Broadway Box Office Analysis- April 2025 + How Tony Nominations Might Affect May and Beyond

The past month represented the strongest April grosses in Broadway history, with each week being well over the $40 million mark, and Easter week peaking at over $50 million. Several shows opened, bringing the total number conncurrently running shows on Broadway to 40, the highest mark since 2018. As ever, some of those 40 are doing much better than others. 

Same as last month, with many shows playing partial weeks as they begin performances and head into their opening nights, the standard Average Weekly Gross does not give an accurate picture of how well a show did in the month of April. Enter Theoretical Average Monthly Gross; a figure calculated by using the average attendance, capacity and average ticket price industry-wide for the month, multiplied by the number of performances played and the size of the theater. This combined with looking at a show's total gross and gross per performance allows for analysis on a rate basis, rather than strictly a cumulative basis. 

Shows are ordered from largest percentage difference to theoretical average to smallest in their respective categories (split into shows from this year and long runners). 

2024-25 Season 

1. Othello- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,302,486; April Total Gross: $15,711,287; Percent Difference: +196%; Gross Per Performance: $392,782; March Rank: #1

To the shock of nobody, Othello tops our list of highest grossing shows on a rate basis again this month. In spite of getting shut out of Tony nominations, they announced their recoupment yesterday after nine weeks of performances, and have continued to set box office records along the way. 

2. Good Night and Good Luck- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $7,658,228; April Total Gross: $18,025,278; Percent Difference: +135%; Gross Per Performance: $462,187; March Rank: #2

Five Tony nominations for the George Clooney led play- which opened last month to mixed-positive, most notably including the coveted New York Times Critics Pick. Good Night and Good Luck was already the highest grossing play outright in our five week sample, and they are likely to only increase as they head towards the end of their limited run. 

3. Glengarry Glen Ross- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $6,639,546, April Total Gross: $10,767,905; Percent Difference: +62%; Gross Per Performance: $269,198; March Rank: #3

Glengarry Glen Ross continues to play to sold out houses- the three headed monster of Bob Odenkirk, Kieran Culkin, and Bill Burr is more than enough to guarantee that, in spite of a lukewarm critical reception. 

5. The Picture of Dorian Gray- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,299,691; April Total Gross: $6,075,124; Percent Difference: +41%; Gross Per Performance: $178,680; March Rank #7

Star-led play number four on this list, The Picture of Dorian Gray has held in a very strong position. Perhaps the best reviewed of the star-led plays at the top of the list, Sarah Snook’s tour-de-force performance garnered a Tony nomination, the production earning 6 in total. They are certainly very well poised for the remainder of their run. 

6. Just In Time- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $2,469,494; April Total Gross: $3,463,475; Percent Difference +40%; Gross Per Performance: $119,430; March Rank: N/A

The best grossing musical of the season thus far, Just In Time will likely get something of a bump with their six Tony nominations, including a Best Actor nomination for Jonathan Groff. Groff is looking to become the first performer to ever win back-to-back Best Leading Actor in a Musical in Tony Awards history. Even so, their grosses so far have been very, very strong. 

10. Oh, Mary!- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,550,071; April Total Gross: $5,552,332; Percent Difference: +22%; Gross Per Performance: $138,808; March Rank: #12

Tituss Burgess and Cole Escole combined to bring keep Oh, Mary! well above the $1 million mark these last few weeks. Nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Actor for Cole Escola, these grosses are here to stay for at least a little while. What remains to be seen is will they do another extension, as they are currently slated to close on June 28. 

11. Operation Mincemeat- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,016,264; April Total Gross: $3,969,087; Percent Difference: -1%; Gross Per Performance: $99,227; March Rank: #13

Operation Mincemeat’s grosses jumped nearly $90,000 per week this month compared to last. The West End smash hit, which earned four Tony Nominations yesterday including Best Musical, has already extended ticket sales until Fabruary 2026.

15. Buena Vista Social Club- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,332,989; April Total Gross: $5,006,178; Percent Difference: -6%; Gross Per Performance: $125,154; March Rank: #17

Buena Vista Social Club held last month as the third highest ranked musical. Tied for the most Tony nominations this season with 10, Buena Vista Social Club’s already strong commercial success is well poised to continue. 

16. Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $3,023,764; April Total Gross: $2,827,734; Percent Difference: -6%; Gross Per Performance: $76,425; March Rank: N/A

Old Friends is the first show in a non-profit house on this list, and their grosses have been very strong. 

19. Maybe Happy Ending- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,946,614; April Total Gross: $4,402,297; Percent Difference: -11%; Gross Per Performance: $110,057; March Rank: #15

Maybe Happy Ending had all in all a very good month, affected slightly by the absence of Darren Criss during the first week. Even with that, their grosses increased by about $40,000 a week on average compared to last month. 

21. The Last Five Years- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,798,165, April Total Gross: $3,943,502; Percent Difference: -18%; Gross Per Performance: $101,115; March Rank: #8

The Last Five Years has struggled to catch on so far. Given the length of their run, in order to have a hope at turning a profit they need to be at the very top of this list, and they just have not caught on to this point. It’s difficult to see what can change about that over the next couple months before the end of their run, a lukewarm critical reception combined with zero Tony nominations is not a recipe for a sudden improvement at the box office. 

23. Stranger Things The First Shadow- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,267,407; April Total Gross: $4,184,825; Percent Difference: -21%; Gross Per Performance: $160,955; March Rank: N/A

Stranger Things: The First Shadow has been doing well so far, they are one of the shows that gets a little bit negatively affected due to the size of their house. These grosses reflect much of their preview period (which typically have lower pricing), as well as their opening night and associated production comp tickets. In spite of not being nominated for Best Play, Stranger Things still managed a decent 5 Tony nominations, which combined with their early success should propel them further up this list. There is also of course the release of the much anticipated final season of it’s namesake TV show coming later this summer. 

26. Gypsy- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $8,083,900; April Total Gross: $6,109,486; Percent Difference: -24%; Gross Per Performance: $152,737; March Rank: #19

Gypsy’s slow slide continued in April, even with the Easter crowds, decreasing slightly from March’s grosses. However, their cast album was released last week and they appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, both of which should help their grosses . And that of course is to say nothing of the five Tony nominations they earned, including Audra McDonalds record setting eleventh acting nomination. 

27. Death Becomes Her- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $7,580,064; April Total Gross $5,719,202; Percent Difference: -25%; Gross Per Performance: $142,980; March Rank: #25

The Lunt-Fontanne is a very large house, which accounts for this show being as low down as it is on this list. Make no mistake, Death Becomes Her has absolutely been a hit thus far. Their cast album released earlier this month, which should have a positive effect on their grosses. Awards season has already been kind to them, with both Megan Hilty and Jennifer Simard earning Tony nominations, and the production itself tied for the most nominations (10) with Maybe Happy Ending and Buena Vista Social Club. 

30. Purpose- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $2,953,734; April Total Gross: $2,066,367; Percent Difference: -30%; Gross Per Performance: $51,659; March Rank #32

Purpose has been steadily increasing their grosses every week. Being in the smallest house on Broadway, the fact that Purpose was not at the bottom of the list of gross per performance is already an accomplishment, their grosses have improved nearly $80,000 a week on average this month, with the best week being last week. Their 6 Tony nominations as well should help to only increase their takings moving forward. 

31. Pirates! The Penzance Musical- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $2,402,387; April Total Gross: $1,639,072; Percent Difference: -32%; Gross Per Performance: $63,041; March Rank: N/A

Pirates! The Penzance Musical began performances and opened this month, accounting for at least some of the somewhat lower grosses. They are also operating as part of Roundabout Theatre Company’s season, which will keep their takings on the lower end at least for a while. Only one Tony nomination is unlikely to move the needle much (see The Who’s Tommy last year), but Pirates! should be well positioned for the remainder of their limited run. 

32. Smash- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $7,173,353; April Total Gross $4,772,770; Percent Difference: -33%; Gross Per Performance: $119,319; March Rank: #24

Smash steadily increased over the course of the month after their opening April 10. They’re in a very large house (accounting some for where they have landed on this list), and it remains to be seen if they can realistically fill it over the longer stretch. They earned a pair of Tony nominations yesterday, but that is unlikely to move the needle much in the positive direction for them. 

