Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 10/6/13

[Rob]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 3:08pm

Click below to access all the grosses from all the shows for the week ending 10/6/2013 in BroadwayWorld.com's grosses section.

Also, you will find information on each show's historical grosses, cumulative grosses and other statistics on how each show stacked up this week and in the past.

Click Here to Visit the Broadway Grosses...

Up for the week by attendance was: THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL (9.5%), FIRST DATE (7.9%), THE GLASS MENAGERIE (4.3%), BIG FISH (3.5%), SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK (3.5%), A NIGHT WITH JANIS JOPLIN (3.4%), WICKED (2.8%), MAMMA MIA! (2.6%), CHICAGO (2.6%), SOUL DOCTOR (2.5%), MATILDA (2.1%), ROCK OF AGES (1.6%), CINDERELLA (0.9%), ONCE (0.7%), ANNIE (0.6%),

Down for the week by attendance was: A TIME TO KILL (-29.4%), ROMEO AND JULIET (-8.7%), PIPPIN (-2.3%), THE WINSLOW BOY (-2.3%), THE LION KING (-2.2%), NEWSIES (-0.5%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (-0.2%), KINKY BOOTS (-0.1%),

Click Here to Visit the BroadwayWorld Grosses...

[Huss417]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 3:15pm

Since the upgrade to the site I find it difficult to read the grosses. I liked how each show used to be spaced out a little more.

[Noel&Cole]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 3:16pm

Wow. TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL has climbed up for the end of it's run! That's nice to see. Cicely Tyson deserves a good send off for her heart tugging performance.

How many weeks for CINDERELLA, SPIDERMAN, FIRST DATE and SOUL DOCTOR to lose money before anyone announces a closing? All of these have to be in the red for over a month or more now. And although the holiday season has some good times. It's really only 2 or 3 weeks of big numbers, the rest are still a struggle.

This fall has been painful for sales. Ouch for R&J as well.

And so much from Riedel saying MATILDA was going to slow down after not winning the Tony. Even in the dead of fall they have been nearly selling out.





Updated On: 10/7/13 at 03:16 PM

[MKunkel]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 3:24pm

It's only been one week and Betrayl has already broken the box office record at the Barrymore Theatre. Damn!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 4:01pm

Looks like Betrayal is going to be every bit as successful as anticipated! I can not for the life of me understand how and why Soul Doctor is still running. It has GOT to be just bleeding money. Same with Spider-Man.
I am SOOOOO happy that Matilda is doing so well even though it did not sweep at the Tonys. I honestly think that Matilda is the best thing playing on Broadway right now, and I hope that it stays at the Shubert for a long time.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 4:12pm

And just imagine how much more BETRAYAL is going to make when it starts doing full 8 performance weeks.

[theaterfan862]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 4:59pm

I know it is in previews but A Time to Kill is not doing very well. Glad to see Matilda still doing well.

[Sutherland]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 5:43pm

It's only in its first week of previews, so give A Time To Kill a chance! It has no big movie or TV Guide names in it. I saw the Saturday matinee and it was packed.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 5:45pm

^ Which does not mean much. Based on the huge gap between their grosses and their attendance, they are comping the sh*t out of it.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 5:54pm

-Spider Man is making a lot of money, I don't think it's going anywhere.
-First Date is a very cheap show to run, so I doubt they're too worried.
-Time to Kill doesn't have a big movie? Do some research.

[tripelite]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 7:07pm

I think the previous poster's intended point was that although "A Time to Kill" has a very talented cast, it doesn't have any big movie or TV stars.

Spider-Man's grosses are good from an absolute dollar standpoint, but it's one of the most expensive shows to run, so I imagine they are losing money every week these days. This holiday season will be crucial for that show.

[Scottsacto]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 8:07pm

Is it possible that the Producers of "Soul Doctor" are using it for a HUGE Write-Off? And doesn't the theatre have some say if their Pct. is unacceptable? I realize that Circle on the Square is a Hard Theatre to book--but I am surprised they have not clamped down this.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 8:40pm

I think the producers of Soul Doctor truly and deeply believe in their show. In fact, I believe Rabbi Carlebach's daughters are involved. I think they have lots of money and want to draw this out as long as possible - but it can't last forever. I doubt they have ever once made their nut.

As to why Circle doesn't kick them out - why should they? No show is pounding on their doors, and this way, at least Soul Doctor is paying rent and employing people. There is no reason for them to utilize the stop clause - now, if a show expressed interest in Circle in the Square, the good doctor would find himself on the street in a minute (well, a week).

[cardamon]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 11:32pm

There's an interview with one of the producers of "Soul Doctor" in this week's Jewish Week. He says they're hoping that giving out 5000 free tickets to Birthright alumni will help word of mouth. Since the "free" tickets are being underwritten by a philanthropist, does that money get included in the grosses?


