking down their nose at a tourist trap like BTTF in a universe where "better" shows were clamoring to snag the Winter Garden, with producer $$ all lined up, but couldnt because BTTF was in the way. What a nice world it would be, in my opinion, if millions of people wanted to pay money to see shows like Kimberly Akimbo and Here Lies Love and Purlie Victorious, which would run for years in enormous theaters.

But since those three "better" shows are struggling to sell tickets, shouldn't we WANT big shows like BTTF to generate money, and employ hundreds of people? On what planet is its success not helpful BOTH for the people who seem to enjoy it, AND for the snobs (of which I am one, as I have zero desire to see it) who don't?"

I get what you're saying and totally agree with it. But back to my original point, I think it's okay to want better/more? Like I think Back to the Future - if he had really great original songs or maybe was a successful juxbox type musical could be fantastic and I'm all for a big, splashy production, but, to me, it doesn't seem like a show that needs to be a musical. Like the music is all kind of bland and bad. I think Moulin Rouge is a terrific production of something that be a "tourist trap." I think it is well done and very entertaining. This... not so much. 

Also, since this is the grosses thread, by comparison it might seem to be doing very well, but it has a really high running costs so while the numbers are a little different from like Here Lies Love, it's not exactly making tons of money. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 9:44pm

I dont disagree with any of that RippedMan, but the list of Things We Want is likely a very long one. It would be great if BTTF was better than it is reported to be (havent seen it) but its certainly doing well, and sounds like we can both appreciate and welcome that success while walking on by to the emptier seats at Kimberly Akimbo or whatnot.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 9:55pm

Totally. But I guess what I’m saying is that it saddens men that these cash grab movie to musicals are thriving but the more artsy interesting things are struggling because it means producers are likely to now only invest in that. That said, I don’t see Back to the Future lasting very long 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 9/20/23 at 11:21pm

BTTF has started off stronger than most of us expected but I have no idea how long it could last at this level. If we believe the reports of it having a running cost of about $1M a week, it could certainly stand to improve and will be in trouble if it starts dipping below that.

Would also love to know the breakdown of its buyers of tristate area vs tourists. Usually tourists are not reached on mass early in a show's run. This might be proving otherwise.