34. Sunset Boulevard- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $7,744,273; April Total Gross: $4,733,531; Percent Difference: -39%; Gross Per Performance: $121,373; March Rank #30

Sunset Boulevard’s grosses were affected by a week-long planned absence from star Nicole Scherzinger, which dropped their weekly gross under $700,000 for the first (and likely only) time in their run. Returns with Nicole Scherzinger were more along the lines of what the last couple of months have looked like for them, hovering around $1 million per week. Their 7 Tony nominations should boost their returns for the next two months heading into their closing. 

35. Redwood- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,861,712; April Total Gross: $3,527,644; Percent Difference: -40%, Gross Per Performance: $88,191; March Rank: #23

Our first casualty of the spring, Redwood had perhaps the most shocking fall of the past month, dropping nearly $300,000 over the course of two weeks. They had managed to lift themselves out of that hole slightly, but by the end of the month they had dropped from nearly $900,000 a week gross to $700,000 a week. That combined with being shut out of the Tony nominations, led the producers the decision to close the show this morning. They do have a cast recording coming out May 13 ahead of a May 18 closing date.

36. John Proctor is the Villain- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $3,827,636; April Total Gross: $2,167,531; Percent Difference: -43%; Gross Per Performance: $55,578; March Rank: #29

The play with the most Tony Nominations comes in as the lowest ranked play on our list. As discussed last month, John Proctor is the Villain was running several significant discounts during the preview period, as well as having all of the production comp tickets associated with opening. The last two weeks represented much stronger returns, and it stands to reason that their grosses will continue to rise with their 7 Tony nominations. 

37. Floyd Collins- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,567,611; April Total Gross: $2,432,818; Percent Difference: 47%; Gross Per Performance: $71,553; March Rank: N/A

Rounding out the bottom of both the revivals and the non-profit theatres is Floyd Collins. In spite of a warm critical response, the box office returns have remained cold. Some of these grosses are the result of production comps associated with opening. Their Tony nominations showing was strong however, coming in second amongst the musical revivals with six. Even if their box office returns don’t improve much, they are not at risk of an early closure. 

38. Boop! The Betty Boopical- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,491,352; April Total Gross $2,700,284; Percent Difference: -51%; Gross Per Performance: $71,060; March Rank #34

Boop! has struggled in the early going, far more than any of their peer shows. Even with production comps associated with opening, most of these grosses are from well after the show’s opening. In spite of a warm response from the Drama Desk, that did not translate to the Tony nominations, with the Betty Boop musical only garnering 3 nominations. According to the Broadway Journal, they have fixed production expenses of $817,000, nearly $200,000 more than they have ever grossed in a single week up to this point. 

39. Dead Outlaw- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $1,997,964; April Total Gross: $954,583; Percent Difference: -52%; Gross Per Performance; March Rank: N/A

Dead Outlaw has definitely struggled in the early going. Luckily with the small size of the cast and orchestra, there’s a chance the show is not far from making a return week to week. That combined with the production comp tickets that are almost certainly in here- they opened on April 27- the picture might not be quite so dire. Especially factoring in their 7 Tony nominations- they may have a hole to climb out of, but they could easily catch fire and rocket out. Part one of their cast recording dropped this morning on streaming services, which should also help.

40. Real Women Have Curves- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,290,794; April Total Gross: $1,463,755; Percent Difference: -66%; Gross Per Performance: $45,733; March Rank: N/A

At the bottom of our list comes Real Women Have Curves. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to see where Real Women Have Curves can go from here. In spite of critical acclaim, they only mustered 2 Tony nominations, and these grosses are unsustainably low. If they had managed a stronger showing with the awards maybe there would be a stronger avenue. If they can turn things around in the next couple of weeks, there could still be some hope for them, but that turnaround needs to be swift and steep. 

Long-Runners

4. Hamilton- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $6,731,056, April Total Gross: $10,190,055; Percent Difference: +51%; Gross Per Performance: $254,751; March Rank: #4

Hamilton is the highest musical on this list- staying strong even in its tenth year of performances. They announced last month that Leslie Odom Jr would be returning to the role of Aaron Burr later this year, which should only help their grosses more. Hamilton is already having a strong year, up marginally from last year, particularly this month they were up 4% from the same stretch last year. 

