Broadway's $29.6 Million Week: Star Plays Push Ticket Prices Up as a Crowded November Slate Opens
Broadway's 33 shows grossed $29.57 million in the week ending Nov. 1, down almost 13%, while Other Desert Cities averaged $301.23 a ticket. With openings stacked through November, here is what the numbers say for theaters and the businesses around them.
NEW YORK — Broadway’s latest box office report shows two stories at once: a few star-driven plays commanding premium prices, and a long list of new shows still in previews heading into the holidays.
The Numbers
According to Playbill’s weekly grosses report, the 33 productions running on Broadway took in $29.57 million for the week ending Nov. 1, down almost 13% from the week before, with one additional production running. The average ticket price was $117.49.
Other Desert Cities, at the Hudson Theatre, topped the list for the first time with $2.35 million, a new high for the production. Playbill said it has been selling out consistently, so the gain came from price: its average ticket was $301.23. Hamilton followed with $2.32 million. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ($1.63 million), MJ The Musical ($1.62 million) and The Lion King ($1.57 million) completed the top five.
Billy Crystal’s 860 rose by more than $140,000 to a production record of $1.35 million. Eleven of the 33 shows grossed $1 million or more, and 15 played to at least 90% of capacity.
Why Previews Skew the Averages
Playbill cautioned that the $117.49 average is held up “almost single-handedly” by Other Desert Cities tickets, and that many of the season’s newest titles are still in previews, when tickets can be cheaper or comped for press. It called the average a figure to watch as shows move out of previews and into the winter holidays.
The standout number is Much Ado About Nothing at the Winter Garden Theatre, starring Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell. It played a single first preview on Nov. 1 and grossed $358,262. Playbill noted that, extended to a full eight-performance week, that would out-gross Other Desert Cities by more than $500,000, though first previews tend to carry inflated demand and the pace may not hold. The show is scheduled to open Nov. 19, according to Playbill’s schedule.
What Opens Next
The same schedule lists a busy stretch:
- Here There Are Blueberries, Ethel Barrymore Theatre, opening Nov. 9
- Now You See Me Live, Al Hirschfeld Theatre, opening Nov. 11
- The Fantasticks, Hayes Theatre, opening Nov. 16
- Blue Man Group’s “A New Holiday Surprise,” Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, opening Nov. 17
- It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, Broadhurst Theatre, opening Nov. 18
- Much Ado About Nothing, Winter Garden Theatre, opening Nov. 19
- Galileo, Shubert Theatre, first preview Nov. 10 and opening Dec. 6
Dates can change, so confirm with each theater before buying.
What It Means Beyond the Stage
Broadway’s fortunes ripple through the restaurants, bars, hotels and shops around the Theater District. We do not have local sales data, so the following is our reading, not a measured result.
When top tickets run above $300 and a first preview sells at that kind of pace, demand from visitors and locals willing to pay for a night out looks strong at the high end. A mix of premium plays, family-friendly shows such as Blue Man Group and a live radio play based on a holiday classic can bring different kinds of audiences, and different dining and shopping needs, into the same few blocks.
For nearby small businesses, a few practical ideas follow from the schedule alone:
Know the opening nights. Each opening brings press, producers and cast celebrations. A restaurant that knows when its neighbors open can plan staffing.
Match your hours to curtain times. Pre-theater and post-theater menus tied to show times are standard in the district for a reason.
Plan inventory for the holidays. If the average ticket price and attendance rise as shows leave previews, as Playbill suggests they might, so may foot traffic.
Watch the gross, not just the buzz. A show’s weekly gross and capacity percentage are published every week and are a rough gauge of how many people are in the neighborhood.
Broadway’s last few weeks show how much a handful of marquee names can move the headline numbers. Whether the winter holidays lift the rest of the slate is the question the next few weekly reports will answer.
Entrepreneurs Of New York is an independent publication and is not affiliated with Broadway productions, theaters or Playbill.