Hello, Dolly! Crashes at Box Office without Midler. Falls Below $1 Mi

[DAME]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 9:34pm

This is their take on it.  Yes; I know we all read the grosses. 

 

http://www.showbiz411.com/2017/07/07/broadway-hello-dolly-without-bette-midler-crashes-at-box-office-falls-below-1-mil-for-week

Updated On: 7/9/17 at 09:34 PM

[binau]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 9:41pm

I am surprised it didn't fall further. I wonder how many people thought they were seeing Bette. 

Rudin is probably happy with the outcome, surely. 

[DAME]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 9:43pm

I don't know about that.  These are probably the same kind of numbers he would get with someone like Bernadette.  Doesn't look good.   And with Donna people that want to see her are going in a concentrated period of time.  So demand and interest outside of the hardcore theater devotees doesn't look that great. 

Updated On: 7/8/17 at 09:43 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 9:45pm

When casting somebody like Donna Murphy as the alternate, they clearly were not expecting the same numbers as Bette while she's on vacation. 

 

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 9:48pm

ljay889 said: "When casting somebody like Donna Murphy as the alternate, they clearly were not expecting the same numbers as Bette while she's on vacation. 

 

 

"

Obviously,  But numbers should have been little better.  Whatever initial interest there is with Donna won't grow beyond what they are getting now. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 10:08pm

It's still making money though. 

[ljay889]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 10:15pm

RippedMan said: "It's still making money though. 

 

"

Exactly, I'm not seeing how 936K is this huge disappointment. It was never going to be comparable to what Bette brings in. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 10:18pm

Their headline is comically melodramatic. Who was honestly expecting the show to sell out with Bette absent? It's really not a big deal, it's not like it performed on a horrifically, epically bad scale. Plus, Bette's back on Tuesday, so this isn't really a "story," IMO.

[EthelMae]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 10:18pm

This info is as surprising as Dolly with Midler shattering all Shubert Theatre Box Office receipts. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 10:46pm

The fact that it still grossed nearly a million is pretty darn great. 

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 10:52pm

BroadwayConcierge said: "Their headline is comically melodramatic. Who was honestly expecting the show to sell out with Bette absent? It's really not a big deal, it's not like it performed on a horrifically, epically bad scale. Plus, Bette's back on Tuesday, so this isn't really a "story," IMO.

 

"

It is also comical how defensive everyone gets.  

[carnzee]

Posted: 7/8/17 at 11:03pm

The author is deliberately misleading, if not dishonest. He compares Donna's average ticket price (106.31)to the premium prices for Bette's shows(499-799).

Apples and oranges. If you compare Donna's average ticket price to Bette's most recent average ticket price (197) you get a decrease of about $90, which isn't too bad for Donna. 

He also says Bette is leaving by the end of the year, which isn't true. 

[binau]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 12:19am

I can't speak for Rudin or his strategy - but if we think about what Donna Murphy's purpose is it's hard to see how it is too much of a failure in my opinion.

Basically, there is a cost issue I believe that even though Midler is only doing 7 shows a week - everyone is still getting paid for the full week. The theatre is still getting rent. All the overhead expenses associated with running a Broadway show are still present regardless of whether there are 7 or 8 performances. So bringing Donna Murphy in can hopefully bring some extra revenue without much extra cost - as I believe it is doing. A win on that part.

And it's the same case for MIdler's absence - closing the show for a week is a very expensive exercise. The overheads still remain and I BELIEVE (but correct me if I'm wrong) everyone is still getting paid - but $0 revenue to show for it. By bringing in Donna Murphy they've potentially saved hundreds of thousands of $$$ because they've probably been able to break even for the week without Midler. Again, it's hard to see why Rudin would consider this a failed strategy - the show will do fine and recoup once Midler returns. I mean, of course it's always nice to have some extra $$ in the bank. But it's hard to believe Rudin was betting on Murphy to do this - that's what Midler is for. 

[carnzee]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 12:28am

qolbinau said: 


The overheads still remain and I BELIEVE (but correct me if I'm wrong) everyone is still getting paid - but $0 revenue to show for it.

 

I was wondering this myself. 

[Princeton2]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 12:55am

Surely he should be pleased? close to a million is more like the average broadway show. Sunset at the larger Palace Theatre was hitting $1-1.2million and seen as a big hit, yet Dolly at a smaller theatre with a non famous lead is a disaster. i wouldnt even say Donna is in the Bernadette league of name recognition.

