The iceman cometh in spades last week, making it a field day for walk-ins (or sleigh-ins) even at some of Broadway‘s biggest hits, as reflected in the week’s box office report. Only five of 25 shows on offer went SRO, and except for the Street-leading $165.80 average ticket price set by The Book Of Mormon, no-one was having to take out a second mortgage to see a show.
Aladdin, for example, filled every seat at Disney‘s flagship New Amsterdam with an average ticket price of $83.86, hitting 89% of its $1.3 million gross potential. Helen Mirren‘s continuing engagement as Queen Elizabeth in Peter Morgan’s The Audience remained a sell-out at the Schoenfeld while coming up a bit short in the grosses as well, taking in $862K versus its $1 million potential (it was also entertaining the critics, another box office depleter; they rewarded the show with ecstatic notices).
Not so fortunate was Larry David, whose Broadway debut as playwright and star got a drubbing from the Times and further shrugs and whines elsewhere. He’ll by crying all the way to the bank: At the Cort Theatre, Fish In The Dark hit the bull’s eye in terms of both attendance and cash register ($12 million and pocket change). The two head-scratchers continue to be major cash sink holes Honeymoon In Vegas (27% of potential at $310K and less than half-full houses at the Nederlander) and On The Town (26% of potential at $475K and more half-filled houses, at the Lyric.
Week 41 of the 2014-2015 season was only slightly down from the previous week (which was also lousy) according to figures released by the trade group Broadway League. Total box office was $18.3 million for 25 shows (last week was $18.6 million for 26 shows). With lots of contenders lining in to beat the Tony Awards deadline, things should start heating up just, like Mother Earth.
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