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With the Broadway show tally decreasing from 30 production last week to 26 this week, cumulative box-office numbers took a dive. A mere $19,579,699 was collected across the board, a more than 33% decrease from last week's $31,143,670.
Attendance likewise dropped from 253,730 to 196,288. New to the boards was the New York Yankees drama Bronx Bombers at the Circle in the Square. Over four previews, it played to 55% capacity crowds and took in 34% of its potential till.
The Lincoln Center Theater revival of Macbeth closed out its run playing to 78% capacity at the Beaumont. Box-office percentage of the potential take was a low 30%, the poorest number on the street.
Beautiful, the Carole King jukebox musical, played to houses that were 96% full on this, the week the long-previewed tuner officially opened. What effect the reviews had on the box office will not be seen until next week. Among the surviving Broadway shows, ticket sales were relatively anemic, as is customary during the annual post-holidays lull. Only the reliable The Book of Mormon and the double bill of Twelfth Night/Richard III sold out.
The season overall is well ahead of last season's numbers, charting a total of $792 million to last year's $729 million.