7. Wicked- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $10,036,340; April Total Gross: $13,412,414; Percent Difference: +34%; Gross Per Performance: $327,132; March Rank: #6

Wicked’s grosses continue to ride the wave of the movie adaptation, averaging well over $2 million per week. The only week they posted a decrease compared to last year was the week ending March 30, which corresponded to Easter weekend last year. They are up 36% year to date. 

8. The Outsiders- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,205,892, April Total Gross: $6,917,376; Percent Difference: +33%; Gross Per Performance: $172,934; March Rank: #5

Last season’s Best Musical winner continues to put up very strong grosses, although their peaks were not as high as some of their peer shows on this list during the Easter holiday. Still, at this point it’s only a question of when do they recoup their initial investment. 

9. The Lion King- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $8,837,815; April Total Gross: $11,451,714; Percent Difference: +30%; Gross Per Performance: $279,310; March Rank: #10

Lion King continues to be one of the top grossers on Broadway, although they are unlikely to reclaim their title from last year as highest grossing Broadway show over the course of the year, due partly to the success of Wicked, but they have also slipped a step. Down 2% YTD and 4% comparing the same stretch last year to this year, if these trends continue or increase it could be a sign of diminishing tourism in New York. 

12. MJ: The Musical- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $7,051,340; April Total Gross: $6,945,095; Percent Difference: -2%; Gross Per Performance: $173,627; March Rank: #14

MJ continues to do very well, even if they are at this point slightly below average. They have been decreasing some year to year, a pretty consistent 10% ish, but they are continuing to ride the wave of their success. They are another one to watch this summer to see to what extent internation tourism changes. 

13. Cabaret- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,439,750; April Total Gross: $5,327,086; Percent Difference: -2% Gross Per Performance: $133,177; March Rank: #9

Cabaret’s grosses slipped with the departures of Auli’i Cravalho and Adam Lambert at the end of March, and Eva Noblezada and Orville Peck haven’t quite filled their shoes yet. We’ll see if they can improve as we head into the summer months, but this is the weakest starting point of the three sets of Emcee/Sally Bowles so far. 

14. &Juliet- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,216,060; April Total Gross: $5,002,623; Percent Difference: -4%; Gross Per Performance: $125,066; March Rank: #11

&Juliet continues to hover right around $1 million a week. With a first national tour underway and a Toronto sit-down production coming this December, the definitive hit of the 2022-2023 season is seemingly still well positioned with no sign of slowing down. 

17. Hadestown- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $4,667,001; April Total Gross: $4,221,899; Percent Difference: -10%; Gross Per Performance: $105,547; March Rank: #16

Hadestown’s grosses line up almost perfectly with theirs from last month. They remain below their gross from last year, although they are higher than their grosses from two years ago. It’s a little bit of a mixed bag for them. What will be interesting to see is what happens with the timing of the release of the pro-shot filmed on the West End earlier this year. Do they wait to release it until after the show closes? Or will they try and use it to see if it improves the Broadway show’s grosses. 

18. Moulin Rouge!- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $6,609,043; April Total Gross: $5,929,903; Percent Difference: -10%; Gross Per Performance: $148,248; March Rank: #27

In the month of April, Moulin Rouge managed to post grosses above $1 million every week for the first time since December, due in part to the increase in crowds with spring break and Easter, as well as the return of Boy George and the debut of Jordan Fisher. Even still, comparing this five week stretch to last year they were still down nearly 20%. They do have two new stars lined up for the summer however, with Wayne Brady and Taye Diggs starring in the show beginning in July. 

20. Aladdin- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $8,999,355; April Total Gross $7,585,766; Percent Difference: -16%; Gross Per Performance: $185,019; March Rank: #26

Aladdin continues to chug along in the New Amsterdam, really they are another one that is low on this list more as a function of the massive size of the house rather than the show significantly underperforming. They had a much better month than last, due to the increase in tourist traffic in the city. Aladdin’s strong year continues, holding nearly 4% higher than last year. 

