Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 5/26/19- Page 2

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 9:23am

After Eight said: ""Well nobody is surprised a Mockingbird and Network given the widely recognizable name of the properties and their A-List cast members."



The OP's statement said nothing about "surprised." It said its numbers were the success story of the season.

Not so. Mockingbird'sgrosses were undoubtedly the success story of the season.

"Constitution has no stars, is not based on a prior entity and is a political play at that."

So what? It's gotten hyped to the max,all too predictableraves, and all kinds of awards;it tickles the fancies of the hip and the elites;and it's set to win the Tony Award for best play. So of course, it's attracting certain audiences.There's no surprise in that.

"It’s numbers are absolutely the biggest success story of the season along with Hadestown."

Nonsense.



"

Lol this is ridiculous. Mockingbird with Jeff Daniels is of course going to sell, Network with Bryan Cranston is of course going to sell. You really underestimate how people buy outside these boards clearly. Most people outside of NYC (me) I can guarantee you have not heard a word about Constitution, but they've heard about the latter. Constitution IS the success story with the money its making for being a small show based on no prior property, with no stars in it. How you can't see that is beyond me but you are wrong. If Mockingbird and Network DIDNT sell that would be the story, but clearly thats not the case. Are you really surprised one of the best selling novels in America's history is doing well on broadway? With an A list Hollywood actor starring in it? Really? Of course its still impressive with the records its breaking, but its not really surprising. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 9:52am

Disco, Jish beat me to it but in general there will only be a noticeable impact if the property becomes a significant player in the aftermarket.

[Moderator]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 10:57am

We have deleted a series of posts in this thread that were just two users parsing each others' posts on a question not directly related to the thread. You are, of course, welcome to continue the bickering using PMs, but let's keep this thread focused on this week's grosses. Thank you.

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 11:23am

HogansHero said: "Disco, Jish beat me to it but in general there will only be a noticeable impact if the property becomes a significant player in the aftermarket."

Gotcha, thanks!

 

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 11:25am

HogansHero said: "Disco, Jish beat me to it but in general there will only be a noticeable impact if the property becomes a significant player in the aftermarket."

Piggybacking -- recoupment via licensing revenue also depends on how much $$ is returned on Broadway. If a show (hypothetically) returns 10% on a 10million budget before closing, that's a huge chunk of change to make up with licensing (the majority of which goes to the authors). If a show also takes out a Priority Loan, that makes the chances of recoupment even less probable. (I believe the only 2 shows to have recouped on Broadway after a PL are Smokey Joes and Gents Guide; I don't know if BMC has taken one but things don't seem quite that dire yet.)

But, if a show returns 50% on Broadway, has a decent tour, and then goes on to have a strong life in licensing, there's a good chance those investors will see their money back. Millie and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels eventually became whole after closing, but Seussical and Footloose (two of the most popular high school shows of the early 2000s) paid back a lot of money but not all of it.

Updated On: 5/29/19 at 11:25 AM

[kade.ivy]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 11:35am

Would someone be willing to explain how Potter is not making its full gross potential? Is it because they “discount” their premium tickets as the show gets closer?

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 11:55am

kade.ivy said: "Would someone be willing to explain how Potter is not making its full gross potential? Is it because they “discount” their premium tickets as the show gets closer?"

With a 2-part play, it's hard to get people to buy both parts. My guess is some patrons are skipping part 2. There have also been some discounted tickets on TodayTix.

These are still staggeringly good numbers. It's had a gross potential in the 90% range for 10 weeks of 2019, and we might even see that number drop to the 80% range over the next year. 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 12:53pm

and piggybacking on the piggyback a bit...

it also matters the nature of the after life. There are shows that have a robust life in the regional theatres where the size and pricing is such that a decent chunk of change can accumulate. (These would be the shows that TCG reports as the most produced. The top play this past season was Dolls house pt2 (27), and for musicals, fun home (12).) And then there are shows that get done in schools and community theatre, where the revenue comes in much smaller drips.   

[Lot666]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 1:47pm

SomethingPeculiar said: "My guess is some patrons are skipping part 2"

I don't understand this. It would be like watching half of a movie and turning off your TV or leaving the theater.

