Broadway Box Office: Halloween Hits Industry Grosses As Several New Shows Start
Broadway typically experiences a dip in ticket sales during the week of Halloween and the New York City Marathon, and last week was no exception, with overall industry gross dropping 8 percent. This trend continued despite the opening of three new shows. Among them, the highly anticipated Oedipus, starring Mark Strong and Lesley Manville, brought in $485,000 across its first four preview performances at Studio 54, with a 100 percent capacity. The show's strong start bodes well for its Nov. 13 opening.
The Muppets also made their Broadway debut, with Rob Lake's Magic With Special Guests The Muppets opening at the Broadhurst Theatre. However, the magic show, featuring Miss Piggy and Kermit, had a rough start, generating just over $219,000 across seven preview performances and playing to 62 percent capacity. This performance may be attributed to the show's newness and the need for audience engagement.
Hamilton remained the top-grossing show on Broadway, albeit with a slight dip in earnings from its previous record-breaking status. The musical's grosses fell from $4 million to $3.4 million, still a substantial amount. Wicked followed closely behind with $2 million, while The Lion King brought in $1.7 million. These figures highlight the ongoing popularity of these long-running shows.
Chess, a musical revival starring Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, and Nicholas Christopher, continued its strong performance, grossing $1.7 million across just seven previews at the Imperial Theatre, with a 91 percent capacity. The show's positive reviews and strong start suggest a promising trajectory for its Nov. 16 opening.
Waiting For Godot, featuring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, was the fifth highest-grossing show, earning $1.6 million. The play's success is notable, considering it had an entirely comped opening night performance on Oct. 28 and several comped press performances. Despite this, capacity dropped to 58 percent, indicating a need for broader audience engagement.
Liberation, another new show, saw its grosses drop to $214,401 last week, with an entirely comped opening night performance and several comped press performances. The play's overwhelmingly positive reviews may help its trajectory, as post-opening sales have tripled, according to the production. Little Bear Ridge Road, starring Laurie Metcalf and Micah Stock and produced by Scott Rudin, also received largely positive reviews but saw its grosses drop to $351,941 after an entirely comped opening night. Capacity at the Booth Theatre fell to 58 percent, suggesting a need for broader audience engagement and marketing efforts.
