Broadway Show Ticket Sales Analysis w/e 06/26/2016

“The Color Purple” Leaps Back Into The Game

In the week ending June 26, 2016, the biggest increase in ticket sales from the week before was seen by the revival of The Color Purple. Since this musical revival began previews on November 10, 2015, it has had better weeks and worse weeks, fluttering around an average of 74.39% of its gross potential.

Around Christmas and New Years, the show broke through the million dollar mark, reaching its record gross thus far of $1,008,774 in the week ending December 27, 2015. However, the week before last, it reached its lowest ever weekly gross in a full performance week: $560,484, which represents 53.44% of its gross potential.

Winner Of Two Tony Award

Of the four Tony Award nominations that the show received, The Color Purple won two: Best Revival of a Musical, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for Cynthia Erivo. In any case, in the wake of the Tony Awards, this show was experiencing lackluster box office performance. However, this past week, it took a leap upwards, becoming the show with the greatest increase in ticket sales from the week before. The show increased by $238,537 to reach a weekly gross of $799,021, which represents 76.19% of its gross potential. While this still isn’t extraordinary, it is a major step up from the dangerously low figures the show was bringing in the previous week.

Three Shows Close And Experience Minor Upturns

On June 26, 2016, three shows played their final performances of the run. The King and I, which had been running in revival since March 12, 2015, played its final performance this past Sunday. At that point, it had played a total of 499 performances, on top of 39 preview performances.

This was therefore quite a long run for this musical revival, which received 9 nominations at the 2015 Tony Awards, winning four: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical for Kelli O’Hara, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for Ruthie Ann Miles, and Best Costume Design of a Musical for Catherine Zuber. The show managed to ride this wave and bring in solid box office throughout the summer of 2015, and then to sustain for an entire year after.

"The King And I" Increases In Final Week

In its final week of performances, The King and I increased by $164,236, bringing in a final weekly gross of $840,824, which represents 73.4% of its gross potential. In addition, that same day, Bright Star also played its final performance. Unlike The King and I, Bright Star closed precipitously after 109 performances on top of 30 previews. This new musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell received good reviews, but failed to ignite at the Tony Awards of the box office.

In its final week of performances, Bright Star increased by $158,776, bringing in a final weekly gross of $708,013, which represents 77.6% of its gross potential. Finally, Long Day’s Journey Into Night also played its last performance this past Sunday, June 26, 2016. That show, in a Roundabout Theatre Company production, only experienced a modest upturn in its final performance week, increasing by $11,078 to reach a weekly gross of $502,602, which represents 86.2% of its gross potential.