How Long Will Spider-Man Last?

[ahhrealmonsters]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:34pm

I hate to start another Spider-Man thread, but I don't think this has been discussed.

Now that Spider-Man opened (a day many people didn't think would come), how long do you think it will run? It's grossing a little over $1M a week, but it may not even be hitting the nut. With an $80M (I'm guessing) investment, plus $1.2M+ weekly costs, and the producers most likely well aware that it's not going to recoup, what is it doing? The show seems to be losing money. How long will this go on?

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:37pm

I dont think it will be running come March.

[MichaelRhodus]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:40pm

All the tourists in the world could not recoup this production. It will definitely close before it pays itself off.
Which is unfortunate, because I really think it had potential.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:41pm

Let's be optimistic!

3-5 years

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:42pm

If they're not meeting their weekly costs they're not going to wait 3-5 years to close.

[tking001]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:45pm

Until the next person gets hurt

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:54pm

They will try stunt casting

First up, Julie Taymor as a female spiderman & she would have a male ( or female) love interest. She could also be Arachne.

They could do a tour with clips from the 3 movies instead of the real flying.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 9:57pm

I keep hearing that the nut (sorry Jordan haha) is somewhere around $1.4 million now. I dont know how accurate that number is but I would NOT be surprised. With the new creative team, delays, lawsuits, departing/incoming cast members, publicity, the new safety procedures, and so many other variables the nut that was once $1 million has to be more. Plus, the investment is more then $80 million I think.
I think it will try to last past summer to win the tourists crowd. MAYBE last until the Holidays depending on how well they do this summer.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:04pm

Let's be realistic here. They aren't going to make any money unless they start selling all their seats without discounts and at a higher price (and someone said they just raised their prices) which I can't see them doing outside of possibly a couple weeks over the summer and a few weeks over the holidays.

Everything this show has gone through just drives their cost way up and I believe it's at a point now where they have to know there's no possible way for them to recoup.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:13pm

Exactly

They should try & get back as much of their investment as possible & count their blessings. It could have closed during previews & they would have gotten zip

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:17pm

I also don't think it'll do as well now that it's actually opened and people have read the lackluster reviews and know there won't be changes.

Also - let's be honest, the fact that there's additional safety measures and that no one will likely take a dive into the audience is also probably killing their sales.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:22pm

They could do a tour with clips from the 3 movies instead of the real flying.

That's actually not such a bad idea since the video screens are already part of the design. They could probably tour the show fairly easily if they scaled back the design a bit and replaced the overhead flying sequences with specially produced film sequences.

Most of the touring houses have the truss installed for the chandelier in Phantom which was also the same truss that Rigby used to fly out over the audience in Peter Pan so they could still retain maybe one or two moments of brief flight over the audience so that the effect isn't lost completely.
Updated On: 6/16/11 at 10:22 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:24pm

They could promise that at one performance each week (different performances) a boy will really fall from the sky.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:25pm

I think their best bet is to spend the additional money necessary to film it and put it in movie theaters with a DVD release following to try to make back some of their money because there's no way on Gods green earth it'll happen at the Foxwoods only.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:34pm

I think a tour would be a good idea. This would sell on the road. I'm sure the could figure something out for the flying. They can make a chandelier fall and Mary Poppins fly in touring houses, so I'm sure they could do the battles. It would have to be different rigging and not as complicated, but they could do It.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:36pm

There is no way this show could tour in a way that would keep with the "spectacle" theyre going for on broadway.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:37pm

^ That's a great idea too, but 75 million would be decent for a hit movie to bring in at the box office. I think a Broadway show, even one called Spider-Man, would still have a difficult time reaching that kind of audience even in movie theatres. But, you're right that it's pretty much the only way they'll ever come close to making any of that money back.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:41pm

If they can just hang on til the Tonys they will definitely win best SFX and best flying, best Jen Damiano and who knows maybe best musical because the tour producers are the ones who really fix that, then I bet it will run for years and years.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:42pm

I hope it wins Best Damiano over Bernadette.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:45pm

Before this ever even hit Broadway, weren't they planning on doing an arena tour to help recoup? I for one would hate to see a Broadway show in a huge arena, but does anyone think this is a possibility? Since the spectacle is the true selling point, they will need to somehow keep that with every potential production.

[fingerlakessinger]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:53pm

^I could see them doing an arena show. They would still have to scale back ALOT unless they try to go the route of having stops for several months on end where they will have a few weeks to set up. But again, thats more money that I dont think will come back.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:54pm

If Bono was actually in the show then I could see an arena tour being profitable if it didn't cost another 75 million to mount, but I don't see a Broadway show selling out whole arenas.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 10:56pm

It'll struggle through the summer because tourists have heard of it and want to see a show they've heard about. It'll limp into the fall and close after the holidays.

[JKlock]

Posted: 6/16/11 at 11:34pm

This show belongs in Vegas instead of a general tour

[egghumor]

Posted: 6/17/11 at 1:17am

It'll run until the producers are completely convinced the box office is in irreversible freefall, never to swing back upwards (and desperately hopeful) again.