By Jennifer R Jones | Posted on December 18, 2014 11:48 AM
In The Week Ending December 14, 2014, The Last Ship Saw Increased Sales Due To Sting’s Entering The Cast. The Illusionists Join The Millionaires Club.
Sting Has Helped “The Last Ship” From Sinking
The Last Ship has been struggling at the box office from the time it began previews on September 29, 2014. The new musical about a British shipyarding town with music and lyrics by the multi Grammy Award winning musician Sting has had trouble gaining traction with theatregoers. However, Sting was not going to let his beloved Ship sink without making a last ditch effort.
Similar to how the citizens of the show’s town join together in one last effort to build one Last Ship, Sting has chosen to make a radical move: starting December 9, 2014, he stepped into the role of Jackie White.
Audiences Responding Positively
According to the box office in the week ending December 14, 2014, theatregoers are responding positively to this move. This past week, the show grossed $817,897, which was an increase of $325,987 from the week before.
With a top ticket price of $225.00, the average paid admission was $98.79. That is a significant increase in average paid admission, which previously did not top $80.69. Furthermore, the previous highest weekly gross was only $575,155. Therefore, Sting may save the ship after all.
“The Illusionists” Made The Millionaire Club
An unusual fare for Broadway, The Illusionists: Witness the Impossible is a magic show rife with spectacle. However, it appears that ticketbuyers are drawn to this change in offering. In its first week ending November 30, 2014, the show made it past the millionaire mark, earning $1,048,858, which was 76.07% of its gross potential.
The show went quickly from previews (commencing November 26, 2014) to opening night (which took place December 4, 2014), as the show needed less preview preparation than most fully staged plays and musicals.
Can They Reach The Big Leagues?
Upon reviews hitting the presses, theatregoers responded positively. Still, they have not yet made it back to the levels of that first week.
In the week ending December 14, 2014, the show brought in $987,234, which was an increase of $108,818 from the week before, but still not in the millionaire’s club. Time will tell whether this magic show can make it back into the big leagues in the coming weeks.
The following are the Broadway ticket sales numbers for the week ending December 14, 2014:
| Show Name | GrossGross | TotalAttn | %Capacity | AvgPdAdm |
| A DELICATE BALANCE | $854,322 | 6,015 | 93.75% | $142.03 |
| A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE AND MURDER | $879,103 | 6,899 | 94.46% | $127.42 |
| ALADDIN | $1,529,288 | 13,631 | 98.89% | $112.19 |
| BEAUTIFUL | $1,354,390 | 8,230 | 100.27% | $164.57 |
| CABARET | $808,669 | 6,858 | 96.00% | $117.92 |
| CHICAGO | $414,484 | 5,112 | 59.17% | $81.08 |
| CINDERELLA | $851,242 | 10,561 | 75.39% | $80.60 |
| DISGRACED | $415,019 | 4,841 | 65.92% | $85.73 |
| HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH | $640,340 | 6,242 | 88.55% | $102.59 |
| HONEYMOON IN VEGAS | $396,473 | 6,655 | 71.90% | $59.58 |
| IF/THEN | $502,861 | 6,051 | 57.69% | $83.10 |
| IT’S ONLY A PLAY | $1,413,682 | 8,447 | 98.77% | $167.36 |
| JERSEY BOYS | $847,588 | 7,680 | 78.18% | $110.36 |
| KINKY BOOTS | $1,295,982 | 10,317 | 90.56% | $125.62 |
| LES MISÉRABLES | $719,973 | 7,970 | 70.71% | $90.34 |
| LOVE LETTERS | $274,612 | 4,231 | 56.59% | $64.90 |
| MAMMA MIA! | $437,209 | 5,298 | 56.80% | $82.52 |
| MATILDA | $900,826 | 9,335 | 81.49% | $96.50 |
| MOTOWN THE MUSICAL | $982,656 | 8,993 | 74.59% | $109.27 |
| ON THE TOWN | $756,779 | 9,370 | 62.50% | $80.77 |
| ONCE | $601,479 | 6,597 | 77.87% | $91.17 |
| PIPPIN | $468,537 | 5,821 | 73.50% | $80.49 |
| ROCK OF AGES | $376,586 | 4,138 | 88.72% | $91.01 |
| SIDE SHOW | $467,909 | 6,467 | 62.04% | $72.35 |
| THE BOOK OF MORMON | $1,739,667 | 8,751 | 102.61% | $198.80 |
| THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME | $893,577 | 7,572 | 92.98% | $118.01 |
| THE ELEPHANT MAN | $934,580 | 6,233 | 100.66% | $149.94 |
| THE ILLUSIONISTS – WITNESS THE IMPOSSIBLE | $987,234 | 9,883 | 77.36% | $99.89 |
| THE LAST SHIP | $817,897 | 8,279 | 76.71% | $98.79 |
| THE LION KING | $1,925,063 | 12,637 | 92.92% | $152.34 |
| THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA | $760,079 | 9,021 | 70.26% | $84.26 |
| THE REAL THING | $456,725 | 5,509 | 93.06% | $82.91 |
| THE RIVER | $865,695 | 5,608 | 100.72% | $154.37 |
| THIS IS OUR YOUTH | $270,455 | 5,260 | 61.97% | $51.42 |
| WICKED | $1,746,037 | 13,554 | 93.66% | $128.82 |
| YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU | $498,935 | 5,317 | 61.94% | $93.84 |
| Totals: | $30,085,952 | 273,383 | 80.53% | $106.47 |
