Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 9/22/19

[jkstheatrescene]

Why is no one ringing the death knell for Wicked? 81.87% capacity, a 6-figure drop over last week, and only 73.5% of gross potential.  I mean, come on!

[BritCrit]

ggersten said: "Jarethan said: "Mike Barrett said: "I really wonder what Frozen looks like a year from now, nearly a year after the 2nd film has released. Will it bring the show back into the mainstream or will people feel it’s now dated because of the sequel? Likely depends on how Frozen 2 does. I say we have 2 years max left though at the St James. Plenty of time to work Hercules or a Beauty And The Beast revival into that space :)

Unless Frozen 2 is a MONSTER HIT and reinvigorates the box office incredibly (not likely IMO), I can't imagine this show lasting beyond August 2020, and I really question whether it will make it that long. The show is only opened for 18 months or so, and just hit its worst week yet. Itis inconceivable to me that it could another last 2 years, i.e., longer than it has run to date, unless Disney is willing to take big losses to keep it opened.Not sure why they would do that, although there may be a reason."

Here's The Little Mermaid's 20 months for reference....Little Mermaid Grosses

"

Frozen is going to outlast The Little Mermaid (even if it closes in January, it will have made it to 22 months) but the run will be FAR shorter than Disney Theatrical would have liked. Frozen 2 looks really impressive (I doubt it will be an outright flop, even if it struggles to emulate the cultural impact of the original), but I feel like it will confirm my belief that Anna and Elsa’s adventures are better suited to animation. Seeing the original is a quicker, cheaper and more convenient way of refreshing your memory...

The good publicity generated by Frozen 2 could provide Frozen with an excellent December and a decent Easter, but there is a risk that the tour will benefit more from the Frozen 2 effect. With the Frozen fandom exhausted and both students and families busy, Disney will probably decide it is not worth keeping it another September. I also think they will want to focus on ensuring the international productions do better. Would closing it early allow the creative team to put more work into the West End version? (Shrek lasted longer in Drury Lane, and Frozen could also do well there if it is edited and revised...)

[SouthernCakes]

You think word of mouth has caught up to a Frozen? To me it was very “eh.” And it wouldn’t make me recommend it.

[Bettyboy72]

Seeing Slave's Plays number makes me even more mad I had to pay full price because they comped half the theatre the night I went and only 2 single seats were left. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Bettyboy72 said: "Seeing Slave's Plays number makes me even more mad I had to pay full price because they comped half the theatre the night I went and only 2 single seats were left."

Sorry, was that your only night available to see it during the run? I only ask because this is a play with no stars, risky subject matter, a Broadway debut playwright, and a 50% gross in its first week –– none of which necessitates full-priced tickets.

[Bettyboy72]

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Bettyboy72 said: "Seeing Slave's Plays number makes me even more mad I had to pay full price because they comped half the theatre the night I went and only 2 single seats were left."

Sorry, was that youronlynight available to see it during the run?I only ask because this isa play with no stars, risky subject matter, a Broadway debut playwright, and a 50% gross in its first week –– none of which necessitates full-priced tickets."

It was my only free night so I got painted into a corner. My own fault. It was on TKTS every other day I was there. 

 

[ACL2006]

qolbinau said: "Yes, but if the seats are available on telecharge then it means they are necessarily not sold and therefore you can make some conclusions about the advance. In other words, if your post is true (and I'm sure it is occasionally true because I have seen the same thing) it means you can't conclude an advance is strong, not thatyou can't conclude an advance is weak."

LIGHTNING THIEF had an average ticket price of $50. Likely a result of a lot of comps for friends & family plus whatever amount of rush tickets they sold. No show will survive on that.

[HogansHero]

ACL2006 said: "No show will survive on that."

Absolutely true. 

Also absolutely true: no show's fortunes can be intelligently prognosticated based on 5 performances. 

[poisonivy2]

Bettyboy72 said: "ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Bettyboy72 said: "Seeing Slave's Plays number makes me even more mad I had to pay full price because they comped half the theatre the night I went and only 2 single seats were left."

Sorry, was that youronlynight available to see it during the run?I only ask because this isa play with no stars, risky subject matter, a Broadway debut playwright, and a 50% gross in its first week –– none of which necessitates full-priced tickets."

It was my only free night so I got painted into a corner. My own fault. It was on TKTS every other day I was there.

"

Hmm there’s a good discount code going around for $69 orchestra seats ...

[Rainah]

Damn Hadestown just keeps going up and up. 

Oklahoma! is floundering. We got seats on friday about an hour to curtain, paid $60 each and ended up sitting front row (in the area without tables in front). Still a decent number of unsold seats. Great view and totally worth it, but I feel bad for the show. 

Honestly forgot Lightning Thief was opening until I walked by the theatre.

JLP has cool marquee and style at least, feels very different than anything else and I could see that helping it stand out. 

Anyone know what the nut for Tootsie is? The Marquis has to be more expensive than smaller theatres right?

