By Christina Morningside | Posted on May 23, 2018 9:06 AM
Long-running Musicals Led the Pack at the Box Office this Past Week, and The Boys in the Band is Poised to Become the Hit of the Summer.
The Great Get Greater at the Broadway Box Office
This past week, the week ending May 20, 2018, the Broadway box office experienced overall growth, driven primarily by the long-running hits, which by and large had a strong week.
The Lion King Roars On
The biggest increase in ticket sales this past week was seen by the mega-hit The Lion King, which went up by $306,677 to reach a weekly gross of $2,141,255, or 106.9% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $225, the average paid admission was $157.98, and the audience was filled up to 99.9% of its capacity.
Hamilton, Wicked, Mormon Follow Suit
The next biggest increase was seen by Hamilton, which went up by $304,226 to reach a weekly gross of $3,120,832, or 107.8% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $849, the average paid admission was $290.20, and the audience was filled up to an average capacity of 101.8%. Next in line in terms of box office increase was Wicked, which went up by $207,596 to reach a weekly gross of $1,749,587. With a top ticket price of $240, the average paid admission for Wicked was $116.93, and the audience capacity averaged out to 97.1%.
Other long-running musicals had a strong week as well. For instance, The Phantom of the Opera went up by $89,818 to reach a weekly gross of $1,187,606, or 87.6% of its gross potential. Kinky Boots went up by $86,066 to reach a weekly gross of $762,831, or 58.9% of its gross potential. The Book of Mormon reached 101.4% of its gross potential with a weekly gross of $1,206,994, and Dear Evan Hansen reached 120.5% of its gross potential with a weekly gross of $1,716,700.
The Boys in the Band Poised to Become the Hit of the Summer
Beyond those musicals, the biggest standout this week was The Boys in the Band, which has been previewing at the Booth Theatre since April 30, ahead of its opening night on May 31. This play by Mart Crowley is seeing its first ever Broadway production, although it premiered Off-Broadway in the 1960s. The director is the powerhouse helmer Joe Mantello, and the cast is an incredible selection of all-gay stars, including Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin De Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, and Tuc Watkins.
This past week, The Boys in the Band continued its phenomenal streak of preview box office, bringing in its highest weekly gross yet of $1,035,583, or 108.21% of its gross potential. With a top ticket price of $397.00, the average paid admission was $166.09, and the audience was filled up to 100.7% of its capacity on average. Over the course of the three weeks of previews, the average percentage reached of gross potential has been 106.20%, and this is even before reviews have come out. Furthermore, the show will open too late to be considered for this year’s Tony Awards, but that’s not stopping the box office from reaching great heights.
