Broadway Show Ticket Sales Analysis w/e 04/03/2016

Broadway Sees Decline After Easter Week

In the week ending April 3, 2016, Broadway broke its steady growth streak from the three previous weeks. Of the 36 shows currently running, the collective gross amounted to $29,929,440 across the entire industry. This is a decrease of $1,277,077, taking into account only the shows that were running in both weeks.

The major reason is that last week included the Easter holiday, which brought many tourists to New York City and many locals with additional free time to attend the theatre. Furthermore, the top shows of Wicked, The Lion King, and Aladdin all played nine performances last week, which added a significant boost to the grosses. Whereas this week had an average gross per show of $831,373, last week’s average weekly gross per show was $945,652.

Fourth-Highest Weekly Gross For Hamilton

The average percentage reached of gross potential across the board was 70.88%, and the average audience capacity was 87.36%. Nevertheless, Hamilton still saw a boost of $103,024 from last week, bringing this week’s gross to $1,822,594, which represents 136.53% of its gross potential. This is also the fourth-highest weekly gross for Hamilton from its entire run thus far.

Major decreases were seen by the big musicals, particularly those that played nine performances last week, including The Lion King with a decrease of $340,296, Wicked with a decrease of $316,787, Aladdin with a decrease of $276,894, Kinky Boots with a decrease of $225,284, and The Phantom of the Opera with a decrease of $203,487.

Three New Shows: “Tuck Everlasting,” “Fully Committed,” And “Long Day’s Journey…”

On March 31, 2016, Tuck Everlasting began previews at the Broadhurst Theatre. Based on the novel by Natalie Babbitt, of which a feature film was also made, this new musical had a mediocre start at the box office, despite its brand name recognition. In the first partial week of four preview performances, Tuck Everlasting brought in $263,150, which represents 50.7% of its gross potential. The average paid admission was $62.03, and the average audience capacity was 91.3%.

The show will open on April 26, 2016. The following day, April 1, 2016, Fully Committed began previews at the Lyceum Theatre. The play starrs Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, On the Town) in a one-man show that first played Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre in 1999.

Strong Initial Performances

In its first week of four performances, Fully Committed brought in $210,547, which represents 46.6% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $250, the average paid admission was $74.95, and the average audience capacity was filled up to 76.8%. While these grosses are comparable to Tuck Everlasting, the show’s running costs are presumably much lower, due to the small-scale nature of the show and single-member cast.

Finally, on April 3, 2016, the new revival of Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night began previews at the American Airlines Theatre in a Roundabout Theatre Company production. Starring Jessica Lange, Gabriel Byrne, Michael Shannon, John Gallagher, Jr., and Colby Minifie, this production is directed by Jonathan Kent.

Exciting Cast Has Strong Chance To Do Well

In its first week of only one preview performance, the show brought in $66,284, which represents 79.6% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $144, the average paid admission was $94.69, and the average audience capacity was 94.6%.

While it is difficult to discern the show’s prospects from one performance alone, with such an exciting cast and quality material, Long Day’s Journey Into Night has a strong chance of faring well this season.