Broadway Grosses: Week Ending 5/20/18

[Rob]

Click below to access all the Broadway grosses from all the shows for the week ending 5/20/2018 in BroadwayWorld'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.

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Up for the week by attendance was: KINKY BOOTS (8.8%), A BRONX TALE THE MUSICAL (8.4%), CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD (7.6%), WAITRESS (7.3%), ONCE ON THIS ISLAND (7.2%), BEAUTIFUL (5.7%), SUMMER (5.7%), THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG (5.0%), THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (5.0%), WICKED (4.6%), CAROUSEL (4.1%), SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS (2.7%), HELLO, DOLLY! (2.6%), ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE (2.4%), CHICAGO (2.4%), THE BAND'S VISIT (1.2%), TRAVESTIES (1.2%), ALADDIN (1.1%), THE BOYS IN THE BAND (0.5%), HAMILTON (0.2%), FROZEN (0.2%), COME FROM AWAY (0.2%), DEAR EVAN HANSEN (0.1%),

Down for the week by attendance was: SAINT JOAN (-5.4%), ANASTASIA (-1.3%), SCHOOL OF ROCK (-0.9%), ANGELS IN AMERICA (-0.3%), THE ICEMAN COMETH (-0.1%), THE LION KING (-0.1%),

Click Here to Visit the BroadwayWorld Grosses...

[BroadwayConcierge]

Not too bad this week.

[Call_me_jorge]

Really don’t understand why Rudin is pulling the plug on Hello, Dolly

[qolbinau]

Call_me_jorge said: "Really don’t understand why Rudin is pulling the plug on Hello, Dolly"

Because he won't have a star and he knows that the show will tank without one. I mean, I know some here claimed otherwise but we know from the decline in the grosses when Donna Murphy was covering for Bette that the show just can't sustain itself without a name. Once Bernadette and Bette leave, who is going to do the heavy lifting? 

[MadsonMelo]

Those numbers for Kinky Boots and School of Rock are no good.

 

I hope they can survive the New Years Eve, hope to catch them in October.

[10086sunset]

While I’m sure Escape to Margaritaville has more money to burn, those numbers are really, really bad.

[ACL2006]

MARGARITAVILLE is likely just hitting it's weekly nut, but I still don't see it lasting past Labor Day.

[willrolandsframes]

qolbinau said: "Call_me_jorge said: "Really don’t understand why Rudin is pulling the plug on Hello, Dolly"

Because he won't have a star and he knows that the show will tank without one. I mean, I know some here claimed otherwise but we know from the decline inthe grosses when Donna Murphy was covering for Bette that the show just can't sustain itself without a name. Once Bernadette and Bette leave, who is going to do the heavy lifting?"

Yes, because well over $800,000 a week with Donna Murphy playing Dolly is a totally unsustainable gross. Dolly could never run with simply earning those measly pennies.

Similarly to Great Comet last season, I think this has a lot less to do with money than we think. Both of those shows could've easily ran without stars and made $700,000 a week and sustained itself.

[haterobics]

Call_me_jorge said: "Really don’t understand why Rudin is pulling the plug on Hello, Dolly"

Because after a certain period of time, an event becomes a show.

[qolbinau]

Look carefully at the grosses, when Murphy took over for 2 weeks in peak summer time it went from 936k to 722k. That's a massive drop in just two weeks. How do you think the sales would have fared if Murphy had took over for the 15+ weeks Bernadette has now been running it for? I mean, believe me if they thought the show would be sustainable with someone else they would surely do it. It's almost always about money. And I'm confused why you reference Great Comet - that was definitely about money too! 

[willrolandsframes]

qolbinau said: "Look carefully at the grosses, when Murphy took over for 2 weeks in peak summer time it went from 936k to 722k. That's a massive drop in just two weeks. How do you think the sales would have fared if Murphy had took overfor the 15+ weeks Bernadette has now been running it for? I mean, believe me if they thought the show would be sustainable with someone else they would surely do it. It's almostalways about money. And I'm confused why you reference Great Comet - that was definitely about money too!"

Even with going through many weeks without a "face", Comet never once dropped below $700,000. I find it hard to believe it wasn't meeting its nut. Likewise, even though Donna was barely pulling in $700,000, I'm 100% certain Dolly met its nut during those weeks. If Rudin really wanted to run the show with an unknown, I'm certain he could make it happen. But instead, he can simply close this production and bring in a shiny new production of a different show starring Jeff Daniels that will make more money than Dolly would without a star.

[ColorTheHours048]

Broadway is a business. I don’t know what’s hard to understand about that. Dolly has had a wonderful run and 3 legendary actresses have had a turn at the role (as well as 2 wonderful understudies and an upcoming tour with yet another legendary actress). Yes, it may be just keeping itself in the black, but it needs to turn a profit, otherwise it’s just taking up space.

That’s the nature of theatre. One day it’s there; the next, it’s not. The cast and crew will find new work and next year, we’ll all have a new show to obsess over.

[Mike66]

haterobics said: "Call_me_jorge said: "Really don’t understand why Rudin is pulling the plug on Hello, Dolly"

Because after a certain period of time, aneventbecomes a show."

OOOO -- This! -- wish I would have said it.

[OhHiii]

willrolandsframes said: "qolbinau said: "Look carefully at the grosses, when Murphy took over for 2 weeks in peak summer time it went from 936k to 722k. That's a massive drop in just two weeks. How do you think the sales would have fared if Murphy had took overfor the 15+ weeks Bernadette has now been running it for? I mean, believe me if they thought the show would be sustainable with someone else they would surely do it. It's almostalways about money. And I'm confused why you reference Great Comet - that was definitely about money too!"