 

[LuPita2]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 3:04pm

^ If someone doesn't care about the show, or how it ends, they are not going to stay or come back later.  Just like if I'm not enjoying a film, I will turn it off or leave the theater.  Not that incredibly hard to understand. 

[binau]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 3:18pm

LuPita2 said: "^ If someone doesn't care about the show, or how it ends, they are not going to stay or come back later. Just like if I'm not enjoying a film, I will turn it off or leave the theater. Not that incredibly hard to understand."

I think it's more complex than this. The logistics behind finding 5.33 hours of Broadway theatre with this performance schedule and availability is difficult and expensive. 

[LuPita2]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 3:26pm

No, it's really not. Judging by the popularity of Angels in America last year, I think people make time for brilliant theater. They will spend an entire day seeing an 8 hour show, or devote two days to it if it's worth it.  

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 3:30pm

"With a 2-part play, it's hard to get people to buy both parts. My guess is some patrons are skipping part 2. There have also been some discounted tickets on TodayTix."

I am a bit confused, I thought you had to buy tickets to both shows and there was not option to buy just one show. My family and I saw it in London and I know we did not have any other option than buying tickets for both shows.

[binau]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 3:56pm

LuPita2 said: "No, it's really not. Judging by the popularity of Angels in America last year, I think people make time for brilliant theater. They will spend an entire day seeing an 8 hour show, or devote two days to it if it's worth it."

I mean your claims make no sense. First, Angels in America was far less popular than Harry Potter by every metric - and Harry Potter has sold every ticket it has ever put on sale! The idea that there are a bunch of people anything more than a small minority that go to part 1 and then have such a bad time they don't go to part 2 seems like it would be ridiculous when you look at the numbers.

Interestingly for THE INHERITANCE you had the opposite situation - Part 2 sold quicker than Part 1 (because it had Redgrave). 

 

Updated On: 5/29/19 at 03:56 PM

[SomethingPeculiar]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 3:59pm

LuPita2 said: "No, it's really not. Judging by the popularity of Angels in America last year, I think people make time for brilliant theater. They will spend an entire day seeing an 8 hour show, or devote two days to it if it's worth it."

I think you're rewriting history. That production of Angels in America averaged 68% of its gross potential and didn't recoup due to low ticket sales. It was also catering to a much different audience than Harry Potter, for only 20 weeks.

There are absolutely people out there who don't want to fork over the money to see the second part of Harry Potter, or (if they're tourists) don't have the time to do it. It's nearly always the case with two-part plays, especially on days when only Part 2 is playing. HP raised a lot of eyebrows when they announced it would be 2 parts. It is not a requirement to buy both parts together.

[LuPita2]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 5:21pm

Harry Potter has sold every ticket it has ever put on sale!

I love all the lies you tell.  Cute. 

[binau]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 5:25pm

LuPita2 said: "Harry Potter has sold every ticket it has ever put on sale!

I love all the lies you tell. Cute."

Are you unhinged? It's in the data. Besides of course the few comps they probably gave for reviewers or whatever, they've pushed out every single ticket that was ever put on sale. Almost a million of them. It's remarkable.

https://www.broadwayworld.com/grosses/HARRY-POTTER-AND-THE-CURSED-CHILDPARTS-ONE-AND-TWO

 

 

Updated On: 5/29/19 at 05:25 PM

[binau]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 5:32pm

[this was responding to a post that is now deleted] Yes, I don't know if you heard but Donald Trump is retiring early and is going to be playing Aaron Burr in Hamilton. I hope you will be first in line to buy a premium ticket x.

 

 

Updated On: 5/29/19 at 05:32 PM

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 6:04pm

Andres_123 said: "If I were a producer of Be More Chill I would very much think we had another mega teen show. With how well it did off- broadway and the huge fanbase it has and how this could have been a new way to make millions. The big issue is the fanbase of Be More Chill don't have themoney to see a broadway show and the cost of even staying in new York. They really should have considered this factor when deciding if they should move to broadway. All I ever see is how many fans complain about how much they want to see the show and they were even making these complaints when it was off-broadway"

I think the big issue is that the score isn't very good. It could have been a hit but it was never going to reach iconic status or even be accessible and bland enough to have widespread appeal.

