This week’s notable movements on Broadway are:

Broadway Continues Winter Slump with Lower Box Office Sales

In the week ending February 28, 2016, the overall Broadway industry continued to experience a decline in box office sales, even more than the previous week. Of the 31 shows presently running, the entire industry brought in a collective gross of $20,011,016, which is a decrease of $3,402,233 from the week before, despite there being one more production running. While the average gross per show this past week was $645,517, the previous week had an average per show gross of $807,353. Overall, this represents 54.93% of the industry’s box office potential. The average paid for an admission ticket was $91.45, and the average audience capacity across all performances of all shows was 74.64%, down from 83.66% last week. Of the 31 shows currently running which were also running in full swing last week, only two saw an increase in sales. The Humans, a Scott Rudin-produced play transferred from a recent Off-Broadway run at the Laura Pels Theatre, brought in the still modest gross of $344,276, which is an increase of $93,736 from the week before. The second increase was seen by Hamilton; the only surprise there is that there was any way that show could squeeze any more dollars out of its gross potential. This past week, it brought in a weekly gross of $1,755,010, which is an increase of $4,086, representing 131.5% of its gross potential. Meanwhile, huge decreases were seen by long-running hit musicals such as Wicked, with a decrease of $451,364, School of Rock, with a decrease of $431,427, The Lion King, with a decrease of $382,600, Aladdin, with a decrease of $334,907, Finding Neverland, with a decrease of $301,009, Matilda, with a decrease of $281,960, and Phantom of the Opera, with a decrease of $211,421.

Two New Shows: “Eclipsed” and “Bright Star”

On February 23, 2016, Eclipsed began previews at the John Golden Theatre, starring Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o in an ensemble cast that also includes Pascale Armand, Akosua Busia, Zainab Jah, and Saycon Sengbloh. In its first week of 7 performances, it brought in $400,315, which represents 55.8% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $198, the average paid admission was $73.30, and the average audience capacity was filled up to 97.3%. As word of mouth spreads that Lupita Nyong’o is on Broadway, and certainly after reviews come out following the opening on March 6, 2016, chances are that sales will pick up as well. Furthermore, on February 25, 2016, a new musical called Bright Star, created by beloved actor-comedian Steve Martin and Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, began previews at the Cort Theatre. In its first week of 4 performances, Bright Star brought in $206,573, which represents 44.3% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $248, the average paid admission was $63.80, and the average audience capacity was filled up to 77.2%. Unlike Eclipsed, Bright Star does not have a Hollywood A-lister on its marquee. Still, the cast has some exciting Broadway regulars such as Paul Alexander Nolan, Michael Mulheren, A.J. Shively, Hannah Elless, Stephen Bogardus, Dee Hoty, Jeff Blumenkrantz, Emily Padgett, and Stephen Lee Anderson. In the end, however, the names that will attract the most box office traction are the creators: Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers for the week ending February 28, 2016:

#	Show Name	GrossGross	TotalAttn	%Capacity	AvgPdAdm
5	ALADDIN	$1,151,986	13,150	95.18%	$87.60
12	AN AMERICAN IN PARIS	$690,631	7,972	59.35%	$86.63
7	BEAUTIFUL	$793,832	6,763	82.40%	$117.38
22	BLACKBIRD	$399,452	5,545	68.36%	$72.04
30	BRIGHT STAR	$206,573	3,238	77.24%	$63.80
26	CHICAGO	$342,737	4,387	50.78%	$78.13
29	DISASTER!	$261,661	5,195	54.20%	$50.37
21	ECLIPSED	$400,315	5,461	97.27%	$73.30
8	FIDDLER ON THE ROOF	$773,083	8,816	64.56%	$87.69
20	FINDING NEVERLAND	$455,737	6,077	50.51%	$74.99
24	FUN HOME	$386,312	4,922	83.14%	$78.49
1	HAMILTON	$1,755,010	10,756	101.78%	$163.17
28	HUGHIE	$280,732	5,074	82.16%	$55.33
18	JERSEY BOYS	$482,602	5,414	55.11%	$89.14
13	KINKY BOOTS	$634,622	6,747	59.23%	$94.06
10	LES MISÉRABLES	$736,402	8,483	75.26%	$86.81
16	MATILDA	$528,382	7,222	63.04%	$73.16
19	NOISES OFF	$475,948	5,687	96.06%	$83.69
6	ON YOUR FEET!	$829,058	8,494	65.30%	$97.61
31	OUR MOTHER’S BRIEF AFFAIR	$179,194	3,555	68.37%	$50.41
11	SCHOOL OF ROCK	$720,585	9,100	79.66%	$79.19
27	SHE LOVES ME	$337,093	5,202	64.51%	$64.80
14	SOMETHING ROTTEN!	$582,997	8,100	71.18%	$71.97
3	THE BOOK OF MORMON	$1,300,231	8,672	101.69%	$149.93
9	THE COLOR PURPLE	$751,469	7,359	87.52%	$102.12
23	THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME	$392,453	5,215	64.03%	$75.25
25	THE HUMANS	$344,276	4,271	92.37%	$80.61
15	THE KING AND I	$534,179	5,794	69.17%	$92.20
2	THE LION KING	$1,469,120	13,536	99.76%	$108.53
17	THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA	$518,384	6,547	50.99%	$79.18
4	WICKED	$1,295,960	12,055	83.39%	$107.50
	Totals	$20,011,010	218,809	74.63%	$86.29

Broadway ticket sales raw data are provided courtesy of The Broadway League All other data, text, opinion, charts and commentary are copyright © 2016 nytix.com