Broadway is having a good season as multiple shows break box-office records raising the industry back to pre-pandemic levels.
Key Details
- Many Broadway shows broke-box office records during the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
- In the week ending on January 1, all 33 running Broadway shows brought in a collective total of $51.9 million.
- This year’s numbers are a large jump from the $26.3 million brought in by the 31 running Broadway shows during the same period last year.
Why it’s news
In the world of technology and easy access to streaming and other entertainment services, many traditional ways of entertainment are dying out, but not Broadway.
Broadway had a successful week breaking many box office records over the holidays after suffering a decline from the pandemic. The holiday weeks are typically more sucessful as ticket prices tend to rise at that time, but this year was record-breaking.
During the week between Christmas and New Year’s, The Lion King reached its highest gross since starting on Broadway in 1997 grossing more than $4.3 million across nine performances. The show’s audience was 99% full, and the average ticket price to attend was $284.89.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child set the record for the highest weekly gross for a play in Broadway history for a second time, according to the production. It brought in $2.67 million across eight performances, with an average ticket price of $205.86.
It had previously set the record in December 2018, reaching $2.52 million with an average ticket price of $194.66.
The holiday week brought in other record-breaking numbers.
Chicago broke its record by reaching the highest gross in its 26-year Broadway history, bringing in $1.3 million across nine performances, while The Music Man hit its high of $3.97 million across nine shows, Funny Girl with a high of $2.4 million across nine shows, and Six with its record of $1.65 million across eight shows.