Bettes numbers are the exception rather than the rule, helped by charging crazy high premium tickets for a lot of the theatre. Yes she brings in a lot but also costs alot.You cant judge this production the same way you can thr majority of shows without knowing the actual breakdown of costs. 

[chernjam]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 1:10am

I'm no fan of Hello Dolly, or Bette Middler, but honestly - this must be a slow news day...  How many shows would kill for grosses like Hello Dolly got with Donna last week?  Particularly for 4th of July weekend.  Just ridiculous.  I'm sure they've already budgeted/sold out enough that the show will make it's money back and then some.  And will probably at least find one good replacement to keep it running by this time next year.  As it is, some family and friends who went to see Bette a few weeks ago (and were very excited for it) were disappointed with her performance - even though they enjoyed the show.  A new star, a new press night, the show will definitely have life in it.

[gypsy101]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 3:03am

yeah i think $936k is still pretty good tbh. i wish she had done a bit better though.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 5:24am

I'm surprised it's not even lower, since Murphy is not famous. A lot of people already bought tix thinking they will see Bette and maybe they're coming from out of town and it's too much trouble to cancel a whole trip, etc.

[aasjb4ever]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 6:41am

carnzee said: "The author is deliberately misleading, if not dishonest. He compares Donna's average ticket price (106.31)to the premium prices for Bette's shows(499-799).

Apples and oranges. If you compare Donna's average ticket price to Bette's most recent average ticket price (197) you get a decrease of about $90, which isn't too bad for Donna. 

He also says Bette is leaving by the end of the year, which isn't true. 

 

Yeah hi, let's all take a look at the author's bio, shall we?

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.

Stirring the pot over nothing is this guy's M.O.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 7:30am

This is all reminiscent of the opposite syndrome: when Glenn took her vacation from "Sunset..." the first time around, and Karen Mason went on, the production tried to pretend it was the same show, with or without Glenn, truly the opposite of the branding here of Midler-as-Dolly-as-Event.  Does everyone recall how Close herself -- on her return to the Minskoff -- had to issue a statement to the press, reminding everyone of her box office vs. Karen Mason's?  It was unprecedented, but it's fascinating in counterpoint to this very different analysis of star vs. replacement. 

From the NY Times, April 5, 1995:

A Show Biz Effort To Make a Molehill Out of a Mountain

It was nearly silent on "Sunset Boulevard" yesterday.

The day after her enraged threat to leave the hit musical was splashed all over the tabloids, Glenn Close, the show's star, and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, its creator, were still smoothing things over by press release.

Though neither Ms. Close nor Sir Andrew returned requests for comment, Sir Andrew's public relations firm issued -- and then yesterday curiously modified -- a joint statement that "expressed mutual dismay" that Ms. Close's "very private communication" had been obtained by theater and gossip columnists.

"Andrew and Glenn have talked, remain the best of friends, and will of course continue their working relationship long into the future," the statement continued.

It further quoted Ms. Close as saying, "Like any close family, and any group of people who care deeply about what they do, there are bound to be differences of opinion and mutual hurt feelings from time to time."

Those were a far cry from the sentiments Ms. Close expressed late last week in a two-page, single-spaced letter addressed to Sir Andrew.

In that letter, which followed the disclosure that Sir Andrew's production company, the Really Useful Group, had exaggerated attendance figures during Ms. Close's vacation last month, the star said she was "furious and insulted" and that "if I could leave 'Sunset' tomorrow, I would."

"If I could leave it in May, when my contract says I can, believe me, I would," her letter went on. "At this point, what is making me stay is my sense of obligation to all the people who are holding tickets until July 2."

"I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that my performance turned 'Sunset Boulevard' around," she continued. "I made it a hit."

The letter described her feelings on learning that Edgar Dobie, Really Useful's chief of North American operations, had told Variety that "Sunset" sold $724,780 worth of tickets during the two weeks Ms. Close was replaced by her understudy, Karen Mason, when in reality the show had sold only $569,720 worth: a drop of $222,876 from Ms. Close's last week in the show.

"A representative of your company went out of their way and lied to try to make the public believe that my contribution to this show is nothing, that Karen's performance is equal to mine, and that my absence had absolutely no effect whatsoever on all the thousands of dollars that supposedly kept pouring into the box office," Ms. Close's letter continued. "It sickens me to be treated with such disregard."