"Birthright To The Broadway Rescue"

[blaxx]

Posted: 10/7/13 at 11:38pm

-Spider Man is making a lot of money, I don't think it's going anywhere.
-First Date is a very cheap show to run, so I doubt they're too worried.
-Time to Kill doesn't have a big movie? Do some research.

Awwwwww, EL OH EL

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 12:46am

Let's be honest with ourselves, muscle, Spider Man is pulling in numbers that even a mid-size musical would probably be a little worried over, let alone one of the largest and most expensive shows to run. There is no way anyone with any common sense would believe that they have not been operating in the red for at least the past few weeks, if not the past few months. Maybe they are looking at a huge advance for the holiday season and are holding out for that, but it's certainly struggling at the current moment.

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 11:44am

"Since the "free" tickets are being underwritten by a philanthropist, does that money get included in the grosses? ""

If the tickets are purchased, I can't see why they wouldn't be included in the gross. Shouldn't matter who buys them.

[ACL2006]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 12:53pm

In terms of Soul Doctor and the Circle in the Square, I highly doubt there's any musical coming in for the spring that is after that theater. It's probably the least sought after Broadway theater.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 2:11pm

I still wish Broadway had one "black box" theater. Something like the Circle, but with more flexibility.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 2:11pm

I still wish Broadway had one "black box" theater. Something like the Circle, but with more flexibility.

[Scottsacto]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 7:53pm

Wasn't there talk of "Here Lies Love" looking at the Circle on the Square for a possible Transfer? Couldn't do any worse than "Soul Doctor"!

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/8/13 at 10:28pm

I was not familiar with the term "black box theatre", so I looked it up.


A black box theater (or experimental theater) consists of a simple, somewhat unadorned performance space, usually a large square room with black walls and a flat floor. It is a relatively recent innovation in theatre.[1]

Black box theatres became popular and widespread particularly in the 1960s and 1970s,[1] during which low-cost experimental theater was being actively practised as never before.[citation needed] Since almost any warehouse or open space in any building can be transformed into a black box, including abandoned cafés and stores, the appeal for nonprofit and low-income artists is high. The black box is also considered by many to be a place where more "pure" theatre can be explored, with the most human and least technical elements being in focus.[citation needed]

The concept of a building designed for flexible staging techniques can be attributed to Swiss designer Adolphe Appia, circa 1921, and instigated a half century of innovations in the relationship between audience and performers. Antonin Artaud also had ideas of a stage of this kind. The first flexible stage in America (not a proper Black Box due to the domestic decor) was located in the home living room of actor/manager Gilmor Brown in Pasadena, CA. This venue, and two subsequent permutations, were known as the Playbox Theatre,[2] and functioned as an experimental space for Brown's larger venue, the Pasadena Playhouse.

Such spaces are easily built and maintained, and are usually home to plays or other performances with very basic technical arrangements, such as limited sets, simple lighting effects, and an intimate focus on the story, writing, and performances rather than technical elements. The seating is typically composed of loose chairs on platforms, which can be easily moved or removed to allow the entire space to be adapted to the artistic elements of a production. Common floor plans include thrust stage, modified thrust stage, and arena.

Colleges and other theater training programs employ the black box theater because the space is versatile and easy to change. Many theater training programs will have both a large proscenium theater, as well as a black box theater. Not only does this allow two productions to be mounted simultaneously, but they can also have a large extravagant production in the main stage while having a small experimental show in the black box.

Black Box spaces are also popular at Fringe theater festivals; due to their simple design and equipment they can be used for many performances each day. This simplicity also means that a Black box theater can be adapted from other spaces, such as hotel conference rooms. This is prevalent at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where the larger venues will hire entire buildings and divide each room to be rented out to several theater companies.

"The Black Box Theatre" in Oslo, Norway is an example theater of this type.

Most older black boxes were built more like television studios, with a low pipe grid overhead. Newer black boxes typically feature catwalks or tension grids, the latter combining the flexibility of the pipe grid with the accessibility of a catwalk.

The interiors of most black box theatres are, true to their name, painted black. The absence of colour not only gives the audience a sense of "anyplace"[1] (and thus allows flexibility from play to play or from scene to scene), it also allows individual lighting cues to be much stronger.

black box theatre

Updated On: 10/8/13 at 10:28 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 1:09am

You got it. It's basically a big black box that's flexible, so things like The Great Comet or Here Lies Love could transfer in. I think we need something that's more flexible to the ever changing theater world. These Broadway theaters are so tiny - wing space wise, etc.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 3:53pm

I have a feeling that Cinderella will try anything possible to stay open for as long as it can. Maybe if grosses rise again, then it will run longer untill next fall or so.

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 10/9/13 at 4:17pm

The Soul Doctor tickets said 0.00 on them, so I doubt they were factored in the grosses.