22. The Book of Mormon- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,419,415; April Total Gross: $4,412,997; Percent Difference: -19%; Gross Per Performance: $110,325; March Rank: #18

The Book of Mormon continues to hold station in their 14th year of performances, pulling in almost identical grosses per performance from March to April. With that being said, they were down 8% from this stretch of time last year. Something to monitor going forward. 

24. Six- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,241,479; April Total Gross: $4,105,772; Percent Difference: -22%; Gross Per Performance: $102,643; March Rank: #20

Six has been sliding steadily down for a while, each of the last two years they have dropped over 10% from the year prior, and that trend has continued so far this year. This was the first Easter where they didn’t pop back up over $1 million for that week. In spite of this, with the small cast and band size, Six is still well positioned to run for quite a while. 

25. The Great Gatsby- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $7,549,560, April Total Gross: $5,747,785; Percent Difference: -24%; Gross Per Performance: $143,695; March Rank: #22

The Great Gatsby is lower on this list due more to the size of the house rather than strictly their grosses performance. Their West End production began performances, though that is unlikely to have a substantial effect on the Broadway grosses. They’re one to keep an eye on through the summer months, see if they can be one of the rare shows that improve in their second summer compared to the first. 

28. Hell’s Kitchen- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $7,407,212; April Total Gross: $5,460,545; Percent Difference: -26%; Gross Per Performance: $136,514; March Rank: #28

Hell’s Ktichen rode the tide of a stronger month industry wide into the same position they found themselves in last month. They continue to hold strong over $1 million per week, even if they are technically underperforming with the size of their house. 

29. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $8,039,900; April Total Gross: $5,814,243; Percent Difference: -28%; Gross Per Performance: $149,083; March Rank: #31

Cursed Child improved marginally from last month with the increase in tourists in the city, although they are still significantly down from last year. 

33. Chicago- Theoretical Average Monthly Gross: $5,490,589; April Total Gross: $3,436,801; Percent Difference: -37%; Gross Per Performance: $85,920; March Rank: #33

In spite of Ashley Graham joining the cast this month, Chicago rounds out the bottom of our list for the long-running shows. 

Show Ranking

1. Othello (-)
2. Good Night and Good Luck (-)
3. Glengarry Glen Ross (-) 
4. Hamilton (-)
5. The Picture of Dorian Gray (+2)
6. Just In Time (NEW)
7. Wicked (-1)
8. The Outsiders (-3)
9. The Lion King (+1)
10. Oh, Mary! (+2)
11. Operation Mincemeat (+2)
12. MJ: The Musical (+2)
13. Cabaret (-4)
14. &Juliet (-3)
15. Buena Vista Social Club (+2)
16. Sondheim's Old Friends (NEW)
17. Hadestown (-1)
18. Moulin Rouge! (+9)
19. Maybe Happy Ending (-4)
20. Aladdin (+6)
21. The Last Five Years (-13)
22. The Book of Mormon (-4)
23. Stranger Things: The First Shadow (NEW)
24. Six (-4)
25. The Great Gatsby (-3)
26. Gypsy (-7)
27. Death Becomes Her (-2)
28. Hell's Kitchen (-)
29. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (+2)
30. Purpose (+2)
31. Pirates! The Penzance Musical (NEW)
32. Smash (-8)
33. Chicago (-)
34. Sunset Boulevard (-4)
35. Redwood (-12)
36. John Proctor is the Villain (-7)
37. Floyd Collins (NEW)
38. Boop! The Betty Boop Musical (-4)
39. Dead Outlaw (NEW)
40. Real Women Have Curves (NEW)

SHOW OPENING RECAP

March 25: Sondheim’s Old Friends; March 28: Floyd Collins, Stranger Things: The First Shadow; March 31: Just In Time; April 1: Real Women Have Curves; April 4: Pirates! The Penzance Musical; April 12: Dead Outlaw

THE MONTH AHEAD

Tony Nominations came out yesterday, and the next month is a month of watching, waiting, hoping, and guessing for the majority of the shows on this list. It feels likely that at least one show will announce their closing (as typically happens post-Tony nominations), though which show that is remains to be seen. 

NOTE: All figures in this post are based off of weeks ending March 30, April 6, April 13, April 20, and April 27.