Late Monday -- after Ms. Close and Sir Andrew spoke on the telephone for the first time about the blowup -- the joint statement was issued, expressing dismay that "a very private communication between them found its way into public hands, especially since the matter has since been completely resolved between them."

A modification to the statement yesterday blamed the time difference between New York and London for the fact that no one could have resolved all this quietly, over the phone.

In a statement released to the British press, Sir Andrew added: "It is unfortunate that the time difference between the United States and London meant that our now resolved misunderstandings had to be communicated by letter."

London is only five hours ahead of New York, and Sir Andrew has certainly been known to call reporters unexpectedly from his home telephone.

A spokesman for Sir Andrew, asked why a telephone conversation could not have been arranged earlier so that some of the public bitterness could have been avoided, said he could not comment beyond the letter.

Ms. Close did not return a telephone message left backstage for her, and two of her press representatives would not go beyond quoting the letters.

The handling of this feud might be attributed simply to bad spin control, except that this kind of thing keeps happening to "Sunset Boulevard." Nearly every actress to touch the role of Norma Desmond, the self-obsessed silent-movie queen, ends up in a public dispute with Sir Andrew, who has paid both Patti Lupone and Faye Dunaway hundreds of thousands of dollars in out-of-court settlements to keep them out of the musical.

"It can't hurt the show," Arthur Cantor, a long-time Broadway producer, said yesterday. "The next thing is for Betty Buckley to get enraged with him."

Ms. Buckley is currently in the London production and is scheduled to take over for Ms. Close when she leaves the show, presumably on July 2.

Sir Andrew is widely known as a man with a temper, and he has a history of disputes that explode publicly, helping to raise the show's profile. When he dismissed Ms. Dunaway a few days before she was to replace Ms. Close in the Los Angeles production of "Sunset," he said she couldn't sing well enough to do the show; she responded with suits for defamation and breach of contract that he later settled for an undisclosed amount. In 1993 he denied for weeks rumors that he would jettison Ms. Lupone, who had opened the show in London, from the Broadway production. In the end he did just that, settling with her for amounts reported at over $1 million.

Throughout both those battles, Ms. Close remained silent, reportedly reluctant to give any hint that she enjoyed benefiting from another actress's misfortune.

Updated On: 7/9/17 at 07:30 AM

[Stage Door Sally]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 9:29am

I think this is how it is going to be throughout Donna's run unless the critics review her show ASAP.

The show is primarily selling discounted: Telecharge promo code, TKTS, last minute Box Office, and TDF.

If Rudin wants higher grosses he knows what to do. He chooses not to. 

[adamgreer]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 10:01am

aasjb4ever said: "carnzee said: "
Yeah hi, let's all take a look at the author's bio, shall we?

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.

Stirring the pot over nothing is this guy's M.O.

 

Good catch, and very true. 

[poisonivy2]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 10:37am

Stage Door Sally said: "I think this is how it is going to be throughout Donna's run unless the critics review her show ASAP.

The show is primarily selling discounted: Telecharge promo code, TKTS, last minute Box Office, and TDF.

If Rudin wants higher grosses he knows what to do. He chooses not to. 

"

Also until Scott Rudin lifts his ridiculous rule barring the cast from promoting and talking about the show via social media. Absolutely ridiculous that we don't even have a photo of Donna in the role. 

[SmokeyLady]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 12:29pm

poisonivy2 said: "Stage Door Sally said: "I think this is how it is going to be throughout Donna's run unless the critics review her show ASAP.

The show is primarily selling discounted: Telecharge promo code, TKTS, last minute Box Office, and TDF.

If Rudin wants higher grosses he knows what to do. He chooses not to. 

"

Also until Scott Rudin lifts his ridiculous rule barring the cast from promoting and talking about the show via social media. Absolutely ridiculous that we don't even have a photo of Donna in the role. 

 

"

Rudin is doing a fantastic job producing and taking care of the show.  Just a example..Bandstand bombards social media with pictures.  Not doing them any good.  I doubt a picture of Donna would do anything except please those of us who are already fans.  Donna is great in the show.  Her numbers are decent.  I wish they were better.  They are fine to sustain the show during Bette's vacations.  But not good enough for a run on its own.

[DAME]

Posted: 7/9/17 at 3:34pm

Forbes is also reporting this.  But they are more truthful in their reporting.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeseymour/2017/07/06/bette-midlers-absence-wallops-broadway-box-office/#2b69ef85a36b