[Javi]

I saw Tootsie tonight. Orchestra seemed quite full from what I can see from the mezz. Lots of empty seats in the mezz. I was front row mezz left and i was the only one sitting in that whole row! I bought my ticket months ago and paid quite a bit for it and I was still on the side of the left mezz with around 10 empty seats next to me. When I bought my ticket back then, I tried to find the cheapest ticket as it was all so expensive. So seems since in the last few months, no other tickets around that area were sold. Seems like maybe producers need to stop overpricing tickets and perhaps they will get more people going.

[SouthernCakes]

I don’t know the last time I’ve paid full price for anything.

[Princeton2]

The problem with Frozen is much of its fanbase has grown up and moved on. Shows like Aladdin and Moulin Rouge have the nostalgia trend working for them. Their fans are now in their 30s/40s so are a good ticket buying market who can more likely afford the tickets unlike families with younger kids who may now be over the Frozen hype.

Considering Disney traditionally (excluding Lion King) do less well in London than New York I think them taking the massive Drury Lane is a big risk. Closing the Broadway show and shipping the set to London to help save some money could be a good option for them.

Not sure what the 'good marketing' is people are talking about for Frozen 2. I've not seen anything different so far to what they do for most of their movies.

[JBroadway]

Princeton2 said: 
Not sure what the 'good marketing' is people are talking about for Frozen 2. I've not seen anything different so far to what they do for most of their movies."

 

The trailers and teasers for Frozen 2 give the impression that they are taking the story in a bit of a darker direction, with more of an epic feel to it. They make it look like an exciting adventure that digs deeper into the magical lore of the story. Also the aesthetics are quite beautiful. Based on the reactions I've seen around the internet (which happen to align with my own reaction), it seems like the trailers have made people really excited by the prospects of the film; even people who are kind of "over" Frozen seem to be drawn back in by the seemingly fresh take. I think that's the "good marketing" they were referring to.

[Wick3]

Do you guys think Betrayal will get an extension? Just found it odd how the limited engagement ends right before the holiday season (which tends to be a big moneymaker for all Broadway shows.)

[Miles2Go2]

I honestly can’t recall seeing one teaser for Frozen 2 but that’s probably because they’re not showing them on tv yet (at least channels I watch) and I rarely go to movie theaters anymore (why go when it’ll be on my Delta flight in 3 to 4 months for free?). Will be interesting to see if Frozen’s decline in box office revenue continues.

In regards to Betrayal, I suppose Cox and Hiddleston have tv/film commitments to get back to thus the final performance of Betrayal before holidays.

[VintageSnarker]

msmp said: "Admittedly I'm not local to NYC, but both times I've been there since Jordinwas announcedI saw virtually no advertising about her. But then this is the same marketing team that used the London cast for its billboard..."

I feel like Waitress has done a great job with marketing. Most, if not all, the Jennas got billboards and/or ads all over the city. I don't know how they're feeling about using their ad budget since they announced closing though. And I suspect Jordin's casting wouldn't see a dramatic increase in sales even if they had ads all over the place. 

RE: Frozen 

It doesn't have the dramatic difficulties of The Little Mermaid (wheelies) or Tarzan but do you think Frozen would still be doing well at the box office if they'd put more effort into the sets and creating a sense of magic/wonder/magnitude on stage? The successful Disney stage adaptations seem to preserve the sense of spectacle. 

[WestEndGal]

VintageSnarker said: "msmp said: "Admittedly I'm not local to NYC, but both times I've been there since Jordinwas announcedI saw virtually no advertising about her. But then this is the same marketing team that used the London cast for its billboard..."

I feel like Waitress has done a great job with marketing. Most, if not all, the Jennas got billboards and/or ads all over the city. I don't know how they're feeling about using their ad budget since they announced closing though. And I suspect Jordin's casting wouldn't see a dramatic increase in sales even if they had ads all over the place."

The Waitress London marketing has def been questionable lol but sure I think for the most part they’ve always marketed Waitress pretty well in NYC. But like you guys say, maybe they’re just not spending a lot on marketing now that it’s closing.  Alison Luff and now Jordin Sparks are the first Jennas I think to have not gotten their own big billboard in Times Square, and they haven’t even bothered having their playbills ready to go for the start of their runs! With Jordin, what’s weird is that if they’re gonna bring in a ‘name’ and presumably be paying her a larger salary than say Alison, then surely they need to throw a bit of money into advertising her, or else what’s the point? When Sara or Kat, for example, were Jenna their images were everywhere, and I’m sure that helped with the tourist trade. 

[BritCrit]

VintageSnarker said: 


RE: Frozen

It doesn't have the dramatic difficulties of The Little Mermaid (wheelies) or Tarzan but do you think Frozen would still be doing well at the box office if they'd put more effort into the sets and creating a sense of magic/wonder/magnitude on stage? The successful Disney stage adaptations seem to preserve the sense of spectacle."