Am I accurate in saying that Shoshana and Jeremy have helped the boost the numbers at Waitress but no one (not counting the first year when the show was fresh) juices the box office like Sara? They've tried with Old Joe but I really think Becky is the smaller part they could stunt cast with a popular singer who didn't want to commit to carrying too much of the show. I think they're doing fine but I do wonder if there's another Jenna who could bring in numbers similar to Sara. 

My Fair Lady doesn't look like it'll pick up with the closing announcement unless everyone bought their tickets for June.

Hadestown is doing incredibly well. It's good I don't feel any pressing need to see it. Though I would like to see Andre De Shields before he leaves. 

Can someone explain Oklahoma's attendance numbers? Are they selling SRO?

Cher seems to be doing well? (I've mentioned before that their numbers confuse me.)

[brdwybound04]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 6:24pm

Not that they’d be interested in being a replacement or doing 8 shows a week, but I feel like either Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Nettles could do blockbuster box office numbers to boost Waitress... but I’m likely dreaming that either would ever commit to doing a limited engagement...

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 6:28pm

HogansHero said: "Robbie2 said: "I heard the BMC producers thought they had the next RENT, DEH obviously it's not the HIT show they thought they had. They should have moved it to New World Stages to an under 500 seat theater and this thing would run for a long time. The move to BWAY was the wrong thing to dobut we shall see once summer arrives and the big question is...will the kiddies be bugging Mommy & Daddy for $$$ to see the show??? I doubt it!"

I hate to break the news to you but every producer thinks they have the next ___. Sometimes they are right, usually they are wrong. And Broadway is paved with the gold of shows that were told to stay off Broadway if they wanted to run. The theatre is like baseball: you can't predict it. You can be smart or stupid at managing it, but there really truly honestly are no rules."

 

That's true but the point that I'm making is that Be More Chill is NOT a HIT! It is struggling and highly doubt it will make it to the end of the year if Labor Day.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 6:42pm

brdwybound04 said: "Not that they’d be interested in being a replacement or doing 8 shows a week, but I feel like either Kelly Clarkson or Jennifer Nettles could do blockbuster box office numbers to boost Waitress... but I’m likely dreaming that either would ever commit to doing a limited engagement..."

Why not? Jennifer did a stint as Roxie in Chicago. I love her but I don't know if it would have a major effect on the box office. I think there's a reason country artists (said as a country music fan) usually skip NY on their tours. Kelly Clarkson would be different but I don't know that this would be the role she'd pick for her Broadway debut.

[Luminaire2]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 6:42pm

Hadestown outgrossed Frozen which has a way higher capacity. Ouch. Frozen really dropped for a holiday weekend... 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 7:47pm

Robbie2 said: "That's true but the point that I'm making is that Be More Chill is NOT a HIT! It is struggling and highly doubt it will make it to the end of the year if Labor Day."

Robbie, maybe we are dancing around in circles here. No one questions that it is NOT a hit, but I was reacting to you saying that the producers thought they had a hit on their hands but didn't and should have gone to NWS instead of Broadway. Maybe I am missing your chronology, but if they THOUGHT (rightly or wrongly) that they had the next Rent etc, then why would they have gone to NWS? Hindsight is 20/20, for us and for them too. If every producer did not think they had something, half the theatres would be out of business. (Or hosting Barry Manilow. oh wait...)

[Mike66]

Posted: 5/29/19 at 8:57pm

LuPita2 said: "No, it's really not. Judging by the popularity of Angels in America last year, I think people make time for brilliant theater. They will spend an entire day seeing an 8 hour show, or devote two days to it if it's worth it."

So here's a hint for you that you may find shocking, since you are obviously always able to do whatever you want.  The rest of us aren't like that.  Some people don't have the time (regardless of their interest) nor do they have the money.

And not everyone who attends Broadway theater lives in NY or NJ.  Imagine that!!

We were in NYC for a weekend and had a chance to either see half of Angels or see none of Angels.  We consider ourselves fortunate to have seen what we saw.  (In fact, we had to leave the theater to catch our plane before the final scene -- no angel descending.)

I know you would have found that impossible to survive.  We enjoyed what we saw.

I have no doubt that there are at least a few other people like me who cant always do everything they want.