Business remained robust along Broadway, even if overall numbers slipped. Cumulative box office stood at $26,894,099, three million less than the previous week. The number of attractions on the boards remained steady at 36. Nonetheless, the 2015-16 season as a whole is on track to beat the 2014-15 season, taking in a total $1,207,931,467, compared to $1,201,477,717 last season at this point in the year.
Most shows lost traction at the box office, even shows that are routinely healthy week-to-week, such as Aladdin, The Book of Mormon and Hamilton. Shows that increased their collections included the in-previews musical Waitress, which was up $46,031, for a total box office of $880,303. Waitress played to near capacity, a feat matched by Shuffle Along, another musical in previews. Only two shows were sell-outs: Hamilton and The Book of Mormon, though The Lion King came close.
In its first full week of previews, the new revival of O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey Into Night, starring Jessica Lange, took in $356,646 over seven previews and played to houses 88 percent full. Among other shows still in previews, the new musical Tuck Everlasting saw 83 percent of its seats filled, American Psycho sold 95 percent of its tickets, the solo comedy Fully Committed, staring Jesse Tyler Ferguson, ran to 73 percent capacity, and the Frank Langella starrer, The Father, commanded 88 percent capacity. None were particularly strong in terms of gross, however.
Of Broadway’s straight plays, The Humans continued to be the most successful. Last week, 93 percent of the seats were occupied and the box office was 67 percent of the potential. The well-reviewed Eclipsed brought in only 35 percent of the gross and sold 62 percent of its tickets.
The well-reviewed revival of The Crucible fell in attendance and box office, playing to 89 percent capacity. The hard-to-predict fortunes of the musical School of Rock, too, were down, going from nearly selling out the week previous to 85 percent capacity.
Biggest box-office take of the week belonged to The Lion King with $1,996,041. Next up was Hamilton with $1,813,655, whose theatre, the Rodgers, has 600 less seats that The Lion King’s Minskoff.
