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[CedricOates]

[Phantom4ever]

I think part of it is the cost and a bigger part is that every show is so easily available online, even the new ones. More and more people are claiming to have seen shows by watching the bootlegs online. And many don't see the need or reason to see them in person after that. And after the way this board so passionately and decisively defended bootlegs as a cherished part of theater, it is no wonder that this is the trend. 

[Broadway Joe]

This is over dramatic. 15 of the 35 shows last week were over at least 1 million dollars. Over 35 million in sales last week on Broadway total. Plus a bunch of the other shows under the million dollar mark are still doing well enough. People are buying tickets for shows. There isn't some mass exodus of shows closing. Some shows are just not very good or just don't have any marketability. Those are the ones that will be closing.

The quality on most bootlegs is rather terrible, I really don't think that's an issue at all.

[jimmycurry01]

There will always be staples that the tourists keep open, but other shows do quite well if they merit the business. One quick look at the grosses will tell you that. The over-all grosses have never been higher. The same is true for touring productions; the grosses are huge for most first tier tour stops.

The idea that bootlegs are depleting the audience is not supported by the numbers; especially considering that the most prevalently bootlegged shows are those unstoppable juggernauts that seem like to run forever. There are many variables involved in how a show is doing financially, and if bootlegs are on that list of variables, they are near the bottom of the list.

If you want to discuss certain shows on a one-on-one basis to determine why a particular show isn't finding an audience, that is a different matter. Some shows just aren't that good. Jukebox shows keep trying to make a comeback, and audiences are not terribly interested, so Margaritaville, Summer, and likely The Cher Show won't get high returns, and are likely to close sooner. There is a lot of talk here about Spongebob Squarepants not having high grosses, I think that part of that is because the title feels more Universal Studios than it does Broadway, and it has high competition from the two Disney ventures and Harry Potter.

[HogansHero]

CedricOates said: "I feel like a lot of shows will be closing very soon, or by the end of the year. Why do you think less and less people are buying tickets for shows that aren't the standards (Hamilton, Wicked, Lion King etc.)?"

Your premise is faulty. In addition to what's said below, actually the data shows that more and more people are buying tickets that in the past (subject to marginal variations in any given year). The only real observation is that folks don't buy tickets to shows they don't want to see. 

[CedricOates]

[dramamama611]

Frozen grossed 1.6 million last week; summer over a million.....define your meaning of not getting people in the seats?

 

All shows can't succeed. Some will fail, some will succeed, but they will all close - or we'd never get anything new.

[JSquared2]

CedricOates said:  Well put. I guess I didn't really articulate what I meant. What I sort of meant was shows like Escape to Margaritaville, Spongebob, and even Frozen haven't been getting people in seats as much. The plays on Broadway always close after short runs. Even Summer seems like it won't hold for long. Seems like the more business oriented the show is, the less it performs. Thanks for the input."

Except you're still misstating the "facts".  FROZEN and SUMMER are both doing great for now (with SUMMER far exceeding expectations).  As far as the plays that "always close after short runs" -- are you referring to star-driven limited runs that are always announced as such --- or plays at the not for profits (like Roundabout and MTC) that have seasons and usually couldn't extend even if they wanted to?  There are only a handful of open-ended commercially produced plays that open on Broadway each season.  Sometimes you have a hit (THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, CURIOUS INCIDENT), sometimes not. 

The biggest change to the "Broadway business model" over the past decade is that hit shows (especially musicals) are running much longer than they used to, forcing the new musicals to take theatres that in the past would have been deemed play houses --- so the turnover rate is much lower.

[jimmycurry01]

Why delete the entire post? This seemed to be a rather good discussion that examined your question and provided strong, evidence based, responses in a constructive manner.

[dramamama611]

Gee...no one even got snippy with him.    And I'm resisting doing so now.

[JSquared2]