Even with going through many weeks without a "face", Comet never once dropped below $700,000. I find it hard to believe it wasn't meeting its nut. Likewise, even though Donna was barely pulling in $700,000, I'm 100% certain Dolly met its nut during those weeks. If Rudin really wanted to run the show with an unknown, I'm certain he could make it happen. But instead, he can simply close this production and bring in a shiny new production of a different show starring Jeff Daniels that will make more money than Dolly would without a star."

I think you may not fully understand ALL of the costs that go into a production's nut. Both of those shows have huge ensembles and are technically very complex both factors which can EASILY bump the weekly up into the $800K & $900K range. 

[raddersons]

Great Comet closed because it had no advance sales, ie. it was almost definitely going to be in the red for those months, probably drastically in the red. Without a star, Dolly probably runs into the same problem.

[yankeefan7]

Is Katherine McPhee helping the box office for "Waitress" or is it doing the same as it was before she took over the lead role?

[dearalanaaaa]

raddersons said: "Great Comet closed because it had no advance sales, ie. it was almost definitely going to be in the red for those months, probably drasticallyin the red. Without a star, Dolly probably runs into the same problem."

Not to jump in, but I'm surprised NOBODY has yet mentioned the controversy of hiring Mandy Patkin over Oak O. for three weeks. I believe it could have lasted up until late December if that never happened, especially because the fandom swelled in size after closing. What a shame.

[dramamama611]

No, it wasn't surviving with Oak. Sales (particularly going forward) were dismal; Patinkin was a life jacket.

[Miles2Go2]

dramamama611 said: "No, it wasn't surviving with Oak. Sales were dusmal; Patinkin was a life jacket."

I’d also say that Comet has been dogged by reports that the revenue was mismanaged, that somehow not one of its off-Broadway productions recouped despite being popular. So the Broadway production was on more unstable footing than many shows from the get go. Add to that the lack of substantial advance sales, it was destined to close. 

By comparison, Hello, Dolly! seems to be well managed shows (say what you will, but Rudin appears to know how to turn a profit). There are reports the show has recouped, but we may never know for sure. For the show to have strong advance sales, it has been clear it needs a star in the lead. Not sure why they couldn’t find another talented star to take over, but I’ll say this...

Let’s be glad it was revived. We needed this show as surely as we needed The Band’s Visit. The corner offers an escape from our troubling times while the latter. reminds that hospitality can be found in the most unexpected places, even those places we might expect to be rejected. 

I’d also say that it’s human nature to want our favorite shows to run forever or at least for a long time. But if we want new works and revivals we have to make room for them. Of course, the last mostly dismal year for new musicals doesn’t inspire much hope. I am a fan of both Dolly (saw it with both Bette and Bernadette) and The Great Comet (missed the Broadway run, but saw the last off-Broadway run).  

I also think we probably underestimate how high the weekly nut is for most shows while forgetting that just barely meeting the weekly nut does not contribute to paying back the investors. 

[South Fl Marc]

As far as I can tell, they are using the current set for the upcoming tour. I would not be surprised if in a year or so , Dolly did not roll back into NYC with different major star who would, I think, be eligible for the Tony.

[raddersons]

dearalanaaaa said: "raddersons said: "Great Comet closed because it had no advance sales, ie. it was almost definitely going to be in the red for those months, probably drasticallyin the red. Without a star, Dolly probably runs into the same problem."

Not to jump in, but I'm surprised NOBODY has yet mentioned the controversyof hiring Mandy Patkin over Oak O. for three weeks. I believe it could have lasted up until late December if that never happened, especially because the fandom swelled in size after closing. What a shame."

The problem is one in the same. With the controversy, they couldn't get a star attached to the show. Without a star, they couldn't sell tickets. 

I'm one of Comet's biggest fans, and I do think if Mandy stuck with it, then it could have lasted longer.  But it wasn't going to be much longer. I doubt it would have been open now.

[AEA AGMA SM]

South Fl Marc said: "As far as I can tell, they are using the current set for the upcoming tour. I would not be surprised if in a year or so , Dolly did not roll back into NYC with different major star who would, I think, be eligible for the Tony."

I believe that the period between productions is a minimum of three years before it could be considered as a revival.

[MoveOnGypsy]

Agree about the set. When they announced the tour and then the closing I assumed the show was closing so they could use the set on tour. It would only make sense. The set is so gorgeous and lush that to recreate it would be quite expensive. The same goes for the costumes.

[trpguyy]

I think it’s extremely unlikely that a set designed and built to be installed in a Broadway theater exactly once would be trucked out on tour. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a Broadway show from the last decade that has done this. It’s more cost-effective in the long run to use a set built to tour.

That’s not to say that costumes, props, and some set dressing wouldn’t be used for the tour, but the idea that “they’ll just tour the Broadway set” rarely ever happens.

[SomethingPeculiar]

KINKY BOOTS and SCHOOL OF ROCK are probably still making money at ~ $760K, but I wonder what their future ticket sales look like? Same with BRONX TALE.

Come springtime... do we think JAGGED LITTLE PILL/HADESTOWN to the Longacre/Kerr, and CRAZY FOR YOU/MOULIN ROUGE to the Hirschfeld/Winter Garden?