I personally think that Frozen Broadway has a few key problems. First of these is fact that it is a journey-based narrative, and those don’t play well on stage, as the confines of the stage limit the scope of the story, and by extension the arcs of the characters. In addition, the sets and colour schemes are too drab, and need to be revised for London and other venues. Frozen 2 also looks like it is going for the “deeper and darker” approach, but it has a brighter, more varied colour scheme which contrasts with Frozen Broadway’s blacks, whites and blues. Furthermore, the loss of most of the action scenes from the original film reduces the spectacle and has the side effect of making the leads seem weaker. Would you rather watch the Princess Anna who fights off wolves singlehandledly, or the one who just grabs onto Kristoff when he almost falls off a bridge?

However, the greatest problem with Frozen Broadway is the fact that it wants to closely replicate a film that had a load of flaws but succeeded because it felt unique and different. Michael Grandage seems to regard Frozen as being like the Shakespeare he is so used to adapting, but it REALLY doesn’t have the depth of the Bard’s works. What it does have are great songs, pretty visuals and a willingness to take risks and chances. When Frozen was released, those qualities made it the right film at the right time, and ensured it could win over even those who hated Disney films. However, as the novelty of the film has worn off, its flaws have become more apparent, and sticking so close to the text just makes everyone aware of this...

It’s inevitable that Frozen won’t be on Broadway this time next year, so the question is how well it will do on Drury Lane. Shrek did better in the West End then it did on Broadway, but that was because they made a number of changes and edits. Hopefully, the Frozen team will revise the production for the West End as well...

[SouthernCakes]

They def chose the wrong director. The shows a mess. You’d think Olaf would have a show stopper but he’s kind of disregarded most of the time.

[bdn223]

SouthernCakes said: "They def chose the wrong director. The shows a mess. You’d think Olaf would have a show stopper but he’s kind of disregarded most of the time. "

I would bet money Schumacher is kicking himself for letting Timbers go, especially after seeing what he did with Beetlejuice and Moulin Rouge. I could see Schumacher being hesitant of letting a relatively green/unestablished director, without a hit to his name, have control over Disney’s new cash cow. If I had several directorial decisions Micheal Grandage made had to be run all the way up the corporate ladder to Iger, and Schumacher feared Timber’s might not be able to handle that. Add to that I wouldn’t be surprised if Timbers wanted a larger budget and that was a breaking point. If there is one thing Timber’s has proven its that he knows how to make going to a production of his an experience and not simply a night at the theater. Even his smaller productions of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Peter and the Starcatcher turned their respective theaters into a dive bar and the found object proscenium. I honestly would love to see Disney let Timbers take over the West End production.

[BritCrit]

SouthernCakes said: "They def chose the wrong director. The shows a mess. You’d think Olaf would have a show stopper but he’s kind of disregarded most of the time. "

Apparently the Lopezes claimed on a YouTube commentary that they wanted to expand “In Summer” but felt it ultimately worked best in short form. Olaf is a difficult character to get right, especially with the focus on being darker and more serious, but that means they should put more effort in, not less...

Again, to repeat my point, Grandage’s dry, serious and reverential approach is great for Shakespeare and drama, but all wrong for Frozen. It needs someone who recognised that Frozen’s success was due to its willingness to be big and bold and take risks.  Don’t play it safe...

[JBroadway]

^Agreed! And let’s not forgot Rocky the musical, which featured epic sets, and turned the theatre into a boxing ring for the final fight by extending the stage over the first 10 rows!

[BritCrit]

bdn223 said: "SouthernCakes said: "They def chose the wrong director. The shows a mess. You’d think Olaf would have a show stopper but he’s kind of disregarded most of the time. "

I would bet money Schumacher is kicking himself for letting Timbers go, especially after seeing what he did with Beetlejuice and Moulin Rouge. I could see Schumacher being hesitant of letting a relatively green/unestablisheddirector, without a hit to his name, have control over Disney’s new cash cow. If I had several directorialdecisionsMicheal Grandage made had to be run all the way up the corporate ladder to Iger, and Schumacher feared Timber’s might not be able to handle that. Add to that I wouldn’t be surprised if Timbers wanted a larger budget and that was a breaking point. If there is one thing Timber’s has proven its that he knows how to make going to a production of his an experience and not simply a night at the theater. Even his smaller productions of Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and Peter and the Starcatcher turned their respective theaters into a dive bar and the found object proscenium. I honestly would love to see Disney let Timbers take over the West End production."

They won’t, because Michael Grandage is a West End icon and Timbers isn’t, but some changes to the creative team would help things a bit...

[itsjustmejonhotmailcom]

Rainah said: "Anyone know what the nut for Tootsie is? The Marquis has to be more expensive than smaller theatres right?"

It's more expensive in that there are more ushers and box office staff on the payroll. Shockingly they charge the same for air conditioning as a small theater. Tootsie's weekly is in the high 600's.