“Hamilton” Soars; “Come From Away” Gains Traction on Broadway

“Hamilton” Regularly Breaking the $3 Million Mark

In the week ending February 26, 2017, Hamilton once again brought in a weekly gross that exceeded $3 million. This past week, the hit musical brought in $3,133,415, which represents 107.9% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $849.00, the average paid admission was $291.37, and the audience was filled up to 101.8% capacity over the eight performances. This represents the fifth time that Hamilton has brought in a weekly gross over $3 million. The first time this occurred was the week leading up to Thanksgiving weekend in 2016, when the weekly gross was $3,260,089.

This happened again in the week including the Christmas holiday, when the weekly gross was $3,303,538. The following week, which included the New Years holiday, was the musical’s best week to date, earning a weekly gross of $3,335,430. However, the year 2017 has proven that this excellent performance is not limited just to holiday weeks. In the week ending February 5, 2017, Hamilton brought in $3,214,897. Then, this past week’s gross of $3,133,415 represents not only the fifth time the show has surpassed $3 million, but also the fifth highest weekly gross of the show’s history.

"Hamilton" Holds the Highest Average Paid Ticket

Even without Lin-Manuel Miranda in the cast, Hamilton is proving itself to be an increasingly hot ticket. Clearly there is also a certain amount of producorial skill involved, as the producers and general managers have been utilizing dynamic pricing in order to capitalize on demand. Nevertheless, Hamilton has by far the highest average paid ticket of any show on Broadway. Following Hamilton’s top earning average ticket this past week of $291.37, the next highest average paid admission was earned by The Book of Mormon at $145.86 on average per ticket.

New Musical “Come From Away” Gaining Steam at the Broadway Box Office

While Hamilton and The Book of Mormon are proven hits, along with the long-running shows Wicked, The Lion King, and the newer Disney entrant Aladdin, a new musical is proving to be an unexpected attraction. Come From Away, which comes to Broadway following several out-of-town trial productions, deals with the events taking place on September 11, 2001, when 38 planes were diverted to a small town in Newfoundland, Canada in light of the terrorist attacks in New York City. Based on true events, this musical is an inspirational tale of coming together as a community in times of tragedy.

Even though there are no stars in the cast, the musical is demonstrating some promise. This past week, the show brought in $601,255 over seven performances, which represents 63.16% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $223.00, the average paid admission was $80.97, and the audience was filled up to 101.4%. Therefore, a significant amount of discounting is taking place, which is only natural for a new musical that is still in previews. These efforts may well serve to build word of mouth prior to the reviews hitting the presses after the opening night on March 12, 2017.

"Sunset Boulevard" Receives Great Reviews on Broadway

Another new show this season, the revival of Sunset Boulevard starring Glenn Close, is also doing very well at the box office. This past week, it beat out The Book of Mormon with a weekly gross of $1,325,122 over seven performances, which represents 78.7% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $297.00, the average paid admission was $130.00, and the audience was filled up to 86.7%. Already open and running with great reviews, if this momentum continues, Sunset Boulevard may be poised to recoup its capitalization prior to the closing date of June 25, 2017.