Who cares what the attendance figures are if they have the highest gross? Money's the only thing that counts (in terms of these financial records), not attendance. There are plenty of shows that heavily discount resulting in higher attendance figures, but because their average ticket price and weekly gross are so low, they're barely breaking even and as a result they have zero chance of ever recouping their initial investment. You're much better off having a high gross and a high ticket price (and no -- or very few -- discounts) that makes your show very profitable and much more likely to recoup your inital investment, even if that higher price means your not selling out every week.
And as far as why some people follow grosses, for some it's nice to know that a show you particularly like is doing well financially and thus will be around for a while, has a chance to tour, get recorded etc.....
"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
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