Broadway Hits $1B Season Total; ‘Springsteen On Broadway’, ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, ‘Network’ Fill Theaters
Springsteen On Broadway has left the building, departing Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre just as it arrived – sold out and going for top dollar. The final four performances of the solo behemoth added nearly $2 million to Broadway’s overall $40M take for Week 29 of the season.
More recent arrivals To Kill A Mockingbird and Network were standing room only as well, making their own contributions to a solid holiday season week. Total attendance on Broadway for the week ending Dec. 16 was 313,917, holding steady from the previous week. Total box office for the 40 productions was $39,865,469, just about dead even with the previous week.
Springsteen closed on Dec. 15, the night before Netflix bowed its filmed version of the show. The live version took in $1,895,695 for its final, four-performance week, average ticket going for a Broadway best of $500.
Mockingbird, the critically praised Aaron Sorkin adaptation of the Harper Lee novel starring Jeff Daniels, opened on Dec. 13 at the Shubert, filling all 11,480 seats (and then some), its $1,174,951 tally showing a slip from the previous week’s $1.3M due to opening night invitations and press comps.
Network, starring Bryan Cranston at the Belasco, pulled in $1.2M, hitting more than its potential with attendance of 8,234 at 101% of capacity.
Joining the roster was Choir Boy, marking the Broadway debut of playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, who shared an adapted screenplay Oscar with Barry Jenkins for 2017’s Moonlight. The production reunites director Trip Cullman with some of his cast from the acclaimed 2013 Off Broadway staging. Choir Boy, set in a prep school for African American boys, took in a small $150,962 for seven previews. Still time to find its footing at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre before the Jan. 8 opening.
Ruben & Clay’s Christmas Show at the Imperial struggled to hit those financial high notes, grossing only $162,962, about 12% of potential, with attendance of 4,500 at about 39% of capacity. It’s week included opening night, so comps were at play.
Season to date, Broadway passed the billion mark – $1,033,018,108, to be exact – a 17% jump over last year at this time, and about 82% of potential. Attendance of 8,064,910 is 10% higher year-to-year.
All figures courtesy of the trade group Broadway League.
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