Record Attendance

[PatrickDC]

Posted: 6/13/19 at 10:24pm

Is it just me misremembering or do they announce at EVERY Tonys a new record attendance number for the season? Seems every season is a record. 

I can see it happening when there is a new must-see show, like HAMILTON or MORMON that draws attention and ticket buyers to Broadway even if you can’t get a ticket to those shows. But were there any such shows or name celebrities this season, like Bette in DOLLY to draw record-setting crowds? Not in my opinion. 

Do the numbers paint an accurate picture  or is just spin and hyperbole? 

[haterobics]

Posted: 6/13/19 at 11:00pm

It was 14,768,254 seats sold, so since it is a hard number seems hard to fudge it, no?

Plus, Hamilton is still sold out. Bette fans were all replaced 1:1 with Mockingbird fans, so the Shubert is a wash, with the same attendance (if not higher, since Daniels isn't replaced by someone else one show a week with lowered attendance). Harry Potter is filling its huge theater for two parts..

Seems legit.

[bear88]

Posted: 6/14/19 at 3:42am

It seems legit. The numbers are what they are. Shoot, the popularity of several of this season's plays would help compared to past years. And it's funny. The Prom seems like a commerical failure. I can read the numbers. But when I went on a Tuesday night, the place was almost full. The audience was enthusiastic. The only noticeably half-empty show I saw on my trip was Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. Everything else was sold out or close to it. The only problem for the producers is that I only paid full price for one show of the 6 I saw on my trip.

[kdogg36]

Posted: 6/14/19 at 9:40am

The addition of the Hudson Theatre for the past two seasons has also slightly increased capacity, I would think.

[Wick3]

Posted: 6/14/19 at 9:54am

I agree with all the above. Addition of Hudson theater back on 2017 and the reopening of the Lyric theater after its extensive renovation in early 2018 both helped.

I know Springsteen on Broadway certainly helped with total record grosses the past 2 seasons given it was selling $850 orch, $400 mezz, and $75 balcony tickets to sold out performances!

What also fascinates me is how Lion King still sells out after all these years! Looking at the grosses you always see it in the top 3. Minskoff is a large theater.